In the wake of the tragic Nashville school shooting, schools across the country are taking proactive measures to increase student safety.
The recent shooting at a Christian school in Nashville claimed the lives of six people, including three children and three adults on school staff.
Active shooter training and childhood preparedness protocols are being implemented to ensure that teachers and staff are equipped to handle any emergency situation that may arise.
Active shooter training in Virginia Day Care
One example of this increased focus on student safety is the recent active shooter training that took place in Woodbridge, Virginia.
According to WUSA9, the training was specifically geared toward protecting children aged 5 and under, and dozens of daycare providers participated.
This training is unique because it's catered toward protecting young children who cannot protect themselves.
Childcare Aware and the Institute for Childhood Preparedness partnered to provide free training across Virginia.
The Institute for Childhood Preparedness, led by Executive Director Andy Roszak, came up with the program nine years ago after seeing a lack of training of this type for early childhood centers.
Roszak says that in case of an emergency, protocols for those caring for infants and toddlers will be different, and teachers need to be prepared ahead of time.
Donna Wilson-Peal, who is affiliated with Child Care Aware, stated that it is the worst fear of every early childhood professional to encounter an unsafe individual entering their program.
It is important to have a plan in place on how to keep the environment secure and to ensure the safety of the children by hiding them.
According to the Associated Press, since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, there have been 15 incidents of mass shootings in schools or universities in the United States.
These shootings are characterized by the deaths of more than four people, excluding the perpetrator. The data reveals that these 15 shootings have resulted in the loss of 175 lives.
Training to ensure student safety
While the Virginia day care training is geared toward early childhood professionals, schools across the country are undergoing similar training to ensure that their staff is equipped to handle active shooter situations.
The training includes a range of topics, including active shooters, situational awareness, de-escalation techniques, staying safe during home visits, and customized site security assessments.
In the aftermath of the Nashville school shooting, schools are taking a closer look at their security protocols and identifying areas where they can improve.
According to Reuters, some security experts who watched the publicly released security camera and body camera video from the shooting noted that the Covenant School appeared to have good safety protocols in place.
The school kept its doors locked and evacuated students quickly, so the hallways would be mostly empty when the shooter reached them.
However, additional safety measures might have helped prevent the tragedy.
Mac Hardy, the Director of Operations at the National Association of School Resource Officers, suggested that if the school doors were covered with bullet-resistant laminate, it could have delayed the shooter's entry by six or seven minutes.
This additional time could have provided law enforcement with a greater opportunity to respond.
The Nashville school shooting has prompted schools across the country to take a closer look at their security protocols and make changes to ensure student safety.
Active shooter training and childhood preparedness protocols are critical tools for protecting students and teachers from harm. By working together and implementing these measures, schools can create a safer learning environment for all students.
