The teachers said that they sustained bruises and some were bleeding. The "terrified" teachers were asked to go into a room, crouch down, and then were shot execution style. The episode wasn't an active shooter inside of a school, and the projectiles weren't bullets. But when the teachers were struck with air pellets during the school shooting drill at an Indiana elementary school in January, they were left bleeding and with bruises when it was over, said Dan Holub, the executive director of the Indiana State Teacher’s Association. “It doesn’t make sense to us at all,” Holub told ABC News Thursday. “I question the premise, but I think it was intended to simulate what you might experience in an active shooter situation,” he added, saying he didn’t know what the trainers were hoping to accomplish. The Indianapolis Star reported that the training was run by the White County Sheriff’s office, which did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment. But Sheriff Bill Brooks told The Indy Star that it has conducted active shooter drills at the school in question, Meadowlawn Elementary School, for the past several years and had used the airsoft gun that was used in the Jan. 4 training. “It’s a soft, round projectile,” Brooks told the newspaper. “The key here is ‘soft.’” Meadowlawn Elementary School is a part of the Twin Lakes School Corporation, which released a statement saying it is “committed to providing a safe environment for its students and employees.” “Toward that end, Twin Lakes partners with the White County Sheriff’s Department for public safety guidance and to train Twin Lakes staff, which includes ALICE training,” the statement reads, referencing a company that arranges active shooter training drills. ABC News’ requests for comment from the ALICE Training Institute were not immediately returned Thursday. Greg Crane, the creator of the ALICE Training Institute, spoke to ABC News in 2017 about their program, saying at the time that the company was holding 500 to 600 training sessions annually. The Twin Lakes School Corporation statement notes that the district’s teachers’ organization “voiced concerns” about the training and a meeting was arranged to “collaboratively discuss these matters.” “Twin Lakes looks forward to continuing its important partnerships with the Twin Lakes Classroom Teachers Organization and the White County Sheriff’s Department in pursuing a safe environment for all students and employees,” the statement concludes without providing further information about what if any changes will be made in the future. The incident gained widespread attention when it was referenced in a hearing in the Indiana State Senate over a proposed education bill. The ISTA tweeted about the testimony shared by unnamed teachers during Wednesday’s hearing. “During active shooter drill, four teachers at a time were taken into a room, told to crouch down and were shot execution style with some sort of projectiles - resulting in injuries to the extent that welts appeared, and blood was drawn,” the tweet read. “The teachers were terrified, but were told not to tell anyone what happened. Teachers waiting outside that heard the screaming were brought into the room four at a time and the shooting process was repeated,” they wrote in another tweet. For Holub, the drill is an example of how he feels spending is being incorrectly allocated in terms of need. “It’s frustrating to us that when we struggle to find resources for mental health resources, for smaller class sizes, and other things that would help get to the root causes of these tragedies, money is tight, but here we're spending money on what is obviously not a professionally run training program,” he said.<doc-sep>An Indiana teachers union is demanding change to active shooter drill protocols after teachers at an elementary school reported that they had been injured when they were shot by Airsoft guns during a recent exercise. "During active shooter drill, four teachers at a time were taken into a room, told to crouch down and were shot execution style with some sort of projectiles — resulting in injuries to the extent that welts appeared, and blood was drawn," a statement from the Indiana State Teachers Association on Wednesday said. Association members said they were injured during the drill at Monticello’s Meadowlawn Elementary School, according to the statement. The drill was conducted by the White County Sheriff's Department, which defended the methods it used. White County Sheriff Bill Brooks said participation was voluntary, and teachers were shown beforehand what the drill would entail. "The training was meant to be realistic — to show what happens if you don't act," he said. But the Indiana State Teachers Association said while it supports the practices that will keep teachers and students safe, it thinks the drill at Meadowlawn went too far. "No one in education takes these drills lightly. The risk of harming someone far outweighs whatever added realism one is trying to convey here," said the association's statement, calling for an amendment to a school safety bill "so that more reasonable limits are placed on these drills." Meadowlawn Elementary staff receive training from The White County sheriffs department. Meadowlawn Elementary School via Facebook During a hearing regarding that bill Wednesday, Indiana House of Representatives Rep. Wendy McNamara acknowledged that using Airsoft guns wasn't appropriate during a school shooter drill. "I don't believe that something like that should take place in an active shooter drill," she said. "I think we have teachers under enough stress that if we're going to be doing an active shooter drill, it should not be one in which the teachers become unwilling participants or targets." Michael Galvin, the superintendent of the Twin Lakes School Corporation, to which Meadowlawn belongs, said in a statement that the district had coordinated a meeting between the local teachers union, Twin Lakes Classroom Teachers Organization, and the White County Sheriff's Office to further discuss the best way to hold active shooter drills.<doc-sep>Indiana elementary school teachers participating in an active shooter training drill said they were shot with plastic pellets which left them with bruises and welts. The White County Sheriff office conducted the training exercise at Meadowlawn Elementary in Monticello, Ind. in January. IndyStar reported two elementary school teachers testified before state lawmakers this week that they participated in a drill where teachers were asked by local law enforcement to kneel down against a classroom wall before being hit with plastic pellets without warning. “They told us, ‘This is what happens if you just cower and do nothing,’” one of the two teachers who did not want to be identified told IndyStar. “They shot all of us across our backs. I was hit four times. It hurt so bad.” The Indiana State Teachers Association tweeted: "During active shooter drill, four teachers at a time were taken into a room, told to crouch down and were shot execution style with some sort of projectiles - resulting in injuries to the extent that welts appeared, and blood was drawn." The ISTA is now lobbying lawmakers to add language prohibiting teachers from being shot with any kind of ammunition to a school safety bill, House Bill 1004, which is working its way through the Statehouse. HORRIFYING DETAILS RELEASED IN INVESTIGATION OF 'EXTREMIST MUSLIM' COMPOUND THAT ALLEGEDLY CONDUCTED SCHOOL-SHOOTING TRAINING According to House Bill 1004, all schools must conduct an active-shooter drill at least once a year but, it does not mandate any specific type of training program. The White County Sheriff, Bill Brooks, told Fox News, about four officers went to Meadowlawn Elementary School in January to conduct an active shooter training exercise called ALICE, which he said typically involves the use of an air-powered device called airsoft guns. Thousands of schools across the country, including many in Indiana, are using ALICE for training exercises, according to IndyStar. TEEN SUSPECT KILLED HIMSELF INSIDE INDIANA MIDDLE SCHOOL AFTER FIRING AT OFFICERS, POLICE SAY Brooks said the plastic pellets are more than 6 mm in diameter compared to a BB, which is metal and is about 4 mm in diameter. “It’s a larger plastic projectile compared to a metal, much smaller projectile,” Sheriff Brooks told Fox News. He said the plastic projectile is much softer. “It was 100% voluntary,” Brooks told Fox News “Most teachers volunteered, a few did not and were allowed to observe.” He said the teachers were told they would be shot with the airsoft guns as part of the training and still volunteered. Brooks said he was at the elementary school for part of the January training, but was not present when the airsoft gun was used. Both Meadowlawn teachers who spoke to IndyStar said they were not warned by the officers before the drill that anyone would be shot. One of the teachers said she was waiting in the library with other teachers as the first small group went into a classroom for the January training session. “The firsts group went in and we heard them scream and yell,” she said. “We thought, ‘What is going on?’” The teacher described what happened when it was her turn to participate, “it was like a quick spew of those pellets.” “Most of us got hit several times in our backs,” said the teacher. She said the pellets left welts and a spot where it broke her skin. “Our children’s safety is still our highest priority and we will continue active shooter training exercises however teachers will no longer be involved.” — Bill Brooks, White County Sheriff Juli Topp, vice president of member representation for Twin Lakes Classroom Teachers Organization, told IndyStar she met with the Meadowlawn teachers last week and heard similar stories from more than a dozen different teachers. “They voluntarily signed up for this training, however, they had no idea they were going to be shot,” Topp said. In a statement released Thursday, Michael Galvin, Superintendent for Twin Lakes Schools said the school district is committed to providing a safe environment for its students and employees. "...Twin Lakes partners with the White County Sheriff’s Department for public safety guidance and to train Twin Lakes staff, which includes ALICE training," said Galvin. "Recently the Twin Lakes Classroom Teachers Organization voiced questions regarding how the Sheriff’s Department conducted ALICE training, and Twin Lakes facilitated a meeting with the Association and the Sheriff’s Department to collaboratively discuss these matters." Brooks told Fox News teachers will no longer be asked to participate in any training at all and airsoft guns will only be used in active shooter training drills when only officers are involved. “This is the first incident or complaint we ever received. We did not receive any complaints that day. In fact, the opposite, they loved the training and we are still receiving numerous calls of support from teachers and the public,” Brooks told Fox News. “Our children’s safety is still our highest priority and we will continue active shooter training exercises however teachers will no longer be involved.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP House Bill 1004 is scheduled to be up for amendments in the Senate’s education committee next week.<doc-sep>Zeheralis said teachers waiting outside the room heard their co-workers screaming and then were brought into the room and shot with the pellets. She said the teachers were told not to relay what happened to anyone.<doc-sep>
President Joe Biden stops to talk to the media as he drives a Ford F-150 Lightning truck at Ford Dearborn Development Center, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in Dearborn, Mich. Barack Obama on UFOs: We don't know exactly what they are (CNN) — Several Indiana school teachers were shot with projectiles “execution-style” during a recent active shooter drill, leaving welts, drawing blood and frightening the educators, the Indiana State Teachers Association said. “The teachers were terrified, but were told not to tell anyone what happened. Teachers waiting outside that heard the screaming were brought into the room four at a time and the shooting process was repeated,” the association said on Twitter. “No one in education takes these drills lightly. The risk of harming someone far outweighs whatever added realism one is trying to convey here.” ISTA Executive Director Dan Holub told CNN the incident took place in January at Meadowlawn Elementary in Monticello, which is part of the Twin Lakes District. The drill was part of ALICE training, which helps prepare schools or other organizations for an active shooter event. During active shooter drill, four teachers at a time were taken into a room, told to crouch down and were shot execution style with some sort of projectiles - resulting in injuries to the extent that welts appeared, and blood was drawn. — Indiana State Teachers Association (@ISTAmembers) March 20, 2019 “During active shooter drill, four teachers at a time were taken into a room, told to crouch down and were shot execution style with some sort of projectiles - resulting in injuries to the extent that welts appeared, and blood was drawn,” the ISTA said on Twitter. The White County Sheriff’s Department did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. White County Sheriff Bill Brooks told the Indy Star that the ALICE training used an airsoft gun, but the department stopped doing so recently after a teacher was upset by it. Holub said the ISTA has not heard an explanation from law enforcement as to why this method was used. “This was the first time and hopefully last” time that law enforcement shoot at teachers as part of the training, Holub said. “Those teachers who went through it were upset and injured. They brought it to the attention of ISTA leadership.” The Twin Lakes School Corporation said in a statement that school staff works with the White County Sheriff’s Department to conduct ALICE training. The Twin Lakes Classroom Teachers Organization recently “voiced questions” regarding how the Sheriff’s Department conducted the training, the corporation said, and Twin Lakes then facilitated a meeting between them to discuss the issue. The teachers association told the startling story on Twitter on Wednesday as part of its recommendations to amend House Bill 1004 concerning school safety. The proposed bill, which has passed the House, requires an annual active shooter drill and provides Indiana schools access to funds for mental health services. Rep. Wendy McNamara, a Republican legislator who authored HB 1004, told CNN that a mock shooting like the one that happened in January was not wise and shouldn’t happen again. “I would never have thought in a million years that anybody would have thought that it made sense to use in an active shooter drill where teachers are unaware that they’re going to be shot with a pellet gun,” she said. “That would have never crossed my mind as something we’d need to legislate.” The bill has already passed the House, so McNamara said she hopes the Senate can amend the bill to address the issue. “The bill calls for active shooter training but I want to make sure that it’s clear … that being a part of an active shooter drill, we do not need to be that realistic in shooting pellets at our teachers,” she added.