Traumatizing training

Seems some parents are rightfully upset at the uber-realism of a recent "active shooter" exercise at a school.  Why?  The students weren't told it was just a drill...

School administration came up with a mock scenario of an armed intruder entering the building, and contacted the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office, which actively participated in the drill.
Several Stephenson County sheriff’s deputies helped with the drill, said Chief Deputy Todd Welch. This is the first time the sheriff’s department has assisted with a drill of this kind at a school. The mock scenario involved an “armed intruder,” played by a deputy, who entered the school, fired a cap gun, and asked for a specific student. Other officers arrived on the scene and “arrested” the intruder.

Parents were notified by phone via a school reach notification system between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. the day of the drill.
“I sent a message on our school reach system that the drill was going on, that it was just a drill, and not to do any communication (with students) via phone or text,” Otto said.
Students were not informed of the drill beforehand. Otto said staff were told not to notify students that it was a drill unless multiple students became seriously overwrought.  ((perhaps more appropriate instructions would be to take note of which students DIDN'T become 'seriously overwrought' at the idea their school was under armed attack -- Jemison))

I wonder how many students lost sleep in the nights after this 'drill,' due to the effects of being in what they believed was a life-threatening situation.  I understand the need for realistic training.  I also understand we don't use live rounds in combat training because some realism comes at an unacceptably high cost.  Imagine what this kid was thinking:

Otto did confirm that the student who the “intruder” was searching for, fled school grounds and had to be located and brought back to school.

I'm glad he kept his wits about him enough to 'escape.'  But what superintendent uses a real student's name in a shooting exercise without telling the student he's not actually being hunted?

They can call it what they want... I call it child abuse, and reason #34,739 why my kids are homeschooled.

(HT: Pro Libertate)