MCC High School trains for active shooter scenario.

MCC High School trains for active shooter scenario.

#MasonCountyNews

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

SCOTTVILLE — It’s a situation that no one wants to ever face, but unfortunately it’s a reality of modern society: An active shooter at a school or other public place. On Tuesday, Oct. 18, the students and staff at Mason County Central High School, along with local emergency services personnel, trained for such a scenario.

“This training was in response to two years of planning,” said Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole. “It was also an opportunity to see how the staff would respond to an active shooter in the building.”

The classroom doors at MCC are secured with a door jamming device known as The Boot, as are all the classrooms in Mason County. But, Tuesday’s scenario included at least one classroom where the Boot had been removed and the students needed to secure the classroom and defend themselves. In the scenario 11 casualties occurred.

“This is why we train,” Cole said, “so we can learn from our mistakes and improve.”

The training is called A.L.I.C.E., which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, County, Evacuate. “In the past we would train students and teachers to huddle in the corner and hide from the shooter,” Cole said. “This training teaches the victims to take whatever action necessary to assure their safety.”

The training was organized by the Mason County School Safety Planning Committee, which includes representatives from area schools and from emergency services.

Learn more by watching the video.