NEWTON — Newton USD 373 Public Schools administration has completed a debrief with school resource officers regarding the misunderstanding surrounding an active shooter drill that occurred at Chisholm Middle School March 23. A routine drill at Chisholm Middle School was mistaken for the real thing which set off understandable panic with patrons and response from law enforcement.
The district says that from now on they will contact law enforcement and any other agency that might need knowledge of such information prior to conducting training with staff. The district says that this was the seventh such training done this year. In neither of the previous six had any problems occurred. The district says that in hindsight, this was erroneous. As a result, they will adjust protocol to reflect what they have learned and apologize for any strain this has caused in our school and community.
In closing, the district says they remain thankful that they have their partnership with Newton Police Department and praise their quick response to the situation. The families directly involved have been personally contacted by the schools.