'Distract and attack' has parents up in arms
November 5, 2013
Teachers at Boundary County Middle School had an assembly Friday during which principal David Miles II discussed something we all pray never happens, what to do if a person with a gun enters the school and opens fire.

Sadly, it's a topic school administrators can't afford to ignore.

Unfortunately, many of the students went home on Monday, when they were told, and reported what, to them, seemed the most exciting part, "distract and attack," prompting a number of concerned parents to call school district trustees and flood Facebook with questions.

"The message was supposed to be 'what are our options when imminent threat is there?' Miles said. "One option was having the teacher by the door ready for the intruder in case entry was achieved. This option did include using a student to throw an object away from the huddled students in order to distract the intruder and attract their attention away from the students. This option also included the idea of potentially using another student to help the teacher at the door. It was not the intention to choose or force students into doing any of the distract and attack but rather get them thinking about what could be done in this rare case."

Superintendent Richard Conley, who attended the assembly, regrets that what most parents heard was only the very last resort.

"It's unfortunate, but in this day and age, we have to actively consider a situation like this, and discuss it with both staff and students to get them thinking about what they would do in such an extreme situation," he said. "To ignore the possibility and not talk about it in hopes it never happens is unacceptable. What if we didn't and it happens? Students and teachers who find themselves in such an extreme situation would likely freeze and not know what to do."

The entirety of the discussion involved considerably more than "attack and distract," he said, though he agreed that to most middle school age students, that would be considered the most exciting part of the discussion.

The least exciting parts were run; get as far away from the shooter as fast and far as safely possible. If fleeing is not an option, lock yourself in a room and hide.

Miles will meet with concerned parents and those concerned at 4:15 p.m. today in the middle school gym to explain what he told students and address concerns.

"Both of my kids came home stating that their teacher would be required to identify four students - the biggest and bravest - to assist," one parent wrote on Facebook. "Two would distract and the other two along with the teacher would attack. These statements that came home with our kids are the reason so many of us parents were extremely concerned about this plan. I applaud Mr. Miles for being proactive with putting something into place to protect our kids ... the mistake he made was not sending home communication with our kids to explain better. I suspect some of the conversations were discussed with some facetiousness, but that's why we requested to meet today with Mr. Miles so that parents could find out if this is truly what was discussed as a plan or not. I'm hoping the kids just repeated the most dramatic parts of the 'plan' and some things were misconstrued."

But what if the shooter targets the room you are hiding in, surrounded by friends and classmates with no way out? Bullets are slamming into the door and the lock is giving way?

What then?

In the military, nearly every soldier, sailor, Marine and airman is trained for such last-ditch scenario, and the elite forces; the SEALs, the Green Berets, the fighter pilots, the Rangers, Force Recon. all undergo what is undisputedly the harshest training of their careers; SERE.

Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape.

When possible, run and hide, live to fight another day. When resistance is futile, resist and escape.

It's the training that has you eating bugs and snakes to survive, sleeping in short bursts in the most unimaginable places. It's designed to be miserable beyond imagination.

While harsh, the training has saved many lives in the most terrible circumstance. Most who start the training quit; only the most resolute suffer and endure.

The overarching goal is to get the trooper to do what doesn't come naturally to most when nothing else works; when cornered, turn and attack the attacker. It gives the best chance that some will survive.

The military recognizes that it takes training, the hardest training.

While Mr. Miles' motive in raising "distract and attack" as a last resort may be pure, there is concern that his middle school student audience isn't quite ready for the lesson. All they heard was "brave," and "hero."

The school board, unaware of what was to come, last month agreed to schedule a community forum on school security before the end of the year. The plan had been to invite experts, such as Boundary County Sheriff Greg Sprungl, who served as a law enforcement leader in  Bosnia, to provide experienced, realistic and professional advice, and to ensure that adequate training was provided staff and students.

As a result, the board will hold a special public meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, November 12, in the high school library to hear concerns and discuss the issue. The regular trustee meeting begins at 6 p.m.

"Mr. Miles may well be right," said trustee David Brinkman, "but I don't know that. This wasn't a discussion between administrators and students, but the establishment of district policy behind the backs of the board and the public. I don't like that."

The board is grateful that its administrators are thinking of the issue, and grateful for the public's concern, but  promises that this issue will get full public hearing and the best available guidance and advice before any child or staff member will be asked to be a hero in the event of the unimaginable.