News

Actions

School intruder drill goes wrong in Clarksville after 'wrong script' used to tell students, faculty

Posted
and last updated

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — An active intruder training drill went awry at a Clarksville middle school after an administrator used the wrong words in announcing the drill.

Families told NewsChannel 5 that the administrator said, "This is not a drill. There’s an active shooter in the cafeteria."

As a result, one class and teacher evacuated to a nearby neighborhood. Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools said the school resource officer, additional police and school administrators helped those kids get back inside the school.

"This morning, we had a pre-planned intruder drill that we do quarterly," CMCS Anthony Johnson said. "During the drill, an administrator used the incorrect script to activate the drill. This certainly caused concern for everyone. We deeply apologize for this mistake and the concerns it caused. This should have been a routine drill, but the script used was for an actual emergency not a drill. We appreciate the quick actions of students, employees, families, and law enforcement. We will ensure this never happens again during a drill. Thank you for your understanding and support."

Johnson said there will be an after-action review and retraining to ensure quarterly lockdown drills are conducted per CMCSS’ expectations.

For more information on CMCSS’ Active Threat Plan and lockdown drills, visit the school district's website.

Do you have more information about this story? You can email newsroom@newschannel5.com.

Santa Train stops feel especially impactful in wake of Hurricane Helene

There are still so many families in East Tennessee hurting following the floods from Hurricane Helene in September. That made this year's running of the Santa Train extra special for many families in the northeast part of the state. This special Santa Express has been making an annual run in part of Appalachia for over 80 years.

-Lelan Statom