This is not a bad idea, although I think the effectiveness of the drill was lessened by having cameras present.

East High School, in Anchorage, Alaska went through a unique training exercise earlier this week.

A police officer roamed the halls and fired blanks, in order to get students used to the sound of gunfire in the hallways.

As the officer walked the halls, principal Sam Spinella announced over the intercom that an active shooter was in the building, and gave a description of the imaginary shooter.

Meanwhile, assistant principal Josh Green walked along with the police officer, checking the reaction of the classrooms.

“So many times you read about these active shooter situations where they hear a gun going off like that, and they think it’s something different,” Green told KTVA news. “You’re programmed to think ‘I’m safe all the time,’ right, so when you hear something like that you think, ‘I’ve got to take some action on this.’”

Parents were notified of the drill beforehand, so that they could talk with their kids and prepare them for what was coming.

“We don’t want to scare them,” Spinella said. “We want this to become as close to reality as possible.”

They shouldn’t be scared, but they should definitely be vigilant.

Assistant Principal Green points out that the drill had been planned weeks in advance, and has nothing to do with the recent Parkland, Florida school shooting.

Again, it’s not a bad idea. At minimum, working with school staff and students on appropriate reactions, as well as plans for protecting themselves in the event of an active shooter situation is a step in the right direction.

IT'S ONLY A DRILL! East High's school resource officer fires blanks inside the school to simulate an active shooter. Training teaches students what gunfire sounds like. pic.twitter.com/ytnOhO0L6Q

— Heather Hintze (@HeatherHintze) March 6, 2018

This is just the world we live in.