Chester Co. High School reviews safety protocols in active shooter training

CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — The shooting at a Kentucky high school has schools around the country not only mourning the victims but reviewing their own safety protocols.

“Hopefully it will never happen, but if you’re not prepared, everything that could go wrong, will,” Deputy Kyle Conner said.

Law enforcement officers in Chester County are making sure they’re prepared.

“In a practice event, it makes a real-life event a lot less catastrophic,” Conner said.

Conner serves as a Chester County High School resource officer.

Friday, he helped students and law enforcement train for an active shooter scenario.

“It’s kind of a chance to mesh those two together,” Conner said. “For officers to see how the school responds, and for the school to see how officers will respond.”

Chester County High School Assistant Principal Jeff Cupples says they’ve been planning the drill since August.

He says the recent school shooting in Kentucky heightens the need to train.

“The fact we had some instances in our country earlier in the week made the realism of it even more vital,” Cupples said.

In the exercise, the school made the call to 911 and officers were dispatched to the scene as students played the roles of victims.

“I had to try and get into a classroom and beat on the doors for someone to help me,” 11th grader Presley Carter said.

Even though they hope to never have to put the plan into action, Deputy Conner says when you’re in a dangerous situation, every second counts.

“We’re doing everything we can to help make this a safer place for students and staff,” Conner said.

Officials say the drill was recorded to allow law enforcement to review the tape and improve their plan to keep the school safe.