A California principal is under fire for pretending to strike students during an active shooting drill.
Nina Denson, who works at Washington Elementary in San Gabriel, was placed on administrative leave after her alleged actions that frustrated the community. Parents slammed Denson for how she conducted a Feb. 7 drill in front of her young and impressionable students.
“She proceeded to walk around campus and pretended to shoot people she saw using finger movements and banging on windows,” parent Jennifer Chavez told KTLA. “From what I heard, she said to one of the students, ‘Boom. You’re dead.’”
Employees at the school said Denson announced that several students passed away after the drill, according to the report. Another parent, Anna Bustamante, also shared her concerns.
“Can you imagine the trauma these children potentially could go through just thinking, ‘Oh my God, my friend was killed’ or ‘I was shot and told I died,’” Bustamante said to the news station. “At the young age that these children are, it was very upsetting.”
The San Gabriel Unified School District released a statement addressing the incident, adding that an investigation is underway and counseling services were also made available to students.
“After an initial investigation, the District determined that the drill did not appear to be conducted in line with either District guidance or recommended best practices,” the district said, per KABC. “As the District conducts a thorough investigation of what happened, the principal will be on a leave of absence for the duration of the review.”
Katie Ingram, who has worked at the school for nearly 20 years, is set to serve as an administrative designee amid the probe. Parents like Chavez don’t want Denson to return to her position.
“She does not have the trust of the community,” Chavez added, KTLA reported.
Everytown, a nonprofit organization that stands against gun violence, said more than 90 percent of schools in the U.S. conduct active shooter drills. However, the gun control advocates noted that the lasting impact from the drills could be damaging for students and teachers alike.
“Students, educators, and staff have experienced distress and sometimes lasting trauma as a result of active shooter drills,” the organization said. “Everytown does not recommend these drills for students, and believes schools should carefully consider these impacts before conducting live drills that involve students.”
