Sandy Hook shooting survivor discusses what teachers face

HAVE ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO ARREST HIM AT THE TIME. >>> LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN WINDER, GEORGIA, WERE ABLE TO RAPIDLY RESPOND TO WEDNESDAY'S SHOOTING AT APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY. BARROW COUNTY SHERIFF JUDD SMITH SAID THE DISTRICT HAD GIVEN ALL TEACHERS SPECIAL ID BADGES ARMED WITH PANIC BUTTONS A WEEK AGO. LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS NOTIFIED OF A POSSIBLE SHOOTING BY THESE IDs AT 10:20 A.M. AND WERE DISPATCHED THREE MINUTES LATER. THE TWO RESOURCE OFFICERS HAD ALREADY BEEN LOOKING FOR THE SUSPECT WHEN THE POLICE ARRIVED. THE BARROW COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SAYS THESE RESOURCE OFFICERS HAVE EXTENSIVE TRAINING ON ACTIVE SHOOTERS, SCHOOL SAFETY, AND THREATS. JOINING US NOW IS ABBY CLEMMONS, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER, AND BOARD MEMBER OF THE TEACHERS UNIFIED TO END GUN VIOLENCE. SHE IS ALSO A TEACHER WHO SURVIVED THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING IN 2012. ABBY, BEFORE WE GET TO THE POLICY, WHAT HAPPENS EVERY TIME YOU HEAR OF ANOTHER ONE OF THESE SHOOTINGS FOR YOU? >> IT JUST -- THAT DAY RESURFACES AND NOT THAT IT'S EVER FAR FROM MY MIND EVEN THOUGH IT'S ALMOST 12 YEARS NOW, NOT ONLY DOES IT REALLY RESURFACE IN TERMS OF THE DAY, BUT IT IS A STARK REMINDER THAT FOR EVERYONE IMPACTED IN THAT SCHOOL, IN THAT TOWN, ALL OF THEIR FAMILIES, THIS IS DAY ONE NOW OF THEIR NEW NORMAL. LIFE IS NOT GOING TO BE THE SAME, NEVER AGAIN, FROM WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK THERE YESTERDAY. >> THIS SCHOOL HAD RESOURCE OFFICERS, PANIC BUTTONS, SPECIAL DOOR LOCKS AND IT WAS STILL A TRAGEDY. IN A STATE AND A COUNTRY WHERE GUNS ARE SO EASILY ACCESSIBLE, IS THERE ANYTHING MORE THAT CAN BE DONE FOR TEACHERS? >> LOOK, EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY HAS TO BE ALL IN ON THIS ISSUE, ON GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION. GUN DEATHS ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR CHILDREN. THINK ABOUT THAT. IT'S NOT DROWNING. IT'S NOT AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS. IT'S GUNS. SO WE NEED EVERYONE IN ON A PLAN ON WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO TO PREVENT THESE. THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ONE DRILL. THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ONE PROTOCOL THAT'S GOING TO REALLY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE HERE. SURE, YOU CAN TRY TO PUT ALL THESE THINGS IN PLACE AND SOMETHING WILL HELP, RIGHT, WE HOPE, BUT THERE IS NO DATA TO PROVE THAT THE DRILLS THAT KIDS AND TEACHERS ENDURE ON A DAILY BASIS IN THIS COUNTRY ACTUALLY SAVE LIVES. I MEAN WE SEE THE RESOURCES THAT WERE THERE AT THIS HIGH SCHOOL AND THE DRILLS AND THE PREPAREDNESS THAT WE PUT PEOPLE THROUGH, BUT THE THING IS WE'RE NOT GETTING TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM AND YOU SAID IT. IT'S EASY ACCESS TO GUNS AND AMMUNITION. UNTIL WE MAKE A DECISION THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, ALL OF US, EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, THEN THESE THINGS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. >> ABBY, LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS TAUGHT KIDS, BEEN IN A SCHOOL, WHEN I TALK TO EXPERTS WHO HAVE STUDIED THE DISTURBING NUMBER OF INCIDENTS LIKE THIS, THAT OFTEN THE CASE IS WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE CASE HERE EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE LIMITED INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHOOTER, WHICH IS THAT THERE IS A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE AT THE HEART OF THIS AND THAT THESE EXPERTS SAY IF YOU SEE A KID IN CRISIS, THERE ARE WAYS IF PEOPLE WANTED TO SPEND THE MONEY ON FILLING SCHOOLS WITH SPECIALISTS WHO CAN HELP WITH THE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES WHICH AFFECT ALL KINDS OF KIDS, HOW DO YOU SEE THE MENTAL HEALTH PIECE OF THIS, NOT DISCOUNTING WHEN YOU JUST SAID ABOUT GUN LAWS, BUT JUST FOCUSING ON THAT A MOMENT, IMPLEMENTING THAT IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT AND WHAT CAN BE DONE? >> SURE. I MEAN WE KNOW THAT WE LACK RESOURCES IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES FOR MENTAL HEALTH. HOWEVER, ALL COUNTRIES DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE, RIGHT? ALL COUNTRIES HAVE KIDS WHO PLAY VIDEO GAMES AND WE ARE UNIQUE IN THAT WE ALLOW EASY ACCESS TO GUNS. SURE, I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE SPENT MORE MONEY ON COUNSELORS AND CURRICULUM THAT ADDRESSES THE PROBLEMS OF LONELINESS AND ISOLATION THAT WE'VE SEEN, ESPECIALLY SINCE COVID, BUT INSTEAD WE'RE SPENDING MONEY ON RESOURCE OFFICERS AND PANIC BUTTONS INSTEAD OF GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM. WE'RE REALLY LEAVING A GENERATION OF KIDS OUT TO DRY AND THEY ARE LOOKING AT US, OUR ELDERS, PEOPLE IN POWER, THEIR LEADERS, SAYING HOW ARE YOU ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN? >> FINALLY, YOU AND YOUR ORGANIZATION HAVE SAID TEACHERS ARE OFTEN EXCLUDED FROM THE CONVERSATION ON GUN VIOLENCE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? WHAT NEEDS TO IMPROVE? >> WELL, TEACHERS ARE EXPERTS ON KIDS, BUT WE'RE OFTEN LEFT OUT ON THE DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE IN TERMS OF HOW TO BEST PREPARE KIDS IN HEALTHY WAYS FOR CONFLICT, FOR VIOLENCE AND ALSO IN TERMS OF SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR THE DISTRICT AND ALSO LEGISLATION. WE KNOW KIDS. WE KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT FOR KIDS. WE KNOW WHAT CLICKS WITH KIDS IN TERMS OF GETTING THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHEN TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS FOR THEMSELVES, RIGHT, NOT TO HOLD ONTO GUNS FOR OTHER PEOPLE, NOT TO PUT THEMSELVES IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS, BUT WE'RE OFTEN NOT INCLUDED IN THESE CONVERSATIONS. I DON'T THINK IT'S ON PURPOSE. WE'RE TEACHING ALL DAY AND SO PERHAPS IT TAKES A LITTLE LONGER TO PROVIDE US THE TIME TO JOIN, BUT WE ARE THE EXPERTS IN THIS AREA. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TRAINED TO DO. SADLY, PART OF THE SILENT PART OF TEACHER CERTIFICATION IS NOW BEING A FIRST RESPONDERS AND A HUMAN SHIELD. INSTEAD WE'D LIKE TO BE PART