Nina Denson, a newly appointed principal at Washington Elementary School in San Gabriel, California, may be fired after conducting an unauthorized active shooter drill. During the drill, Denson allegedly pretended to shoot and kill young students, causing trauma to the children, reports Law & Crime.
The San Gabriel Unified School District has placed Denson on administrative leave following complaints from parents. The incident occurred during a regular school day and involved children as young as 4 years old. One parent, Jennifer Chavez, shared that her first-grade son was deeply upset by the incident. The school district is currently investigating the matter.
“She proceeded to walk around campus and pretended to shoot people she saw using finger movements and banging on windows. From what I heard, she said to one of the students, ‘Boom. You’re dead,’”
Chavez told the station.
“The one shocking, surprising thing he said as a 6-year-old was, ‘I’m just really glad none of my friends died.’”
After the horrifying act, Denson reportedly made an announcement to the students, informing them that seven of their young classmates had been killed. This announcement has been deemed highly inappropriate by parents, including Ann Bustamante.
“Can you imagine the trauma these children potentially could go through of just thinking, ‘Oh my God, my friend was killed’ or ‘I was shot and told I died,’”
she told KTLA.
“At the young age that these children are, it was very upsetting.”
Denson has been placed on temporary administrative leave. When questioned about the incident, San Gabriel Unified School District Superintendent Jim Symonds clearly stated that the active shooter drill had not been approved by the school district. He also emphasized that Denson’s conduct during the drill did not’
“appear to have been in line with District protocols or best practices.”
The school district is taking the matter seriously and is investigating further.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
