In a joint effort between local law enforcement and Rockdale County Public Schools to improve school safety, deputies and officers from the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office and Conyers Police Department will participate in training focused on responding to an active school shooting.

The training, which will take place from Monday, July 14, through Wednesday, July 16, will be a split between the classroom and practical exercises. The classroom portion will give an overview of mass shootings, cover case studies of historical school shootings and teach the current trends in responding to an active school shooting. Following the classroom portion, deputies and officers will participate in several practical exercises focused on tactical drills inside the hallways and classrooms of Honey Creek Elementary to simulate various active shooter scenarios.

“This training is a continued effort between local law enforcement and Rockdale County Public Schools to focus on keeping Rockdale County students and teachers safe in the event of a school shooting,” Sheriff Eric J. Levett told the Newton Citizen. “While we hope that we never have to utilize it, we will continue to provide our deputies with the knowledge and tactical skills necessary to respond to such an event. I want to thank the school system for once again allowing us to use a school to conduct the tactical portion of the training.”