Yet Another School Shooting in Texas

[Michigan Swamp Buck]

. . .

They need a serious training course that includes situational awareness along with the lock down and evacuation procedures they currently have. There are really simple things too, like heavy curtains that can be closed over windows and doors to hide targets. Classroom arrangement of tables, cabinets and shelves for use in defensive cover. I know a couple of the male teachers have a baseball bat in their classroom, at the ready I suspect. I've often wondered who might be armed with something in their vehicle. Not allowed, but stored legally in your trunk, you may get away with the excuse you were headed to the shooting range after work.

I just experienced my own situational awareness moment last night.

It was about 20 minutes to 10 last night when I clocked out. It was just after sundown so it was beginning to get dark. I exited the building and had to walk some two-three hundred feet to my truck, a straight line from the door. My vehicle was the only one in the lot as I was the last one out.

Two guys on foot about the same distance out in the parking lot. One looked a little bigger than the other who was walking a small collie dog on a leash. People walk their dogs all the time around there, the school is next to a park on the edge of town.

Something wasn't right though, they seemed to be heading directly toward me, I began to consider my options. The truck was locked and I had to manually unlock it with my key, so I had a key ring with a single key in my right hand and empty lunch sack-cooler on a shoulder strap. It wasn't enough, maybe gouge an eye if I was lucky. I got the door open before they got pretty close when the bigger guy said, "You're getting out kind early aren't you?" Both these guys are about my height but the bigger guy out weighs me. He looked goofy, like maybe short a few fries. The other guy with the dog was younger and of considerably thinner body type. Big boy needed to go down first, the other guy's dog was friendly and small and might give me a little time to deal with the younger guy after if the dog freaked out.

I took the causal approach and told him I would be getting out at 11pm if I didn't come in right after school lets out. Big boy goes on to say they both see me working all the time and I begin to think playing nice ain't going to work with these guys. As it turns out he was the son of an older gentleman I would regularly talk to while he was out walking his dog. He was also aware of my gig at the school because he used to work there a few years back. The other guy was his stepson and it turns out they were OK.

They could see me inside and outside the school as I worked and I was unarmed as I left. I'm changing my habits, obviously I've become lax concerning my own personal safety.