Lake County prepares students for active shooter drills

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Students as young as kindergartners will soon learn how to respond to active shooter situations in Lake County Schools.

To prepare for upcoming drills, which are required following the Parkland shooting, the district created a video for students to watch to familiarize them with what to expect.

“We'll let them know that we're going to be doing a drill and that it's only a drill, it's not a real-life scenario,” said Jimmer Roy, the school district’s safety and security specialist.

Roy said each school will have to complete at least two drills a year, which will be handled like fire drills.

The video shows elementary school students being instructed to quietly run to an exit away from a fictional shooter.

But one school board member thought the videos were too intense.

“Could we do this where it's more kid friendly? I have some concerns about the intensity of it,” said school board member Bill Mathias.

Roy said teachers can use a PowerPoint or children's book to prepare younger students if they feel the video is too much.

“We're going to do everything we can to keep it to an age appropriate level,” Roy said.

Cox Media Group