Clark County Lockdown Exercise Irks Parents

Clark County Sheriff Bart May is assuring Clark County Junior-Senior High School students and parents that “no guns were ever pointed at the children” during an evacuation exercise at the school Tuesday. He says an active shooter scenario was enacted as part of a lockdown drill. He said the exercise was planned after a table-top exercise April 23rd.

May says the drill was intended to be as realistic as possible, but maintain the safety of all students and faculty members. He said, “we wanted to make sure the teachers and students knew what to expect if a real incident ever occurred.”

But some angry parents and community members told school officials Tuesday night that officers had pointed guns at their kids and pulled the triggers. Some also complained they were not notified of the drill before it took place. Although coordinated with the school district administration, May conceded no parents, students or teachers were notified of the lockdown and evacuation prior to the drill.

He says sheriff’s deputies entered the school with training weapons (AR 15’s) that had florescent orange cardboard magazines, orange dowels in the barrels, and all internal parts removed. Officers also had Sig Sauer 40 caliber pistols whose barrels were replaced with yellow training plugs. He says all ammunition and gun parts were either left in trucks or in the Sheriff’s office.

Aside from the complaints, May said it was an excellent training exercise, which benefited teachers, students and first responders.