Parents attend school threat prevention seminar held at FSW

Parents in Lee County had the opportunity to attend an active school shooter seminar at Barbara B. Man Performing Arts Hall at FSW Saturday.

At the seminar, question such as, “Where would you go if somebody had a gun or a knife,” and “What would you do?” were said to be a goof start to conversations between parents and children to prepare them for scary situations.

“This can happen anywhere,” parent Deyanir Helt said. “It’s very sad times right now.”

Helt has a second-grader in a Lee County school. She says recent school shootings have caught her attention.

“Being a single parent, you know I’m really, really concerned about the safety,” Helt said. “And I’m thinking we should start talking to our children at a very young age.”

That’s why Helt attended the “Active Threat Prevention and Responses” seminar for parents this weekend.

“It is very important, so we become self aware and learn how to identify the signs and the needs,” Helt said.

Superintendent Greg Adkins was present at the seminar. He said education is key.

“We’ve certainly seen an increase in threats to our schools, so it’s important for us to all be informed and to keep the communication lines open,” Adkins said.

That starts with educating parents about red flags to look for and how to teach their kids to respond if an active shooter enters their school. Students are advised to either commit to running, take cover or plan to fight. But always follow instructions from school staff.

“I learned if there’s ever a lockdown at your school, or someone coming into your school, to always listen to your teacher,” second-grader Briana Helt said.

But the No. 1 way to stop danger before it starts: “We want people to see it, say it, make the call,” Sheriff Carmine Marceno said.