Do SC schools need active shooter drills? This lawmaker would make it mandatory

Would S.C. students know what to do if a shooter entered their school?

One state lawmaker wants to make sure students know how to respond if something like the shooting in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 last week.

S.C. Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, D-Charleston, says he plans to file a bill to call for mandatory active shooter drills in all public schools, according to WLTX.

The bill would require active shooter training for teachers. The state Education Department and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division would come up with training materials.

“Public safety isn’t just about responding to incidents, but also about changing the environment in which they happened,” Pendarvis said. “We are a first world nation, our children should never have to go to school in fear.”

In the state capital, Columbia Police will work with school districts if requested. to train students and staff about what to do during an active shooter situation, according to WACH. Pendarvis’s bill would require those drills monthly.

The killings in Parkland have increased the sense of concern among some Columbia students.

“Dreher (High School) had an active shooter drill a couple of weeks ago, and we were talking about what to do,” student Lillian King told WACH. “Students were asking can we run outside and students don’t know what to do in that circumstance.”

High school students around the country have been organizing for rallies in response to the shooting, including in South Carolina. Students at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are riding to Tallahassee on Tuesday to lobby lawmakers, and some are expected to meet with President Donald Trump.

Other school safety bills introduced in the S.C. Legislature include installing metal detectors in all schools and allowing faculty and staff to carry concealed weapons on campus.

This story was originally published February 20, 2018 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Do SC schools need active shooter drills? This lawmaker would make it mandatory."