Active Shooter Training for Parents

Perform threat assessments on students, staff, community by examining mental health, interpersonal interactions, leakage of violence, communication quality, social isolation, and work and school performance to identify and prevent violence.

Assess mental health, interpersonal relations, and leakage of violence as top warning signs. Address grievances tied to work or school performance with respectful communication to prevent violence.

Empower parents and students to act with run, hide, fight as flexible outcomes driven by triggers, teaching age-appropriate language, distance cues, and staff preparation for active shooter scenarios.

Sit very still to minimize movement; eyes are attracted to movement, so compact your profile—knees to chest or turning to the side—and sit comfortably to increase survivability.

Distinguish cover from concealment to improve survivability during an active shooter event. Seek barriers like brick walls or heavy desks, and use books or objects to enhance protection while hiding.

Rehearse code words, hide, stay quiet, use phones, manage backpacks, and perform age-appropriate safety drills to prepare families for active shooter scenarios.

Store your local police department number on your cell and dial it to reach the agency quickly, avoiding 911 routing; practice using the phone under stress and low visibility.

Survey the campus with your student to identify surrounding locations, hiding spots, routes off campus, and visibility points that support a run, hide, fight safety plan.

Teach students the run, hide, fight framework as flexible outcomes driven by triggers and distance, enabling staff and parents to choose the right action in active shooter situations.

Run off campus to a safe location as far away as possible, call 911, and follow the nearest safest exit. Lock the door indoors and stay quiet.

Keep backpacks neat and out of sight, avoiding clutter near seating. Place them under desks to allow quick, secure movement to a wall in an active shooter scenario.

Guide parents on when and how to use phones during an active shooter to report quickly. Balance reporting with staying quiet and following instructor guidance during lockdown.

Parents learn how to handle locked classroom doors during an active shooter drill. Emphasize never opening a locked door, staying quiet, and guiding students to safe lockdown and off-campus evacuation.

Escape the campus quickly during an active shooter event, running away and avoiding door openings for safety. Consider who you’d save as a vip at the cost of your life.

Provide rapid, precise information to law enforcement about shooter location and campus layout via text or email. Establish post-incident support, counseling, and school closure planning for students and staff.

Learn the typical time frames from the first shot to 911 call, dispatch, and officer arrival, and practice rapidly identifying gunshot location and dialing 911 to save lives.

Follow the student release gate procedures after an event, verify authorized pickups via emergency contacts, and stay calm as staff and law enforcement guide relocation to reunite students and parents.

As a parent, avoid climbing fences or running onto campus during active shooter drills; stay calm, follow the established process as police and staff handle the scene.

Identify a stranded student during an active shooter drill. Warn against pointing out students to people you don't know and stress mindful, discreet responses to alarms.

Thank you for taking the course and learning about how we approach the training. Ask questions, receive answers, and get help with school-site specifics as a supporting parent.