HOUSTON – News of the mass school shooting in Connecticut has people here in Texas asking questions about our own kids' safety and wondering how prepared local schools are, and if kids would know what to do if something similar were to happen.
"Anybody who does not have a plan of response - panics. That's just the way it is," said Jim Baylor. Baylor is the Chief of Campus Security and Public Safety for Wharton Junior College. With more than 30 years of law enforcement background he trains people, including kids, how to respond in emergency situations.
Baylor told KPRC Local 2 that keeping kids safe in schools is a collaborative effort between parents and educators. Teachers need to know how to react and children should be told to trust them.
"Training faculty and staff in the education fields to be able to recognize and have an immediate response plan," Baylor said.
School districts all across Texas will likely be examining their own safety policies and making changes, if necessary, in the wake of the Connecticut shooting. In the meantime, Baylor said parents should be talking to their kids.
"If you come across a bad person, you need to get away from that person as quickly as you can. That includes listening to the adults who are there with you."