Police shooting of student with gun has Lakeshore school prioritizing safety

Manitowoc Lutheran is using the deadly situation outside of a Wisconsin school on Wednesday as another reminder to keep their security as tight as possible.

• A student with a gun was shot and killed by police outside a Mount Horeb school on Wednesday, officials say.
• Manitowoc Lutheran Principal David Uhlhurn said they practice drills, communicate with police and train staff.
• "We even practice a situation where we may have to vacate through windows ... ," said Uhlhurn.

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)

The conversation around school safety is once again buzzing after police shot and killed a student outside a Mount Horeb middle school on Wednesday. Now one Lakeshore school says it's making sure their kids stay safe.

State officials say the student in Mount Horeb had a gun but never got inside the school. No one else was injured.

The Mount Horeb area school district superintendent says safety precautions and community support prevented a further tragedy.

A day later Manitowoc Lutheran principal David Uhlhurn told me how important it is to plan.

"Every school needs to be ready for it because it could happen,” Uhlhurn said. “It's not just things that are happening in other states, in other places. It's happening here in Wisconsin, as well."

Uhlhorn says that more than ever before the school is communicating with police, training in safety and at times preparing for the worst.

"We even practice a situation where we may have to vacate through windows or run down the hallways to make sure that we can get out in a safe and effective manner,” said Uhlhurn.

One of those prepared teachers is Ryan Hulse

"It's sadness that we live in a world where you even have to think about that,” says Hulse.

Hulse says his students are ready for any possible emergency.

"What's our routine? What's our procedure? Where do we go when?” he explained.

He says safety is of the upmost importance and creating a calming atmosphere is needed in schools.

"When they know their teachers care about them, they know their administrators care about them,” Hulse says. “Then they have more of a sense of security."

Principal Uhlhurn also mentioned the schools strict locked doors policy and any guest, just like me, must have a visitor badge.