Students Told to 'Run. Hide. Fight' in Shooting Situation
2023-02-16
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1As a gunman opened fire inside school buildings at Michigan State University on Monday night, students received an alert on their phones.
2It read: "Run. Hide. Fight."
3The students broke windows to escape.
4They blocked doors and hid under blankets for safety.
5Others turned their phones to silence, afraid to make any noise.
6The gunman, a 43-year-old man, killed three students and seriously wounded five others.
7The incident ended three hours later when the gunman killed himself.
8Jaqueline Matthews is an international law student at Michigan State.
9More than 10 years ago, she was a sixth-grade student in Newtown, Connecticut, when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 people.
10Matthews injured her back while hiding in a corner during the incident.
11The 21-year-old student said she was shocked to find herself in another mass shooting situation.
12"The fact that this is the second mass shooting that I have now lived through is incomprehensible," Matthews said in a TikTok video.
13"We can no longer allow this to happen. We can no longer be complacent."
14To be complacent means to be satisfied with how things are and not wanting to change them.
15Matthews was not the only MSU student who had already lived through a school shooting.
16Jennifer Mancini's daughter is a first-year student at Michigan State.
17She told the Detroit Free Press newspaper that her daughter also had survived the November 2021 shooting that left four students dead at Oxford High School in southeastern Michigan.
18"I can't believe this is happening again," said Mancini, who did not want her daughter's name used.
19For students like Matthews and Mancini's daughter, the plan of "Run. Hide. Fight" in an active shooter situation is becoming familiar.
20As active shooter incidents increased, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) produced a training video called "Run. Hide. Fight." It shows three actions that people can do to keep themselves and others safe in an active shooter situation.
21When a shooter is nearby, the video says, people should run or hide.
22They should "fight only as a last resort." When fighting the attacker, it advises working with others and using available objects as weapons.
23Many colleges and schools now follow the practice under different names.
24But the message is the same: Get out of harm's way, hide or barricade, and, if an attacker finds you, take action.
25Supporters say it gives individuals a list of actions that go beyond the traditional lockdown method.
26But critics say it is misguided to teach students, especially younger ones, to fight back.
27Some school safety experts say it needlessly puts students in danger.
28Opponents are pushing for stronger lockdown policies and better training for school safety officials.
29Joseph Erardi was head of the school system in Newtown, Connecticut, which included Sandy Hook Elementary School.
30In 2019, after a series of school shootings, Erardi said: "What we've learned over time is to provide staff and students with as many options as possible in the moment."
31In the last few years, several schools in the U.S. have added panic buttons and live-stream cameras so that police officers can see inside classrooms in real time if a gunman enters a school.
32And across the nation, 911 emergency call centers have added a texting option so that people in an active shooter situation can quietly provide information to police.
33I'm Ashley Thompson.
1As a gunman opened fire inside school buildings at Michigan State University on Monday night, students received an alert on their phones. It read: "Run. Hide. Fight." 2The students broke windows to escape. They blocked doors and hid under blankets for safety. Others turned their phones to silence, afraid to make any noise. 3The gunman, a 43-year-old man, killed three students and seriously wounded five others. The incident ended three hours later when the gunman killed himself. 4Jaqueline Matthews is an international law student at Michigan State. More than 10 years ago, she was a sixth-grade student in Newtown, Connecticut, when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 people. Matthews injured her back while hiding in a corner during the incident. 5The 21-year-old student said she was shocked to find herself in another mass shooting situation. 6"The fact that this is the second mass shooting that I have now lived through is incomprehensible," Matthews said in a TikTok video. "We can no longer allow this to happen. We can no longer be complacent." To be complacent means to be satisfied with how things are and not wanting to change them. 7Matthews was not the only MSU student who had already lived through a school shooting. Jennifer Mancini's daughter is a first-year student at Michigan State. She told the Detroit Free Press newspaper that her daughter also had survived the November 2021 shooting that left four students dead at Oxford High School in southeastern Michigan. 8"I can't believe this is happening again," said Mancini, who did not want her daughter's name used. 9Run. Hide. Fight 10For students like Matthews and Mancini's daughter, the plan of "Run. Hide. Fight" in an active shooter situation is becoming familiar. 11As active shooter incidents increased, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) produced a training video called "Run. Hide. Fight." It shows three actions that people can do to keep themselves and others safe in an active shooter situation. 12When a shooter is nearby, the video says, people should run or hide. They should "fight only as a last resort." When fighting the attacker, it advises working with others and using available objects as weapons. 13Many colleges and schools now follow the practice under different names. But the message is the same: Get out of harm's way, hide or barricade, and, if an attacker finds you, take action. 14Supporters say it gives individuals a list of actions that go beyond the traditional lockdown method. 15But critics say it is misguided to teach students, especially younger ones, to fight back. Some school safety experts say it needlessly puts students in danger. Opponents are pushing for stronger lockdown policies and better training for school safety officials. 16Joseph Erardi was head of the school system in Newtown, Connecticut, which included Sandy Hook Elementary School. In 2019, after a series of school shootings, Erardi said: "What we've learned over time is to provide staff and students with as many options as possible in the moment." 17In the last few years, several schools in the U.S. have added panic buttons and live-stream cameras so that police officers can see inside classrooms in real time if a gunman enters a school. 18And across the nation, 911 emergency call centers have added a texting option so that people in an active shooter situation can quietly provide information to police. 19I'm Ashley Thompson. 20Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on reports from The Associated Press and the FBI. 21______________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23alert - n. something (such as a message or loud sound) that tells people there is some danger or problem : an alarm or signal of danger 24incomprehensible - adj. impossible to understand 25allow - v. permit, let 26complacent - adj. satisfied with how things are and not wanting to change them 27last resort - n. something to do because no other choices are possible 28lockdown - n. limited movement in the interest of public safety 29option - n. choice or possibility 30panic button - n. a button that a person can press to call for help