This sign about shootings in an American school has gone viral for a chilling reason

One of the many unfortunate realities of 2018 is that school shootings in America are becoming more violent and more frequent.

There have already been 23 school shootings in the United States this year alone, which have resulted in the deaths of 40 people.

With this disturbing statistic lying over their heads, politicians and school boards have suggested several ways to combat gun violence in schools.

These have included arming teachers with their own guns and even giving them their own miniature baseball bats.

Those solutions haven't proven to be popular however and the debate surrounding gun control continues to rumble on.

While this debate peculates with seemingly no end in sight, schools have been forced to adopt their own policies, like this kindergarten in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Georgy Cohen, who is a soon-to-be-parent at the school, snapped a photo of a poster in the classroom using the lullaby "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to teach children how to react should they find themselves in a school shooting.

The poster reads:

Lockdown, lockdown, Lock the door

Shut the lights off, Say no more

Go behind the desk and hide

Wait until it’s safe inside

Lockdown, Lockdown it’s all done

Now it’s time to have some fun!

The images of the disturbing poster quickly went viral on social media, and people were equally upset and concerned - not just about the existence of the poster, but the overall message it sends to children.

Cohen did add that she didn't condemn the school for the poster but did feel a need to highlight the disconcerting political and cultural factors which has lead to this.

According to AP News, Somerville Public Schools have declined to comment on the poster or identify the school in question, but did confirm that this was the work of one individual teacher and was not a school policy.

In a statement, superintendent Mary Skipper and mayor Joseph Curratone added:

As much as we would prefer that school lockdowns not be a part of the educational experience, unfortunately, this is the world we live in.

It is jarring — it’s jarring for students, for educators and for families.

HT AP News

More: Teens are responding to gun violence by sharing what they'll miss if they die in a school shooting​