Iowa School Shooting Drill Canceled After Threat

I was teaching in a high school when the horrific Columbine school shooting occurred. I had to walk my students through all of their fears for the days and weeks that followed. As a result of Columbine, trench coats were not allowed on school grounds. As I was teaching summer school a student who was not in my class came to the door wearing a trench coat. I had this student in my class the previous year so I knew that he was very unstable. As soon as I saw him in my doorway I was mad. I told him that he was not allowed to wear that coat and he needed to leave, now. He was angry and left. Several days later a fellow teacher told me what happened immediately after this student left my room. He went directly to his psychiatrist and told her the following "If I had a gun with me I would have shot her." I found this out two days after it occurred. Two year later I was still teaching and this student still went to my school. I was very pregnant with my first son. I started noticing that this student was watching me. He was allowed to collect the recycling for the school. Which gave him permission to be out in the halls between classes, alone. I would be walking down the hall and he would stop lean against the wall and watch me as I passed. I talked to his special ed teachers and they voiced some concerns about him. We all went to the school counselor and the student was brought in for a meeting. This student told the counselor that he knew he was scaring me. While teaching I had to calm my students fears about school shootings. I also had to deal with a potential threat face to face. I know the fear involved in both of these situations. I know the strength that it takes to stand in front of 30 students and tell them that you would give your life to protect theirs. Also know the strength that is required to look a potential shooter in the eye. Which is why the news article that I read to today was very disturbing to me. If I was a teacher, parent , or principal I would be appalled. Not only are you damaging the psyche of these students, you are also taking four hours out of your school day to subject them to these horrors. Kids go to school to learn, not live out their nightmares.