The Dallas Independent School District released a statement explaining why students received the controversial book.
Cindy Campos’ five-year-old son was so excited about the Winnie the Pooh book he got at school that he asked her to read it with him as soon as he got home.
But her heart sank when she realized it was a tutorial about what to do when “danger is near,” as she advised the kids to lock the doors, turn off the lights, and hide quietly.
When they read the book Staying Safe Together, Campos began to cry, leaving her son confused. His school in the US sent the text home with students without explanation or warning to parents.
“It’s hard because you’re reading them a bedtime story, and now you have to explain in such a nice way what the book is about, when it’s not quite as nice,” said Campos.
She said her first grader, who goes to the same elementary school in Dallas as her son is a pre-K student, also got a copy of the book last week. After I posted about it in a neighborhood group online, I found other anxious parents whose kids had also brought home the book.
The Dallas Independent School District’s decision to send kids home with the book made waves. Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom He tweeted: “Winnie the Pooh is now teaching Texas kids about active shooters because elected officials don’t have the guts to keep our kids safe and pass commonsense gun safety laws.”
It provoked enough of a reaction to warrant an explanation from the district, which said in a statement on Friday that it works “hard every day to Prevent shooting in schoolsBy dealing with online threats and improving security measures. It also conducts active shooting exercises.
“A pamphlet was recently sent home so that parents can discuss with their children how to keep them safe in such situations,” the district said. “Unfortunately, we did not provide the parents with any clue or context. We apologize for the confusion and thank the parents who reached out to help us be better partners.”
The statement did not say how many schools and classes in the area had received the books.
Campos said the book was “painful” and that he seemed particularly “tone-deaf” to send it home at a time when the state was On the occasion of the anniversary last year Mass shooting in Uvaldewhen a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school.
It also comes as the Republican-controlled Texas legislature wraps up a session in which it rejected virtually all of the proposals. Tighter gun laws. I passed legislation banning school libraries from Owning books that contain descriptions, illustrations, or audio that depict sexual behavior unrelated to the required curriculum.
Active shooting drills have become popular in American schools, although there is disagreement about whether they do more harm than good.
Campos said that while it did not contradict the book’s intent, she wished it came with a warning for parents so that she could introduce it to her children at the right time and in the right way. She said she discussed School shooting with her children and that she may have chosen to wait for them to read the book until another attack occurred.
“I would do it on my own time,” said Campos, who first spoke to Oak Cliff Advocate.
The cover of the book reads: “If there is danger, let Winnie the Pooh and his crew show you what to do.” Indoors, include passages like, “If danger is near, don’t be afraid. Hide as Poe does until the police show up. Doors must be locked and passage closed. Turn off the light to stay out of sight.”
The book is published by Praetorian Consulting, a Houston-based company that provides training and services in the areas of safety, security, and crisis management.
The company, which did not respond to messages from the Associated Press seeking comment, says on its website that it uses age-appropriate materials to teach the concepts of “running, hiding, and fighting” — the approach authorities say civilians should take in shooting. active positions.
The company also says on its website that its K-6 curriculum (ages 5-12) features Winnie the Pooh characters, which are now in the public domain and have even been featured in Modern horror movie.