A mother has shared a sign from a classroom which teaches pupils how to act if a gunman enters their school – to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
Georgy Cohen spotted the poster – written in colourful lettering – as she visited the school her own child will attend come September.
It was next to one teaching the alphabet.
This should not be hanging in my soon-to-be-kindergartener’s classroom. pic.twitter.com/mWiJVdddpH
— Georgy Cohen (@radiofreegeorgy) June 6, 2018
The full version reads: “Lockdown, lockdown, lock the door. Shut the lights off, say no more. Go behind the desk and hide, wait until it’s safe inside. Lockdown, Lockdown, it’s all done. Now it’s time to have some fun!”
Cohen, who is half-British, has no issue with the rhyme being taught, but is sad that such a threat makes it a necessity, she said.
She added that the school is “doing exactly what they need to be doing” and called upon people to talk to government representatives about gun reform.
So I don’t have a SoundCloud but I, like most of you, have congressional representatives I can call to advocate for gun reform https://t.co/ivEa1qdnl2 Or we can support orgs like @Everytown and @SandyHook
— Georgy Cohen (@radiofreegeorgy) June 7, 2018
I’m only going to add one more comment to this: the school is doing exactly what they need to be doing, and I am glad for it. My issue is with the political & cultural factors that brought us to this sad state. Please talk to your legislators about the need for gun reform.
— Georgy Cohen (@radiofreegeorgy) June 7, 2018
Cohen declined to name the Massachusetts school where she saw the sign.
But in a statement Somerville Public Schools said lockdown drills are a sad necessity, adding that “unfortunately this is the world we live in”.
Online, the post attracted a mass of debate about the fact that such lessons are needed.
Jesus, that’s to the tune of the alphabet song, and Twinkle Twinkle… what a horrifying contribution to the songbook.
— Margot Bloomstein (@mbloomstein) June 6, 2018
Omg this is sad that our kids have to learn a song like this as part of their survival strategy
— DramaFreeLeo ?????? (@DramaFreeLeo) June 7, 2018
This could not be more terrifyingly dystopian.
— Ellie McIntosh (@_emcintosh) June 7, 2018
God…this this shouldn’t exist in any classrooms. This shouldn’t be a standard.
— Ken (@kenjsasaki) June 7, 2018
But people praised the school for teaching something so awful in a way that would keep young children calm.
That’s fair i guess it is a better solution in order to keep kids calm under the stiuation, still tho i still think its kinda messed up things like this are pretty normalized now :/
— Deku The Best Boi (@maadfamily) June 7, 2018
It’s sad and it sucks that this has to be a thing in schools, absolutely. But the rhyme itself, set to a familiar tune, with it ending on a “reward” term actually seems like it would be effective in helping younger kids remember protocol and in reinforcing it (1st drill then fun)
— §þð† ðñ Çhåð§ (@See_Spot_Tweet) June 7, 2018
