Teacher, Assistant Principal Suspended Following Fake Gun Attack

A teacher and an assistant principal at a Tennessee elementary school have been suspended for the remainder of the school year following a mock gun attack that has outraged many parents. The attack occurred on the last night of a sixth grade class trip to a state park.

School officials in Murfreesboro, Tennessee met yesterday to determine what action should be taken regarding the attack. Officials said that Scales Elementary School teacher Quentin Mastin and assistant principal Don Bartch have been suspended without pay for unprofessional conduct and neglect of duty until the end of the school year on June 1.

The incident has angered many parents, who said they were upset with the poor judgment shown by the staffers following the shootings at Virginia Tech on April 16, which left thirty-three people dead, including the gunman. Alisha Graves, whose son went on the class trip, told the Associated Press, "This was not a good experience. Those kids were crying, and they were terrified."

Calley Stroud said her daughter thought the attack was real, and is still a nervous wreck. "She told me she was crying and praying to God and saying goodbye to her parents," Stroud said. "It just broke my heart."

Bartch has said the attack was intended as a learning experience after students and staff members had discussed earlier what they would do during a real attack. The staff members had convinced the students that a gunman was on the loose, and instructed them to lie down and remain quiet. A teacher disguised in a hooded sweatshirt walked around outside the building knocking on windows and pulling on locked doors. Some of the students began to cry after the lights went out.