Fayette County Schools to Conduct Mandated Safety Drills, Including Active Shooter Training

The Fayette County School Corporation has informed parents and guardians of upcoming, state-mandated safety drills for the new school year, which will include an active shooter drill to be conducted within the first 90 days of the academic calendar.

In a letter sent to families on Thursday, Connersville High School Principal Kelly Pflum outlined the corporation’s commitment to providing a safe and secure learning environment through the practice of emergency and crisis response plans.

According to the letter, Indiana Code 20-34-3-20 requires schools to conduct specific emergency preparedness drills throughout the year. These include one fire drill per month, one tornado preparedness drill per semester, and one man-made occurrence disaster drill per semester. State law mandates that at least one of the man-made disaster drills must be an active shooter drill.

“To comply with this legislation, we plan to conduct our first active shooter drill very soon,” Pflum stated in the letter. For security reasons, the exact date and time of the drill will not be publicly disclosed.

During the drill, students and staff will practice the ALICE procedures, an acronym that stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. The school corporation assured parents that appropriate assistance will be provided for students with accommodations for mobility restrictions, sensory needs, or auditory or visual limitations.

The announcement also highlighted the availability of mental health resources. “If a student needs to talk about mental health services following a drill, we can connect them with a counselor or social worker,” the letter noted.

Principal Pflum emphasized that all training sessions will be conducted with the students’ age, comprehension, and maturity levels in mind. Parents or guardians with questions regarding the safety drills are encouraged to contact their respective schools.