Dallas – Cindy Campos’ 5-year-old son was so excited about the Winnie the Pooh book he was given at school that he asked her to read it to him as soon as he got home. But her mother’s heart sank when she realized that the book was a guide on what to do when “danger is near” and she advises children to lock doors, turn off lights and hide. silent.
As they read the “Stay Safe” book that the school sent home without explanation or warning to parents, she began to cry, leaving her son confused.
“It’s hard because you’re reading them a bedtime story and basically now you have to cutely explain what the book is about, when it’s not exactly cute,” Campos said.
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She said her first grade son, who attends the same elementary school as her pre-K son, also received a copy of the book last week. After discussing it in an online neighborhood group, she found other concerned parents whose children also brought the book home.
The district’s decision to send children home with the book has made waves. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted: “Winnie the Pooh is now teaching Texas kids about active shooters because elected officials don’t have the courage to keep our kids safe and pass gun safety laws.” common sense.”
Winnie the Pooh is now teaching Texas kids about active shooters because the elected officials do not have the courage to keep our kids safe and pass common sense gun safety laws. pic.twitter.com/crPDeQ9dZm
—Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 23, 2023
It also sparked a big enough backlash that the Dallas Independent School District was forced to come up with an explanation. He said in a statement Friday that he works “every day to prevent school shootings” by dealing with threats online and improving security measures. He also conducts active shooter drills.
“Recently, a flyer was sent home so that parents could talk to their children about how to stay safe in such cases,” the district said. “Unfortunately, we don’t provide parents with any guidance or context. We apologize for the confusion and thank the parents who reached out to help us be better partners.”
The district did not say how many schools and grades in the district received the books.
Campos said the book “haunted” her and that it seemed insensitive to send it home with the children without explanation as the state commemorates the anniversary of last year’s mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, when a gunman killed 19 children and two. teachers. It also comes as the Republican-majority Texas legislature wraps up a session in which it rejected virtually all proposals to toughen gun laws, but passed a law banning school libraries from keeping books containing descriptions, Illustrations or audio depictions of sexual conduct not relevant to the required school curriculum.
Active shooter drills have become commonplace in US schools, though there is disagreement over whether they do more harm than good.
Campos said that while he doesn’t disagree with the intent of the book, he wished it had come with a warning to parents so they could introduce it to their children at the right time and in the right way. She said that she has talked to her children about the school shootings, and that she could have chosen to wait to read the book to them until there was another attack.
“I would have done it in my own time,” said Campos, who first spoke to the Oak Cliff Advocate news site.
The book cover reads: “If there’s danger, let Winnie the Pooh and his team show you what to do.” Inside, it includes passages such as: “If danger is near, do not fear. Hide like Pooh does until the police show up. The doors must be closed and the passage blocked. Turn off the light to stay out of sight.”
The book was published by Praetorian Consulting, a Houston-based company that provides security and crisis management training and services. The company, which did not respond to messages seeking comment, says on its website that it uses age-appropriate material to teach the concepts of “run, hide, fight,” the approach authorities say civilians should take. in active shooter situations.
The company also says on its website that its K-6 curriculum features Winnie the Pooh characters, who are now in the public domain and even appear in a recent horror movie.
