As parents in a community not unlike that of Littleton, Colo., we have reeled in the wake of yet another violent tragedy in our schools. As parents, we were faced yet again with the grim task of explaining to our own children how sometimes horrible things happen, even in school where most students and parents would presume to feel safe.

In light of Colorado's terrible tragedy, we were shocked to hear of a role playing activity which occurred at Sandy Creek High School in a Spanish class on Wednesday, April 21, the day after Littleton. According to students, in order to demonstrate past tense, the teacher instructed two students to don hats and masks, carry toy guns, enter the classroom and pretend to gun down classmates, in Spanish, of course.

If this had been a normal week and the violence in Colorado had not taken place, we would be no less appalled. However, in light of this tragedy, the morbidity, insensitivity and overall lack of respect for human life demonstrated in this activity shakes us to the core of our beings.

When students balked at the activity and some even indicated that they intended to speak with their parents about it that night, they were countered with the glib response that this was in the lesson plans for that day and had already been approved, just as it had been done in the past and no reason was seen to cancel it. We'll give you a few minutes to take this in and pick yourself up off the floor.

You will no doubt ask yourself, as we did, what kind of teacher would put this activity in a lesson plan in the first place? Then, even more alarming, what kind of teacher, department head, or administrator would approve such an unbelievable idea? Suppose another student had decided to carry a weapon that day and shot back? (Not unthinkable, as an eighth grader at Flat Rock, across the road, brought a gun to school just a few weeks ago.)

Understandably in the aftermath of an event such as the one which transpired in Colorado this past week, fingers are pointed at parents, schools, media and our society in general. Surely we are all partially responsible for failing today's youth. When a clear determination can be made in any of the above mentioned groups of impropriety or malpractice, there should exist swift and resounding consequences.

We think an even better “real life” demonstration of past tense would be to terminate this teacher's employment and issue a statement in Spanish that “Ms. So and So used to teach at Sandy Creek High School.” Fayette County teachers should know and parents should be assured that an instructor with this type of mind set will not be tolerated in our schools. Using scare tactics is not an acceptable teaching method for any reason.

We have a zero tolerance policy for students, which to our understanding includes toy weapons. Consequences are made clear and we strongly support this policy. Would not the same standards apply to teachers?

Barry and Deborah Angevine

Fayetteville@

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