NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — On their day off, dozens of Metro Nashville Public School teachers trained to take down an active shooter if one ever darkened the doors of their schools.
It was hands-on training as one demonstration, Defend Systems, showed teachers how to stop someone from bleeding out if they were shot.
Defend Systems is the same group that did active shooter training at The Covenant School a year before their shooting. Police believe it saved lives. Tracey Mendenhall, the director of training and operations, is passionate about teaching educators how to fight back.
"I’m sad for our world right now honestly. I don’t know how we fix it. We say it all the time in training like the only way this gets better as a team we say it is when Jesus comes back," Mendenhall said.
Tracey showed teachers Zuri and Mary how to do a chokehold, which could make an attacker pass out.
"It’s a game changer for sure," teacher Zuri Egbuji said.
Egbuji wants to be able to help her students.
"It sucks that we have to learn this but it’s necessary," Egbuji said.
Mary Horton said the active shooter training has made her think about her classroom's layout too.
"Making sure you find that far corner inside of your classroom to keep your students safe," Horton said.
An anonymous donor also paid for all these teachers to do the course.
"It’s happened here multiple times, so we have to realize and prepare ourselves to have this knowledge before it happens, and pray to God that it doesn’t," Mendenhall said.
