Berkeley County School District Conducts Shooter Drill
October 13, 2014
MONCKS CORNER, SC – The Berkeley County School District will practice its responses to an Active Shooter Scenario at the Westview Elementary, Westview Primary and Westview Middle Schools on Thursday, October 16. District staff and principals have coordinated planning and execution of the drill with the Goose Creek Police Department and the Berkeley County Emergency Preparedness Department.
Law enforcement, first responders and School District staff will demonstrate all of the steps during this simulated event that they would take during an actual school emergency. Teachers, staff and emergency responders will take all proper precautions and begin working with the media and internal procedures to inform the public that would take place in during an actual incident. The active shooter drill is scheduled to last only a few hours and will cause no delay to the school day or dismissal.
“We are taking all precautions to ensure that no students are endangered during the drill and that their instructional day is not interrupted,” said Tim Knight, Berkeley County Safety and Security Officer. All of the simulations will take place in a vacated hallway within the target school. No students and only a small handful of teachers will participate in the drill. Area law enforcement will treat this as a full dress rehearsal for an actual event. These exercises help hone the officers’ response times and procedures while ensuring that all officials and staff are prepared to help the public in an actual emergency.
“Berkeley County schools have never had an active shooter on campus but given national trends it is our responsibility to be prepared and it is in the best interest of everyone to protect our most precious resources, our children,” said Dr. Rodney Thompson, Berkeley County School District Superintendent.
