Mid-Missouri schools have frequent active-shooter trainings

Two shootings at schools in the United States in as many days have left at least two students dead and a dozen more injured.

As the frequency of mass shootings rises, so does the frequency of training in mid-Missouri schools.

ABC 17 News checked in with several school districts around mid-Missouri to find out when and how they train their students and staff for an armed-intruder situation.

State law required school districts to do active-shooter training. Columbia Public Schools officials were facilitating them before the law.

“All the buildings have active-shooter trainings multiple times a year,” said spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark. “The more you practice something, the more comfortable you are in a given situation to know exactly where to go and what to do in order to keep yourself and others safe.”

Other districts reported they do hours of active shooter trainings at least once a year. The more intense training is reserved for faculty and staff at several districts, including Hallsville and North Callaway R-1.

Hallsville School District Communications Director Marci Minor said they conduct training with students twice a year district-wide. One is announced and the other is not.

“In addition, at least once a quarter teachers are reminded to conduct classroom drills with their students, asking ‘If we had an intruder right now, what would we do?'” she said. “Some teachers do this more frequently or when they have a few minutes at the end of class.”

According to the Associated Press, classmates of the 16-year-old shooter in Italy, Texas, said he had a history of disciplinary problems before he shot a 15-year-old female student Monday. One classmate said she had complained to school officials twice, the first time in eighth grade when he allegedly made a “hit list” with her name on it. Officials have not released the shooter’s relationship with the victim.

On Tuesday morning, tragedy struck again when a 15-year-old opened fire on a Kentucky high school, killing two students and injuring a dozen more. The motive for this shooting has not yet been released by officials.

South Callaway R-2 superintendent Kevin Hillman said schools in the district have a minimum of two drills a year, but they have also implemented new programs that help identify at-risk students who may need some extra attention.

The district now employs a part-time social worker and there will be a group coming in to do private surveys of students this year, when the students can request help for themselves or others.

“We identify some of those kids that are struggling and need someone who can give more one-on-one help,” he said. “We want the kids to have some opportunity to do that, too.”

At North Callaway R-1 schools, Superintendent Bryan Thomsen said school leaders follow their motto “Thunderbird Proud” and its four foundational goals, the first of which is establishing a high level of care.

“I think that overall approach of caring about each other and caring about kids leads to the students being more receptive to sharing some of the issues they’re going through with their teachers or an adult in the building,” he said.

Mental health experts also go to schools in Boone County three times a year and talk with students and faculty about how they’re feeling and what they observe.

You can find more information on the Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition here.