Winnie the Pooh teaches Texan children what to do in case of a shooting

It was a different book for children Texans. It features Winnie the Pooh. A popular character from children’s literature teaches young students what to do if there is a shooting at their school.

“Run, hide, fight,” instructs Little Bear, a persona of children’s literature. This slogan, well-known in the United States (“Run, Hide, Fight”), summarizes the recommendations of the federal police (FBI) in the case of firing.

A handbook distributed to schools in DallasPraetorian Consulting, the security firm that publishes it, rated it as “age-appropriate for students”.

“When danger approaches, don’t panic. Hide like Pooh until the police come,” reads Winnie’s illustrated honey pot on one side. In a childlike tone, it also advises to “run like a rabbit,” put your phone on silent, lock doors, and block the way.

What if you can’t escape? “We must fight with all our might,” says the pamphlet.

American schools are regularly the scene of massacres carried out by one or more shooters.

The controversy comes nearly a year after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, one of the worst such mass shootings in the nation’s history. On May 24, 2022, a young man killed nineteen children and two female teachers.

A pamphlet published in mid-May by local media outlet Oak Cliff Advocate angered the students’ parents. “It’s like a room,” he said The Washington Post Cindy Campos received her 5-year-old booklet. To her, that means school shootings are “now normal.”

The same anger on the part of the defenders of the strict framework for guns. “Winnie the Pooh is now teaching Texas kids about shooters because elected officials don’t have the guts to keep kids safe,” said Texas Governor Gavin Newsom. California.

Popular characters from the Winnie the Pooh universe can be used as they enter the public domain, Praetorian Consulting notes on its site, stressing that the booklet was created with police officers and teachers. Stickers and posters are also available.

20 minutes with AFP