How do you talk to your kids about traumatic events like school shootings?
PARKLAND, Fla. (KGO) -- The school shooting in Florida is yet another example why local districts conduct regular training. It's the reality of today's climate -- schools preparing for an active gunman on their campus.
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Oakland public schools have a lockdown drill twice a year. School and classroom doors are locked, blinds are closed.
But recently, the district has added active shooter training. A private vendor teaches staff how to run, hide and fight.
One hundred employees have gone through the training so far and more will be trained Friday.
"With Sandy Hook to Columbine -- and Aurora to Pulse Night Club, and Las Vegas and now this shooting at the school district, this has become an unfortunate occurrence that's not going to stop," said Oakland Public School Chief John Godown.
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The training is becoming more widespread. Just a few weeks ago, a drill was conducted at Napa Valley College. In this scenario, local police don't wait for a SWAT team or the FBI. They go in immediately, and if necessary, put themselves between the shooter and the potential victim.
"The most important thing is for parents to take a breath," therapist Tara Fields told ABC7 News.
She says, for parents, the possibility of an active shooter at their children's school can certainly be a source of stress -- especially after what happened in Florida.
She says moms and dads should manage their own anxieties first before talking about it with their children.
"Don't lead them," Fields added. "You may be transferring your own fears, your own anxieties that they don't have right now onto them."
Click here for full coverage on the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and click here for a look at comprehensive coverage on school shootings here in the Bay Area and across the country.
