The principal of an elementary school in California has been placed on administrative leave after students and parents complained about his behavior during a shooting drill.
Local news station KTLA reported that Dr. Nina Denson pretended to shoot students and told one child, “Boom, you’re dead” during an unauthorized lockdown drill. be done.
“My daughter was walking around campus pretending to shoot people she saw by moving her fingers and banging on windows,” parent Jennifer Chavez told the magazine. “I heard she said to one of her students, “Dawn, you’re dead.”
Chavez said her son, a first-grader, was traumatized by the incident.
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Panoramic view of Washington Elementary School in San Gabriel, California. (Google Street View)
“Oh, he was really upset,” she told KTLA. “One shocking and surprising thing he said when he was 6 years old was, “I’m so glad none of my friends died.”
There were also reportedly children as young as four years old at the school who witnessed Denson’s actions.
Jim Simmons with the San Gabriel Unified School District said the active shooter drill was not authorized and did not follow district policy.
“This type of training in which the scenario was played out is not approved by the district and is not part of the district’s protocols,” Simmons told the news station.
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Dr. Nina Denson, principal of Washington Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave after parents complained about her behavior during a school shooter drill. (Nina Denson | LinkedIn)
School officials claimed that Denson announced after the drill that seven children had died.
Parent Anna Bustamante said, “Just thinking, “Oh my God, my friend was killed,” or “I was told that he was shot and killed,” can cause a lot of trauma for children. Can you imagine if it’s sexual?” “It was very upsetting because these kids are so young.”
KTLA reported excerpts from an email sent to parents after the incident, which said, “The conduct of the drill does not appear to be in line with district protocols or best practices.”
The report said an investigation has been launched. Some parents are already calling for Denson to step down.
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Jennifer Chavez, a San Gabriel Unified School District parent, told local station KTLA that Denson was “walking around campus, making finger movements and banging on windows, pretending to shoot people he saw. “It was,” he said. (Google Street View)
“I don’t want her to come back here at all,” Chavez said. “She is not trusted by the community.”
Several staff members were also reportedly upset about Denson’s actions. District officials said KTLA counselors are available on school grounds for students and staff who may need their services.
A veteran teacher at Washington Elementary School has taken over as interim principal while the investigation continues, KTLA reports.
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Denson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The San Gabriel Unified School District enrolls 5,175 students and operates eight schools.
