North Carolina District Holds Shooter Drill

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 08/31/10

A mock school shooting recently took place at a middle school in North Carolina near another school that had an actual shooter in 2006. Stanford Middle School in Hillsborough, part of Orange County Schools, was the scene of a Saturday drill that involved participants from the school district, law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services. The effort, funded by a 2008 grant from the United States Department of Education Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools program has been in the planning for a year. The district has about 7,100 students and 13 schools.

In the drill, a driver in a red pickup truck showed up at the school. He stepped out of the truck, and gunshots sounded. As the simulation unfolded, evaluators documented the events for the post-drill debriefing.

Orange High School, across the street from the middle school and part of the same district, experienced real shootings in 2006, when two students were injured by a former high school student. Alvaro Castillo was found guilty in 2009 of those shootings as well as the killing of his father.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • AI toolbox containing a wrench, document icon, gears, and a network symbol

    Common Sense Media Releases Free AI Toolkit, AI Readiness & Implementation Guides

    Common Sense Media has developed an AI Toolkit for School Districts, available to educators free of charge, that provides guidelines and resources for implementing AI in education.

  • elementary school building with children outside, overlaid by a glowing data network and transparent graphs

    Toward a Holistic Approach to Data-Informed Decision-Making in Education

    With increasing access to data and powerful analytic tools, the temptation to reduce educational outcomes to mere numbers is strong. However, educational leadership demands a more holistic and thoughtful approach.

  • three silhouetted education technology leaders with thought bubbles containing AI-related icons

    Ed Tech Leaders Rank Generative AI as Top Tech Priority

    In a recent CoSN survey, an overwhelming majority of ed tech leaders (94%) said they see AI as having a positive impact on education. Respondents ranked generative AI as their top tech priority, with 80% reporting their districts have gen AI initiatives underway, or plan to in the current school year.

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.