Sheriff's department helps schools prepare for shooter

TROY, Mo. -- Just in case the unthinkable ever occurs, authorities in Lincoln County, Mo., want schoolteachers, staff and students to be ready if someone with a gun ever enters the building.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department has conducted active shooter drills at 13 schools since August. Lt. Andy Binder said the program has helped develop new policies for how teachers and police respond to threats.

The exercise is an example of active shooter response training and is part of a program for schools established by a new Missouri law.

A drill took place Wednesday at Troy Buchanan High School, with three men armed with shotguns and semi-automatic rifles storming in from three different doors. Teachers herded students into classrooms and locked doors as the first blank shots rang out.

Still, by the time officers arrived within about three minutes, many of the students had been "shot." Minutes later, an all-clear announcement came -- the "shooter" had been taken out.

The drill was over.

"It's brought up serious questions like, ‘If you hear shooting down the hall, do you risk opening up a door when you're not sure who's there?'" Binder said.

English teacher Melissa Surber had five students hiding in her classroom when someone shook her door and was able to get in. She said all she could think about was that people had been relying on her to keep the students safe, and she had failed.

"Thankfully, it was a simulation," she said. "Now I know it's not enough just to get the door closed. I have to pull and make sure it's not going to open again."

Binder said briefings after previous drills had revealed other problems. At one school, callers couldn't dial 911 to get help; a 9 had to be dialed to get an outside line.

The school contacted its provider, and the feature was changed.

Amanda Preston, a senior at Troy Buchanan, said the realism of the drills affected students emotionally.

"The first time I did one, the tears were real, and I had to call my grandma," she said.

But Colin Nelson, a math teacher, said the drills are necessary.

"Teachers are supposed to be the ones kids are looking to for help, and we want to be able to make a rational decision," he said.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com