North Greene schedules staff-only active-threat training with local police

North Greene Junior-Senior High School will hold a staff-only active-threat training session on Jan. 16, a school announcement made Jan. 14 said. The exercise will bring faculty and staff together with representatives from the White Hall and Roodhouse police departments and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department to practice responses to an intruder or active threat. Students will not be present for the drill.

School officials framed the session as a focused opportunity for employees to rehearse protocols and decision-making without the complications of student evacuation or reenactment. Local law enforcement will be available for consultation, though the principal indicated officers’ direct role in simulated drills will be limited. The arrangement reflects an emphasis on strengthening on-site staff capabilities while keeping police involvement advisory.

For Morgan County residents, the exercise highlights how schools and law enforcement are coordinating to address safety concerns that voters and school board members regularly debate. Active-threat training for staff can reduce response time and clarify responsibilities during incidents, but it also raises institutional questions about resource allocation, oversight and transparency. School boards set budgets and policy that determine how often training occurs, who receives it and whether outside agencies take operational roles. Those decisions are subject to local priorities and voting patterns that shape county-level public safety funding.

Practical impacts for families are modest in the short term: the school has said students will not be in the building, but parents may notice increased law enforcement presence on campus during the day. The drill is intended to be a closed exercise for staff learning; parents and community members are not expected to participate. Officials typically follow up such trainings with reviews and updates to emergency protocols, which can affect daily operations and communications procedures going forward.

Institutionally, the event illustrates a broader balance educators must strike between preparing staff to act and maintaining normal school life. It also underscores the role elected school board members and county officials play in approving safety plans and funding training. Residents who want a say in those decisions can engage through school board meetings, ask for post-training summaries, and seek clarity about how drills are scheduled and communicated.

The takeaway? Attend a board meeting, ask how often staff receive active-threat training and what metrics the district uses to evaluate it. Our two cents? Routine training is a sensible precaution, but community oversight ensures those sessions reflect local priorities and use public dollars wisely.