First responders from around Grayson County spent Saturday morning working through a simulated school shooting at Bells High School, and the sheriff's office says the exercise turned up problems it now plans to fix.
The drill began with a mock 911 call reporting gunfire and an armed person entering the building, KXII reported. Responders then played out the scenario in real time, from the arrival of officers through the aftermath.
Capt. Mark Kosemund of the Grayson County Sheriff's Office told the station the purpose was to find mistakes in training and coordination before an actual emergency. Even with a script, he said, unexpected issues came up, especially in how agencies communicated, and those were logged as gaps to address later.
Why Bells
Kosemund said the small school let organizers control the setting, and its spot near the edge of the county meant the training would not disrupt much of anyone's routine. A Saturday was chosen for the same reason. He described the approach as "crawl, walk, run": begin with a basic scenario and build toward harder ones in later exercises. Other agencies came to observe.
Hosting the drill helped the district too, said Bells ISD Superintendent Josh Weger. He told KXII it raised questions about how the district communicates with parents, law enforcement and the community, and that the district would review those areas.
