Danielle Husband
As schools across the Houston area respond to social media threats against their campuses, officials are increasing efforts to keep their students safe in the event of the unthinkable.
Videos by Rare
For many students, this means active-shooter drills to practice going into lockdown.
RELATED: Lockdown lifted on Houston HS after social media threat
Those students included 5th grader Dezmond “Dez” Floyd, who shared his lockdown training experience Friday, Feb. 16 with his mother. When his mother Tanai Benard heard what he had to say, she was shocked.
Dez explained he and three other boys volunteered to push a table in front of the classroom door. They’d then stand behind the table in front of the other students in the class.
Benard posted the converstation on Facebook:
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“It would be like I already had my turn to live,” Dez said in an interview with KHOU. “So, I would let the other 22 students live the [lives] they wanted to live.”
After years of traveling around the world, Benard says her children didn’t have to undergo active shooting training while living overseas.
Now that they’re back in the United States, the children are facing threats they’ve never faced before.
Benard, who is an educator at Humble Middle School, hopes her son’s experiences will lead to more conversations.
“We as a nation, we need to discuss what’s next,” Benard said.
Benard posted a follow-up video on Facebook so her son could elaborate on the event:
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Dez clarified why he volunteered to protect his classmates and what he thinks would make him safer at school.
RELATED: Humble ISD students report overhearing a threat against their school
