US teachers stage fake gun attack during school trip

Teachers at a US school have been criticised for staging a fake gunman attack during a class trip.

Parents of the sixth-grade students at Scales Elementary in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, were outraged after learning about the prank that happened on Thursday.

Assistant Principal Don Bartch said the scenario was intended as a learning experience.

During the last night of the school trip to Fall Creek Falls, a state park about 130 miles south-east of Nashville, staff members convinced the 69 students there was a gunman on the loose.

Eleven-year-old Shay Naylor said the students were told to lie on the floor or under tables and stay quiet.

A teacher, disguised in a hooded sweat shirt, even pulled on locked door and pretended to be suspicious.

After the lights went out, about 20 kids started to cry.

Some parents said they were upset by the staff’s poor judgment in light of the April 16th shootings at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg when 32 students were killed.

The school held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the situation with concerned parents.

Scales Elementary Principal Catherine Stephens declined to say whether the staff members involved would face disciplinary action.