Ever since 9/11, Muslims have been under fire with regards to violent activity in American. This sentiment manifested itself in a school shooting training video in a Pennsylvania school district. The video in question showed what was clearly a shooter in a school clothed in a headdress from Middle Eastern cultures.
Photo credit: Screenshot from Penn-Trafford High School video
The video that was shown was made in an effort to “build confidence in the staff members’ awareness of how to respond to an emergency,” with regards to teachers and other authority figures who might find themselves in an active shooter situation in a school. This statement comes courtesy of the Penn-Trafford School District which finds itself just outside Pittsburgh.
The video was apparently made using teacher volunteers who wore garb that included “costumes and accessories” that would “alter their appearance so that they were not readily recognizable.” In the end, the person in the Middle Eastern garb is arrested after hero officers demand that the person, “Show me your hands.”
— Alicia McElhaney (@AliciaMcElhaney) May 15, 2019
Other characterizations were worse, saying the video was “moronic.”
They shouldn't have realistic drills with fake assailants/shooting. It is traumatic for students. And that's aside from the fact that I can't remember the last time a school shooter wore ANY disguise, and they are nearly all young white men. This is moronic on so many levels.
They shouldn't have realistic drills with fake assailants/shooting. It is traumatic for students. And that's aside from the fact that I can't remember the last time a school shooter wore ANY disguise, and they are nearly all young white men. This is moronic on so many levels.
“PT prides itself on instilling respect for others, in its students and staff and has conducted numerous trainings on cultural diversity. The District strongly believes in diversity and inclusion and strives to provide its students an educational environment reflective of the world community.”
Whether or not the district’s pronouncements are okay is up in the air right now. The problem is, in a politically charged climate that paints Muslims as extremists in a lot of cases, it is questionable as to the motives of a school district using such a video.
Shannon Barber is a progressive queer feminist and budding political scientist. She is passionate about issues of social justice, including but not limited to racial equality, criminal justice reform, pro-Black politics, and LGBTQ equality. She hopes to change the world, one mind at a time.
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