Cindy Campos’ 5-year-old son was so excited about the Winnie the Pooh book he got at school that he asked her to read it with him as soon as he got home. But her heart sank when she realized it was a tutorial about what to do when “danger is near,” advising kids to lock the doors, turn off the lights and quietly hide.
As they read the “Stay Safe” book the school sent home without explanation or a warning to parents, she began crying, leaving her son confused.
“It’s hard because you’re reading them a bedtime story and basically now you have to explain in this cute way what the book is about, when it’s not exactly cute,” Campos said.
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“Recently a booklet was sent home so parents could discuss with their children how to stay safe in such cases,” the district said. “Unfortunately, we did not provide parents any guide or context. We apologize for the confusion and are thankful to parents who reached out to assist us in being better partners.”
The Dallas Independent School District has apologized for sending elementary-aged students home with “Stay Safe,” a Winnie the Pooh-themed book on active shooter lockdown practices, without parental warning or consent. (Cindy Campos via AP)
The district did not say how many schools and grades in the district received the books.
Campos said the book was “haunting” her and that it seemed especially “tone deaf” to send it home with kids without explanation around the time the state was marking 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 Texas’ Republican-controlled Legislature wraps up a session in which it rejected virtually all proposals to tighten gun laws but did pass legislation banning school libraries from having books that contain descriptions, illustrations or audio depicting sexual conduct not relevant to the required school curriculum.
“I would have done it on my own time,” said Campos, who first spoke to the Oak Cliff Advocate.
The book’s cover says: “If there is danger, let Winnie the Pooh and his crew 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 appear. Doors should be locked and the passage blocked. Turn off the light to stay out of sight.”
The book was published by Praetorian Consulting, a Houston-based firm that provides safety, security and crisis management training and services. The company, which didn’t 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.
