Active shooter drills conducted today in Austintown schools

AUSTINTOWN

Austintown Police Department conducted drills at each of the four township schools today to prepare teachers and staff for an active shooter situation.

At Austintown Intermediate School in the afternoon, Patrolman Allen Phillips roamed the halls for more than six minutes, firing blanks while 80 staff members either fled the building or sheltered in place.

It was a teacher in-service day, so students were not present.

Danyelle Henin, a fifth-grade teacher, said the training was helpful, but it’s different without the students. “It’s always nerve-wracking because you’re trying to figure out what to do with 25 students attached to you,” she said.

Once Austintown Police Lt. Tom Collins sounded the air horn that signaled the start of the drill, most teachers on the first floor quickly sprinted out the doors.

“I’ve never seen such a mass exodus in my life,” Collins said.

Collins said school shootings nationwide have increased lately, and while it’s unlikely to happen in Austintown, police and school officials want to be prepared.

Read more about the exercise in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.