WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — First responders across Wilson County plan to gather next week to participate in an active shooter training and prepare for what could come after: reunifying parents with their children.
Organizers told News 2 that this year’s drill will rehearse previous tactics and highlight components of parent/student reunification.
Earlier this year, on Jan. 22, a 17-year-old gunman shot and killed a classmate in the cafeteria of Antioch High School before turning the gun on himself. The immediate aftermath was chaotic, with many parents questioning where and when they could reunite with their children.
Reunification training will be top of mind for Wilson County first responders, who plan to host the drill at Friendship Christian School on March 20.
“Reunification is a systematic process where you safely and efficiently reunite the student back to their parent or guardian,” explained Captain Scott Moore with the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office.
Moore added the exercise will highlight the need for better communication between first responders and parents in what is typically a highly stressful environment.
The training will reportedly take into account where the shooting took place, which will then dictate what roads must be closed, and also determine what areas are suitable for convening parents to reunite with students.
According to Moore, county leaders will map out a scenario for the schools and then also work on backup plans as part of the working blueprint.
“We’ve really focused on a lot of the stuff that happens inside the school, so we want to concentrate now on the process afterwards, while the investigation is going on. I’m a parent myself, and if you have a student at a school, I couldn’t imagine something critical happening at a school and not knowing whether my child is a victim or if they are safe,” Moore told News 2.
“Having officers there on the scene telling them, ‘hey, we are working on it but we have got to do it safely.’ And then communicating with those parents if their child is a victim. Those are tough things to handle and we want to make sure we do it appropriately, and also be very sensitive to the situation,” he added.
Wilson County currently has a school resource officer in every school.
