Heartbreaking reason there are ‘poop buckets’ in US classrooms

A high school teacher has shared the unexpected equipment now found in many US classrooms in the wake of the Nashville school shooting.

A high school teacher has gone viral in the wake of the Nashville school shooting after sharing the unexpected piece of equipment now found in many US classrooms.

Larry Lexicon teaches in California where portable toilets were placed into classrooms back in January 2020 as a new measure to help during school lockdowns, a standard procedure amid the rising number of school shootings.

The large yellow container, colloquially know as the “poop bucket”, acts as a bathroom for teachers and students hiding in classrooms from a potential shooter – but it also contains an array of survival gear.

Mr Lexicon, who has amassed over 1.4 million followers on TikTok sharing funny videos about life as a teacher, strikes a sombre tone as he explains the importance of the “survival kit” in a video originally shared on March 2.

High school teacher Larry Lexicon has explained why there are ‘poop buckets’ in some US classrooms. Picture: TikTok/LarryLexicon

However he reposted a shortened version of the clip in the wake of the tragic shooting at The Covenant elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee on March 27, which saw three 9-year-old children and three employees killed by former student Audrey Hale.

The video, titled “enough is enough” has quickly captured attention around the world, as many declare the bucket a symbol of what is wrong with the US’ current gun laws.

“So it turns out people don’t know why we have these buckets in the classroom, it’s because of school shootings,” Mr Lexicon starts.

“I hate to just say it bluntly like that, but when I first started teaching, we didn’t have these buckets.

“But now every classroom has a bucket like this because we go into lockdown, and we’re locked in our classrooms for extended periods of times while the situation is dealt with.”

Mr Lexicon then goes on to show his students what is inside the yellow hazardous materials container, including toilet paper and blankets to “cover dead bodies”.

“If we end up in a situation where any of you have to use this bucket, it’s going to be a blessing,” he said.

“You know why? Because it means you’re alive.”

He then addressed criticism received on social media to the “poop buckets”, turning to the camera to look viewers in the eye.

“TikTok, those of you who are upset about the buckets, you’re upset about the wrong thing,” he said.

“How many of you have to go to work every day and worry about maybe pooping in a bucket because there’s a shooter?

“That’s the reality of school in America.

“So people being upset about our buckets are upset about the wrong thing, they should be upset they exist.”

The safety measure was rolled out in California in 2020 amid rising school shooting numbers. Picture: TikTok/LarryLexicon

He then called for change and a society where “we don’t need buckets in classrooms”, prompting an outpouring of support in the comments section.

“This breaks my heart, no child should be going to a school that needs a bucket,” one said.

“My son is terrified to go to school every day. It should not be this way,” another commented.

Another remarked: “This is so true and so sad at the same time.”

Others praised Mr Lexicon for being an “incredible” teacher in the video which has been viewed over 4 million times since shared on Wednesday, agreeing it was “shameful” a survival bucket is needed in US schools.

“I didn’t know this was a thing, I am so sad,” one person wrote.

“Oh my gosh this is the life as a student in the USA? I’ve never had to experience this in Australia,” another commented.

The buckets were rolled out in Californian schools three years ago as a new safety measure, but don’t appear to be in any other state in the US yet.

One teacher at the time described the move as “speaking volumes” about the mindset of officials on the issue of gun violence in schools.

Three students, aged 9, were killed and three employees at a school shooting in Nashville on Monday. Picture: Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP

It comes as police revealed the full extent of the planning behind the recent Nashville shooting by 28-year-old Hale.

Hale, who had started using he/him pronouns in online profiles, had sat in his car in the parking lot of the school and sent messages about the act he was about to commit to a friend.

After, Hale stormed the school armed with two rifles and a handgun, before unleashing terror.

Fourteen minutes after breaking into the school, Hale was shot dead by police.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and young adults in the United States, the Council on Foreign Relations states.

The ready availability of assault weapons and ammunition has provoked national discussion after multiple mass shootings of school children.

However Congress has repeatedly been unable to pass meaningful gun legislation in the wake of these tragedies despite broad public support for new restrictions.