How teachers across the U.S. prepare for a school shooting

Active shooter drills, bulletproof backpacks ... This is the disturbing reality for teachers across the country.

Transcript

00:00The reality of being a teacher is making sure your door can quickly lock in case there's an active threat.

00:05This is a barracuda bar. It goes right over the door handle and sits on the door frame.

00:09It's having a window cover you can quickly pull down.

00:19Creating a plan for your students, but knowing there are so many, well, what if they came in this way?

00:24Or how can I hide 20 plus kids and keep them quiet when they're afraid? Heck,

00:27I'm afraid as I was never trained for this.

00:30So the front part, I have all the tourniquets inside of.

00:34Basic life-saving stuff in here. And then the front pocket, this is actually one of the plates that I have.

00:40This is bulletproof.

00:42So because this is slid under the door and these go on either side of the door frame,

00:58no one can open this door, even though there's no lock. And you can actually tighten the top

01:06by twisting this. I think I need to get faster at that,

01:10but even then I think it took me like 10 seconds. To be honest,

01:13I think just doing that gave me a little bit of anxiety.

01:15Have you ever had to ask yourself if you would die for your clients? I don't mean like metaphorically,

01:20I mean like literally take a bullet for them.

01:22Because that is a question that every teacher in the United States has had to think about at some point.

01:40We're going to start doing this thing, and it is to protect us, okay?

01:48So we all stay safe.

01:52What we're going to do is lock the door,

01:54we're going to turn the lights off, and we're going to move over to the corner.

01:57There's going to be a spot in the classroom that we go hide in, okay?

02:01We're not going to use it often, but whenever we do, you have to know it's important, okay?

02:06So that we all go home safe.

02:09It's really dark. I know it is, but remember we got to be really quiet during this time, okay? Okay.

02:14We're going to practice a couple times.

02:18What's wrong?

02:20I know baby, but we have to. And I know that it felt squished over there.

02:24If this wasn't a drill, and we were really in a lockdown,

02:28we can fit some friends in the cabinets over here. People need to be aware of how teachers feel during lockdowns.

02:34We're freaking terrified. It's a very real and scary part of being in education.

02:49Being a teacher and student is scary right now, and it doesn't have to be this way.

02:53Everyone is living in fear, and we are just asking that something get done about it. One option, after decades of

03:00mass shootings all over the country,

03:03spiraling to where it is now, let's arm all of the teachers. First of all,

03:07you can't even provide books and supplies for our kids, let alone firearms. Those teachers excited about carrying pew-pews,

03:14or new applicants excited at the prospect, are not necessarily

03:19the teachers you want teaching your kids. Our country, through our inaction and thoughts and prayers,

03:24left these kids to die, and it will continue to happen until we do something about it. These were fourth graders.

03:29It could have been me, and it could have been my kids.

03:32You