DEADLIEST MASS SCHOOL SHOOTINGS HAVE BEEN PREVENTED.
GUYS.
GUYS.
>> ALL RIGHT, TAMMY, THANK YOU SO MUCH.IGHT, TAMMY, THANK YOU
SO MUCH. MELISSA FALKOWSKI TEACHES
JOURNALISM AT DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL.ISM AT DOUGLAS HIGH
SCHOOL.
SHE HID WITH 19 STUDENTS IN THE
CLOSET DURING THE SHOOTING. ALL OF THEM MADE IT OUT SAFELY.
MELISSA, GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> I KNOW YOU HAD SUCH A LONG NIGHT.NOW YOU HAD SUCH A LONG
NIGHT.
JUST LET US KNOW HOW YOURE FEELING THIS MORNING.YOURE
FEELING THIS MORNING. >> IM NOT REALLY SURE.
I DIDNT SLEEP VERY WELL LAST
NIGHT.
MOSTLY I JUST FEEL GRATEFUL THAT I GOT TO GO HOME TO MY FAMILYHAT
I GOT TO GO HOME TO MY FAMILY WHEN MANY OTHERS DIDNT GET TO
DO THAT.
>> YOU HAD SUCH A PRESENCE OF MIND TO GET YOUR CHILDREN AND
PUT THEM IN A CLOSET.
WAS THAT JUST INSTINCT?
>> I THINK THAT THAT REALLY
SPEAKS TO THE TRAINING THAT WE HAD.KS TO THE TRAINING THAT WE
HAD.
WE HAD A TRAINING ABOUT A MONTH
AGO.
YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT THESE
DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND WHAT TO DO.FERENT SCENARIOS AND WHAT TO
DO.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE MADE IT TO THE CLASSROOM AND, YOUDE
IT TO THE CLASSROOM AND, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD THE SIRENS AND
THE HELICOPTERS, IT WAS VERY
OBVIOUS BASED ON THE TIME THAT IT WAS HAPPENING THAT IT WASNT
A DRILL.
A DRILL.
I JUST MADE THE DECISION THAT THAT WAS ANOTHER LAYER BETWEEN
US AND WHOEVER WAS THE ACTIVE
SHOOTER.
SHOOTER.
AND SO WE JUST MOVED INTO THE CLOSET AND WE WERE THERE FOR A
WHILE, UNTIL THE S.W.A.T. TEAM
CAME TO GET US.
>> MELISSA, ITS 19 STUDENTS AND
YOU IN A SMALL CLOSET AND YOURE
HEARING GUNFIRE AND HELICOPTERS
AND SIRENS.
I CANT IMAGINE WHAT THOSE MOMENTS WERE LIKE.T THOSE
MOMENTS WERE LIKE. HOW WERE THE STUDENTS HOLDING
UP?
UP?
HOW WERE YOU HOLDING UP?
>> I MEAN WE WERE -- WE WERE ON
THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE
BUILDING FROM WHERE THE SHOOTING
WAS HAPPENING, SO WE DIDNT HEAR
ANY GUNFIRE, BUT WE COULD HEAR THE HELICOPTERS AND, YOU KNOW,
THE KIDS, SOME OF THEM, THEY
WERE HYSTERICAL FROM MOMENT ONE.
AND SO ITS JUST, YOU KNOW,
TRYING TO KEEP THEM CALM AND
TELLING THEM THAT THEYRE GOING
TO BE OKAY AND EVERYTHING IS
GOING TO BE OKAY.
JUST KNOWING THAT IT DOESNT
REALLY MATTER LIKE WHAT IM
FEELING IN THAT MOMENT, BUT THEY
NEED TO BE CALM AND FEEL LIKE
THEYRE GOING TO BE OKAY.
YOU KNOW, THATS MY -- THATS MY
JOB.
JOB.
I JUST DID MY JOB.
>> YOU DID YOUR JOB, BUT I KNOW
THERE WAS A MOMENT WHEN YOU CALLED YOUR MOM.NT WHEN YOU
CALLED YOUR MOM. THAT MUST HAVE BEEN HEART
WRENCHING.
WRENCHING.
>> YEAH.
MY MOM ACTUALLY, SHE CALLED ME. YOU KNOW, WHEN I PICKED IT UP,.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I PICKED IT UP, THEN IN THAT MOMENT I SORT OF
LOST MY COMPOSURE.
I TOLD HER I WAS OKAY BUT I HAD
TO GET OFF THE PHONE BECAUSE I
DIDNT -- SHE NEEDED TO KNOW I
WAS OKAY BUT THE KIDS NEEDED ME
TO BE COMPOSED AND SO, YOU KNOW,
ITS HARD TO IN THAT MOMENT TO
STAY COMPOSED SO I SORT OF GOT
OFF THE PHONE WITH HER AND THEN
RECOMPOSED AND CARRIED ON.
>> THERE WERE SO MANY CASUALTIES
IN THIS.
IN THIS.
I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU KNEW ANY OF THE STUDENTS WHO PASSEDEW
ANY OF THE STUDENTS WHO PASSED AWAY?
AWAY?
WERE YOU CLOSE WITH ANY OF THEM?
>> YOU KNOW, THEY HAVENT REALLY RELEASED THE NAMES, SO I ONLYLY
RELEASED THE NAMES, SO I ONLY KNOW KIND OF WHAT IM HEARING,
YOU KNOW, THROUGH RUMORS AND THE
GRAPEVINE, SO I KNOW THAT THERE
ARE SOME FORMER STUDENTS AND
CURRENT STUDENTS THAT I HAVE
THAT MAY HAVE HAD SIBLINGS THAT
THEY -- THAT THEY LOST IN THE
SHOOTING.
SHOOTING.
I DONT THINK THAT THERES ANY ONE OF US AT THE SCHOOL IN THIS
COMMUNITY THAT ISNT GOING TO BE
AFFECTED, KNOW SOMEONE WHOS
AFFECTED, KNOW A STUDENT, KNOW
ONE OF THE FACULTY MEMBERS AND
FEEL THAT SENSE OF LOSS.
>> MELISSA, YOU DID EVERYTHING
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
YOU DID EXACTLY WHAT THEY TOLD
YOU.
YOU KNEW THE DRILLS, YOU PUT THE
KIDS IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AND YET
THIS HAPPENED ANYWAY. SO WHAT -- WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU
HAVE GIVEN ALL THAT?
>> I JUST THINK, YOU KNOW, IVE
SEEN THIS ON TV, WE ALL HAVE,
YOU KNOW, THIS SHOOTING AFTER
SHOOTING.
SHOOTING.
THERES ALWAYS THE SAME THING IS
SAID.
ITS NOT THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT
GUN CONTROL.
ITS NOT THE TIME.
ITS TIME TO PRAY FOR THE FAMILIES.TO PRAY FOR THE
FAMILIES.
I JUST THINK THAT THAT HASNT
GOTTEN US ANYWHERE.
HERE WE ARE AND WERE THE LATEST STATISTIC ON SCHOOL VIOLENCE.ST
STATISTIC ON SCHOOL VIOLENCE. AS A SOCIETY, YOU KNOW, AS
AMERICANS WERE FAILING OUR
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN.
WERE NOT KEEPING THEM SAFE. CONGRESS IS FAILING US AND THE
GOVERNMENT IS FAILING US AND
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE.
>> MELISSA FALKOWSKI, A TEACHER
AT DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL, AS HODA
SAID, MELISSA, YOU DID IT ALL
RIGHT YESTERDAY.
RIGHT YESTERDAY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR BRAVERY.