Montpelier parents complain about PA announcement during school drill

An after-school active shooter drill at a Vermont elementary school has raised concerns from several parents.

The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus reports several parents complained on social media about the terms "intruder" and "active shooter" being broadcast at Union Elementary School during the drill Monday.

School administrators say the drill was meant to train faculty and staff, so students in an after-school program were sent to the playground. But they say some students could still hear the public address system.

Cpl. Matthew Knisley, an outgoing Montpelier Police Department school resource officer, says it was a standard drill that uses direct words to describe the threat to avoid confusion.

Superintendent Libby Bonesteel says the drill was part of state-mandated training for all four schools in the Montpelier-Roxbury Public Schools District.