Student safety

In Burleson, Texas, all the 8,500 students in the public school district and their teachers have been trained to deal with all sorts of situations ranging from tornadoes to first aid. Included are instructions to fight back if threatened by anyone with a gun. One of the instructors in this fight-back program, a major in the British army, says it beats getting under a desk and praying for rescue.

The passengers on the 9-11 flight that was supposed to crash into the White House -- the ones who tried to stop hijackers of their plane, which ultimately crashed in Pennsylvania -- have been hailed as anti-terrorist heroes.

But they were adults and chose to risk their lives in what they knew was likely a desperate attempt to thwart terrorists bent on death and destruction. Telling schoolchildren of all ages to put their lives on the line is another matter entirely.