Team Kentucky Launches New Active Shooter Preparedness Training for Kentucky School Staff

A new active shooter preparedness training tool will soon be available to school staff across the commonwealth, giving Kentucky teachers, administrators, bus drivers and other school personnel access to enhanced, hour-long training designed to help them prepare for the unthinkable.

The training, produced through a collaboration between the Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) and the Office of the State School Security Marshal (OSSSM), is intended for every public-school employee in the commonwealth and was developed with input and review from the Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky Center for School Safety.

“One of the greatest benefits of training is that it gives people an opportunity to think through difficult decisions before they ever have to make them,” said State School Security Marshal Shannon West. “We hope this training is never needed, but if that day comes, we want Kentucky’s school personnel to have already considered their options and be better prepared to protect themselves and those entrusted to their care.”

Since the passage of Kentucky’s School Safety and Resiliency Act in 2019, DOCJT has produced an annual preparedness video for school personnel. While that training has always focused on helping staff think through how they might respond in a critical incident, DOCJT and OSSSM recognized an opportunity to create a stronger, more comprehensive learning tool to further prepare employees and protect students.

To further that goal, DOCJT’s Public Information Office and OSSSM leadership worked with DOCJT’s Instructional Design team to transform interviews, narratives and subject-matter expertise into a robust training experience.

“It is our responsibility to protect our children and our citizens against one of the most destructive situations Kentucky peace officers encounter – that of the active shooter,” DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse said. “We can best do this by preparing ourselves through quality training.  DOCJT is proud to offer this training.”

The finished product is one Team Kentucky is proud to share with schools across Kentucky. The training is designed to support meaningful preparedness conversations among school personnel and provide staff with information they can use if the unthinkable should happen. Team Kentucky remains committed to supporting safer schools, stronger preparedness and informed communities across the commonwealth.

The training is meant to ensure maximum preparedness should an active shooter situation arise. Training before an event ensures school personnel are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to protect those entrusted to their care, securing the commonwealth’s future.

This updated training tool is the next step in the Beshear-Coleman administration’s work to protect Kentucky’s children and schools.

In 2022, Gov. Andy Beshear signed House Bill 63, requiring local school boards to assign a school resource officer (SRO) to work full-time at each of Kentucky’s public-school campuses. Kentucky law requires SROs to be certified law enforcement officers, or special law enforcement officers, and to complete 120 hours of SRO training over three years, which is conducted by DOCJT.

Since the Beshear administration took office, the number of SROs employed by public schools has more than doubled. Currently, 937 SROs are protecting Kentucky’s public schools, up from approximately 400 since 2019.

The Office of the State School Security Marshal, established by law in 2019, is required to conduct annual, unannounced school compliance reviews to ensure schools are following mandated safety requirements. Last year, OSSSM reported that 1,315 of Kentucky’s public schools are following statutory safety requirements.