Teachers Shot ‘Execution Style’ with Airsoft Guns During ALICE Training

Officers conducting the training at an Indiana elementary school made teachers kneel down and face a wall before shooting them in their backs with pellets.

The Indiana State Teachers Association wants safeguards put into place that ensure students and teachers won't be injured during active shooter trainings.

March 22, 2019 Amy Rock Jump to Comments

Teachers at an Indiana elementary school say they were repeatedly shot with airsoft guns during an active shooter training drill conducted by a local sheriff’s office, leaving them with welts and bruises.

Two teachers from Meadowlawn Elementary School told The Indy Star that back in January, White County Sheriff’s officers made them kneel down against a classroom wall before shooting them in their backs with plastic pellets without warning.

“They told us, ‘This is what happens if you cower and do nothing,” recalled one of the teachers. “They shot all of us across our backs. I was hit four times. It hurt so bad.”

Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) vice president Keith Gambill described the situation further, stating the teachers were called into a small room four at a time and were “fired upon with a semi-automatic type of weapon that shoots soft pellets.”

The teachers were shot three to four times each and were told to not tell any of their colleagues who hadn’t yet been called into the room, according to Education Week.

“The first group went in and we heard them scream and yell,” recalled another teacher. “We thought, ‘What is going on?’”

Teachers Union Demands Verbiage Changes in Proposed Bill

State legislators are considering a school safety bill that would require Indiana schools to conduct at least one active shooter drill each school year. It would also provide school-based mental health services or social-emotional wellness services to students.

Although the bill does not mandate a specific type of training program, teachers at Meadowlawn were receiving ALICE training.

Some law enforcement agencies who conduct the trainings have used sounds of simulated gunfire or fake blood to make the drills more realistic. Barbara Deardorff, an official with ISTA, said she has never heard of teachers being shot with pellets during ALICE training.

While union leaders support the bill, they want safeguards put in place so that teachers and students are not harmed during the trainings.

“What we’re looking for is just a simple statement in this bill that would prohibit the shooting of some type of projectile at staff in an active shooter drill,” ISTA’s director of government relations Gail Zeheralis said during her testimony Wednesday in front of the Senate Education Committee.

Sheriff Bill Brooks, whose department led the training, said it stopped using airsoft guns during active shooter trainings after receiving a complaint, adding that all teachers involved signed up to participate.

“They all knew they could be [shot],” he said. “It’s a shooting exercise.”

Both teachers who spoke with The Indy Star said they were not warned beforehand by the officers that anyone would be shot.

“I don’t believe something like that should take place in an active shooter drill,” said Rep. Wendy McNamara, the bill’s sponsor.

The state Senate’s Education Committee will consider amendments for the bill next week.

Choosing the Right Training, Technology for Your Campus

As more states push for bills requiring at least one active shooter training each year, like Mississippi did this week, how do you decide which type of training or technology is best for your school or district?

Campus Safety recently hosted a webinar on how schools can effectively respond to active shooters.

Panelists Paul Timm, vice president of Facility Engineering Associates, Steve Goldfarb, emergency manager at the University of Southern California, and Laura Frye, director of education and certification at DHI, discussed available technologies, ADA and NFPA compliance, training, and policies and procedures.

Topic discussions also included:

The pros and cons of various approaches to lockdowns
Training strategies schools and universities use that have worked
The strengths and weaknesses of the many lockdown solutions currently available

You can watch the full webinar recording here by logging in to your Campus Safety HQ profile or by signing up for free.

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About the Author

Amy Rock, Executive Editor

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Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.

Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.