Teachers enact chaos of shooting

PROVO — If an armed gunman entered their school, how would principals and teachers react?

In the Provo School District, teachers are expected to lock their classroom doors. Halls are to be cleared of all students. Principals are to ensure 911 has been called and assign a staff member to meet police at the door.

School district employees and emergency personnel drilled at Dixon Middle School and Utah Valley Regional Medical Center Friday for three different scenarios involving an armed gunman. The drill was part of its yearly training for emergency preparedness.

"What we try to do is look at what's happening across the country," said Greg Hudnall, the district's student services director, who noted that a handful of students across the United States witnessed shootings at their schools last year, including the murders in a Pennsylvania Amish schoolhouse.

Last year, Provo School District's training was for an earthquake, Hudnall said.

Principals were told to reread their schools' emergency plans.

"If it's outdated, fix it," Provo Fire Capt. Ed Scott said. "And I'm not saying reinvent the wheel; just talk to other administrators around the state."

In the case of a shooting, police told about 60 principals, secretaries and custodians, concerned parents will gather at the school in droves, along with members of the news media.

"When it does happen, it will be chaotic," said Sgt. Todd Grossgebauer, commander of the Utah County Metro SWAT team. "It will be intense, and it will involve people who will shoot or kill."

A police officer may run past people who are injured.

"We're not cold or callous," he said, but the first priority is to stop the shooter.

School shootings are often finished minutes after they start — before SWAT teams can arrive, Grossgebauer said. That means the police officers first on scene may have to shoot to stop a gunman.

It's a shift in police mentality since the Columbine High School shootings: Before, many officers waited for permission from superiors to use their weapons. Now, they're expected to act to stop shooters, Grossgebauer said.

---

E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com