See A Mother’s Viral Video Walking Her Son Through An Active Shooter Drill
See a mom's viral TikTok video, where she runs her young son through what to do during an active shooter drill.
Families are returning to school all across the nation. For many, what is considered a joyous start to the academic year has been drastically marred by the horrific mass shooting inside an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas at the end of last school year. Given the fact that the 2021-2022 school year was historic in setting records of gun violence in schools, parents more than ever are taking precautions into their own hands, making sure their children are well prepared for how to handle any situation with an active school shooter. Cassie Walton is one such mother doing so, and she has now gone viral for her gut-wrenching video walking her son through the process with an active shooter drill. See the video below.
@thewaltonfamily1 Happy back to school season…. #foryoupage #backtoschool #foryou #needschange #PostitAffirmations #momiktok ♬ L$d – Luclover
The 22-year-old mother starts out the mock active shooter drill with her son, Weston, by asking him what he would do if he hears the announcement of a shooting over the intercom system. The 5-year-old responds by taking his bulletproof backpack to shield himself with to a corner of the room, demonstrating how he would hide. “Great job,” the mom replies.
Going on in the active shooter drill, she asserts to her son that he needs to remain quiet if the shooter is in the classroom. The mom tells him that if anyone outside of the room shouts out asking if anyone is inside – even if it is the police – he must not speak up. Walton reminds him to “stay absolutely silent.” Additionally, she lets her son know that if he is able to escape the school, he must run as far away as possible, assuring him that this is safest and that she will find him.
Users, many of them parents themselves, responded to the TikTok video noting how terrifying, yet necessary this active shooter drill was. No parent is likely to want to have to discuss these difficult matters with their children, let alone little 5-year-olds that aren’t likely to grasp the entire situation and how serious it can be. But given everything that happened inside the Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas last spring, most families know how necessary this conversation is.
It is now known that when the gunmen entered an unlocked classroom inside the Uvalde elementary school, hundreds of police officers stood idly outside in the hall for more than an hour while he continued his rampage, killing 19 children and 2 teachers. Testimony from one of the surviving children noted that she watched one of her classmates die after a police officer shouted into the room, asking if anyone was inside. The girl, who had been hiding, cried out, which is when she recalls that the shooter found and shot the classmate.
Schools, districts, individual states, and the federal government have all taken steps to further protect students and school staff since the deadly massacre inside of the Texas school. As these tragic incidents perpetually increase in frequency over time, more and more parents feel the need to discuss active shooter drill practices at home, knowing that these shootings can happen to anyone. While parents hope that their children will never have to live through such events, parents like Cassie Walton know how important it is to prepare their kid’s in case it happens to them.
