Police in Burlington, Vermont, issued a public apology after students were shaken by a robbery demonstration that included “a simulated shooting.”
About 20 Burlington High School students in a forensics program that is part of the year’s End Studies (YES) program visited the Burlington Police Department on Wednesday, the school district said Plattsburgh WPTZNew York, reported.
During that presentation, the department conducted a shooting drill that included fake weapons and no warning.
There were “screams and fake sounds of gunshots” and it happened “behind where the students were sitting,” the Burlington school district said in a letter to families, WPTZ reported.
“As a result, some students believed the demonstration was real and became frightened and confused,” the letter said.
However, police said their submission was discussed in advance with YES Program officials.
Burlington police said in a statement Thursday that the role-playing scenario “involved only three department employees simulating a robbery scenario and was not directed at any students or faculty.”
Police said that on April 29, Burlington School District officials associated with the YES program contacted BPD about holding a presentation for students. On May 23, officials from the police department and the YES program “communicated about the details of the scenarios, including saying that the training incident would involve ‘the use of fake firearms in a simulated shooting,’” police said.
Police said the department asked if such an incident “would be okay with your group of students? It’s as real life as it gets, and it’s certainly exactly the kind of thing we deal with most often.”
SIM Program staff reportedly responded, “I think these students will be fine with this simulation. We will notify parents and students.”
“First, the Burlington Police Department apologizes to all students present who were upset by the specific scenario and crime scene portion of the presentation,” the police department said.
BPD said its supervisor involved in the presentation reached out to YES Program officials to further discuss the matter.
“BPD will meet with BSD students and staff tomorrow to discuss the presentation and its impact. We hope this can be an opportunity for reflective growth for all parties,” police said.
NBC News has reached out to the district for comment.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
