It will be held Tuesday in and around the high school campus.
Actors will be playing roles as parents, staff, students, and a shooter or shooters, the school system said.
As the scenario unfolds, law enforcement will respond working to neutralize the “intruder” and secure the area. Fire and EMS will triage and treat victims.
(Parents should know in the event of an actual emergency, the district has plans in place to notify them immediately by the automated call system. For the purposes of this drill, the roads around Roanoke Rapids High School will be blocked while it is in progress)
Most active shooter scenarios last 10 to 15 minutes, which means local agencies have to be prepared, and can’t always wait for special teams to arrive.
“We’re pleased to have the school district work with us on this training,” Chief Chuck Hasty said. “This is a great opportunity for our agencies to work together. Our goal with this exercise is to provide school leaders and those who will respond with information to conduct trainings that best use their resources. Just like fire drills, tornado drills and school evaluations, we can all learn to better respond in emergency situations.”
In the years since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, school districts across the country have sought ways to improve prevention and preparedness related to the possibility of an armed intruder on campus including lockdowns, alert systems, and video camera monitoring. “While we have plans and policies in place to guide our staff in all types of crisis situations, we see this as another way to strengthen that protocol,” said RRGSD Superintendent Dain Butler. “These practice drills allow us to evaluate our emergency operations plans and improve our response skills."
Said Butler, “As a school district, the safety and welfare of our students and staff are our highest priority.”