[odawg]

The teacher was only following protocol. Not opening the door is the command.

The theory is that someone with a gun may be holding the student captive and forcing him to demand entrance.

[yldstrk]

uh huh, whatever, only a chicken heart locks the door on kids, he knew damn well his whole class wasn’t in the room

[Brooklyn Attitude]

“The teacher was only following protocol. Not opening the door is the command.”

I think part of the issue is how quickly he closed the door. Did he give his students time to get back in the room they just left or did he slam the door in their face when they were right behind him?

[Leaning Right]

> The teacher was only following protocol. <

Probably. I want to think I’d try to keep that door open as long as possible. But this situation is a bit like a ship that has just been torpedoed. Or a ship that has just collided with an iceberg. There are people in the flooding compartments, desperately trying to get out.

Should the captain order the water-tight doors closed? If so, when? It all depends on the specific situation, of course. But it’s a hell of a decision to have to make.

[hanamizu]

The teacher was only following protocol. Not opening the door is the command.

---

The protocol at the school I taught (and now sub at), is that the shooter’s location is broadcast to the whole school, i.e. if you hear gunshots outside of your locked door, you let the office know and you and others near you know you don’t open the door no matter what. Once he’s in the room with you, you are all likely to be killed.

If you are in another building/another floor, then, of course you let kids in your room or, if possible, flee the building for (hopefully) safety. Because of the rural nature of the school, help is not going to arrive for a while—it up to us to use our wits and whatever’s at hand to survive. (On the other hand if “help” is just going to wait outside and see how things are going...)

I have no idea what the drill for the Florida school was and how the teacher in question acted. If the shooter was nearby or coming in his direction, he may well have done the right thing. Were kids in the hall in question shot?

[jackibutterfly]

"The teacher was only following protocol. Not opening the door is the command. The theory is that someone with a gun may be holding the student captive and forcing him to demand entrance."

NO! ABSOLUTLY NOT, in THIS case! The kids had just left the room - he knows who his students are, they heard the shots and screaming and ran right back to THEIR classroom. There was NO shooter with the group, as the shots were heard a distance away. So, that teacher is a complete ahole AND coward. There was NO reason not to get those kids back into the classroom and then lock the door, protocol or no protocol!