• A TikTok consumer referred to as Jamie shared the steps she takes to maintain her son secure from college shootings.
• They included not shopping for light-up sneakers and educating the boy to be skeptical of fireside alarms.
• A safety skilled weighed in on which of the ideas are most useful.

A TikTok consumer calling herself Jamie went viral after sharing the steps she’s taking in hopes of maintaining her first-grade son secure from college shooters. Weapons are the main reason behind loss of life for youngsters, and the US had 647 mass shootings final yr, so it is comprehensible that folks like Jamie are determined to maintain their youngsters secure. 

“Little doubt, college shootings are having a large affect on how dad and mom safeguard their youngsters from hazard,” says Gene Petrino, a retired SWAT commander and co-founder of Survival Response LLC, which supplies coaching for responding to energetic shooter conditions. 

And but, “as a result of horrific nature of those incidents, many individuals enable their feelings to sway their opinions on prevention and response,” Petrino stated. 

It is regular for fogeys like Jamie to need to really feel that they will take measures to guard their youngsters — however a few of her suggestions have restricted affect, Petrino says, since there’s little information to again them up. 

Here is which of Jamie’s suggestions Petrino recommends dad and mom comply with and one factor he needs extra college students would do. 

‘I began taking an image of my son day-after-day earlier than college’

Jamie begins her video by mentioning that she takes an image of her son day-after-day in order that she has one to indicate first responders in case of an emergency. That is a fantastic selection, Petrino says, and one which’s simple for fogeys to implement. 

“That image might assist velocity up the reunification of dad or mum and little one,” he stated. That is useful not solely at school shootings but in addition in case you develop into separated out of your little one in public or in the event that they’re kidnapped. 

‘I would like him to be the final in line if the hearth alarm is pulled’

Jamie says she tells her son to be final in line if he hears the hearth alarm go off in school. That is as a result of, she says, “statistically it’s a greater likelihood that an energetic shooter is pulling the alarm to lure the youngsters out than an precise fireplace.”

However that is not true, Petrino says. There are well-known examples of shooters pulling fireplace alarms, together with the Columbine capturing in 1999 and the Parkland capturing in 2018. 

And but, “Lively shooters sometimes don’t pull the hearth alarm,” Petrino stated. “Most different incidents of fireside alarm activation got here from both the hearth sprinklers struck by a bullet or the percussion of the gunshot activating the hearth alarm.”

There’s not essentially hurt in telling your little one to stay to the again of the road, Petrino provides, however statistically, it is not prone to enhance their security. 

‘I refuse to get my son mild up sneakers’

Kids are taught to run, conceal and struggle throughout energetic shooter conditions. And hiding saved not less than one little one throughout final yr’s Uvalde capturing. However fun-loving mild sneakers generally is a giveaway to attackers. 

“He cannot conceal in a closet if his sneakers are lighting up,” Jamie stated of her son. 

Petrino agrees, saying that light-up sneakers might tip off a shooter to the place college students are hiding. 

‘I am including a bulletproof insert to my child’s backpack’

Jamie plans to combine a bulletproof plate into her son’s backpack through the subsequent college yr, she stated. However the thought of an merchandise being “bulletproof” is deceptive, in keeping with Petrino. Many bulletproof plates are solely rated to cease bullets from handguns, that are hardly ever utilized in college shootings. 

“They won’t cease a rifle spherical,” Petrino stated, that are extra widespread amongst mass shooters. 

As well as, “a backpack with ballistic safety will solely assist if the kid is aware of find out how to use it,” he stated. “It isn’t an entire protecting system.”

Dad and mom and youngsters ought to perceive the constraints of bulletproof gadgets earlier than spending cash on them, he says. 

Petrino needs extra college students would study the indicators of violence

Probably the greatest issues college students can do to guard themselves from college shootings is to cease a shooter earlier than they begin. That begins with realizing the warning indicators of college violence, together with bullying, withdrawing socially, making threats, and being merciless to animals. 

“In that case, there’s a higher likelihood that any individual can cease these incidents earlier than they occur, and the potential shooter can get the assistance they want,” Petrino stated.