Police criticized for organizing fake recordings for student lessons

Burlington, Vermont, police have faced backlash after a controversial surprise commercial staged for Burlington High School students on Wednesday.

The demonstration was held for the students of Burlington High School’s Year End Studies program and included role play with police personnel, the police station said in a statement Thursday.

“The … scenario involved only three department personnel simulating a robbery scenario and did not target students or faculty,” the department said, later adding that fake firearms were used in the demonstration at the police station.

According to a Vermont newspaper, Seven daysthe scenario had to demonstrate the ‘unreliability of witness statements’.

The presentation had been approved in late May by the district’s Year End Studies (YES) program staff, who reportedly agreed to give parents and students advance notice. the department said. But the students received no warning and took cover, Seven Days reported. Students and parents were reportedly shocked and outraged.

“We take our responsibility to take student safety very seriously, and we are deeply sorry that this event occurred,” school officials said. WPTZ TV in Burlington. “We understand the impact this incident may have had on the mental health and wellbeing of students, and we would like to let parents and students know that staff from both our counseling and mental health support services will be able to provide support tomorrow if needed.”

The department too apologized on Thursday, noting that a post was circulating on social media about how angry students felt after class.

“The Burlington Police Department apologizes to any students in attendance who were upset by the specific scenario and crime scene portion of the presentation,” the statement said.

JS reached out to Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and the Burlington School District Superintendent for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

According to police, the school district’s JA program staff had contacted police officials in April about giving a presentation following a “successful” demonstration the department gave last fall for another program within the school district.

The police department and YES program staff had reportedly discussed the details of the session beforehand, with the police department saying it would be “about as realistic as possible.” The staff was asked if they thought the students would be comfortable with it, and they reportedly confirmed that the students would be fine.

While the department said the scenario was not designed as a crime targeting students, experts have emphasized how traumatic such situations, including active shooter drills at schools, can be for students.

A majority of U.S. states require schools to conduct active shooter drills to prepare students and teachers for such an incident, especially as violence has rocked schools and communities across the country in recent years. PBS reported. But one recent report from Everytown for Gun Safety shows that active shooter drills can have an alarming effect on mental health.

The results of the study, which analyzed millions of social media posts and more than 1,000 Reddit posts related to 114 schools in 33 states, found a 42% increase in anxiety and stress and a 39% increase in depression that was shown in the posts after active shooter exercises compared to before the exercises.

The data also showed that this trend continued for at least 90 days after the exercises, regardless of the school environment or tactics used.

Police will meet with district students and staff on Friday to discuss the presentation and its impact.

“We hope this can be a reflective growth opportunity for all parties,” police wrote in their statement.