‘Boom. You’re Dead': Principal On Leave Over School Shooting Drill

SAN GABRIEL, CA — A school principal in Los Angeles County is in hot water for her handling of an active shooter drill that parents found disturbing this week.

The backlash was swift.

The incident happened Wednesday, and after parents complained, Washington Elementary Principal Nina Denson was placed on administrative leave from her post at the San Gabriel school, KTLA reported.

“She proceeded to walk around campus and pretended to shoot people she saw using finger movements and banging on windows. From what I heard, she said to one of the students, ‘Boom. You’re dead,’” Jennifer Chavez, whose first grader witnessed the drill, told KTLA. “Oh he was really upset. The one shocking, surprising thing he said as a 6-year-old was, ‘I’m just really glad none of my friends died.’"

Parents told KTLA that staff members claimed Denson then made an announcement saying seven children were dead, further traumatizing the children.

Patch was unable to reach Denson for comment.

San Gabriel Unified School District Superintendent Jim Symonds issued a statement confirming the leave and an ongoing investigation into Denson's conduct.

“After an initial investigation, the District determined that the drill did not appear to be conducted in line with either district guidance or recommended best practices,” he said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “We deeply regret the impact that has been caused and appreciate everyone’s patience as we conduct our investigation.

Denson started as principal at the school in the Fall.

The California Department of Education issues guidelines for lockdown drills, which emphasize community coordination, age appropriateness, and awareness of the impact in student anxiety levels.

"It is critical to develop a plan with a team that includes administrators, educators, school and district crisis management and safety teams, mental health specialists, law enforcement, and school resource officers," the education department concluded.

According to the state, studies "show that experiencing an active shooter drill in high school was associated with significant increases in student fear, inflated perceptions of risk, and a decrease in perceptions of school safety. Implications for future research and policy initiatives regarding active shooter drills are discussed, specifically the need for increased transparency, standardization of drills, and addressing effective methods of implementing active shooter drills in schools.”

The state's guidelines directs school administrators to plan "age-appropriate" drills and to communicated with parents.

"Local and surrounding communities and parents/guardians should be informed of full-scale drills that simulate real emergencies," the state recommends.

The guidelines also urge school administrators to choose their words carefully to mitigate anxiety children may feel during the drill and to focus on the need to follow adult direction.

"Provide direct, clear information and emphasize the importance of following adult direction," the education department urges. "Use safety vocabulary and verbiage carefully considering developmental and age-appropriateness. Use words like “go” and “evacuate” instead of “escape” or “run” to help mitigate the psychological impact of the crisis and promote calmness and orderliness."