Parents outraged over Pennsylvania high school’s active shooter drill

Police fired blanks during an active shooter drill at a Pennsylvania high school in order to make students more prepared for a possible shooting by exposing them to the sound of gunfire. 

The drill was conducted at Bethel Park High School on Thursday despite strong push-back from parents who expressed outrage over how realistic the exercise was.   

Earlier this week the principal had sent an email to parents informing them that the simulation would include an alleged shooter in the building and assuring them that school and local police would be firing blanks rather than real bullets.

In the email, he wrote the blanks will not be fired at anyone, but that the sound would be heard throughout the school.

Several parents responded by contacting local news stations in an attempt to draw attention to the drill and possibly put a stop to it.   

Parent Nanette Adams expressed concern that the hyper-realistic drill could upset students and criticized school officials for not providing more details about the exercise

‘Students have been prepared; although, I have not been advised about what that preparation consists of,’ Nanette Adams, whose son enrolled at the school this year, told KDKA. 

‘My concern is for students who may have some sort of issue with anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, special needs students.’

Adams criticized school officials for not provide more details about the exercise and expressed concern that it could cause a panic among neighbors if they were unaware of the drill. 

‘There are homes located nearby, and I have no idea if anyone who does not have a student in the district has been informed that this drill is going to be taking place,’ Adams said. 

‘There’s a lot of unknown variables of what could potentially happen if a homeowner nearby heard shots being fired off.’