Smithwick man’s program helps schools respond to ‘active shooter’ situations
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
SMITHWICK — When Jeff Sellers’ wife, Terri, a 20-year teaching veteran, challenged him to develop a school safety program in the wake of a several campus shootings nationwide, he took her up on it.
Not only does that make him a smart man (for listening to his wife), but it also makes Sellers one of the few non-government-affiliated businesses with a training program assisting school districts with safety, including training a district employee to carry a firearm and responding to an “active shooter.”
“Obviously, the last thing I want, or anybody wants, is for somebody to actually use this training,” said Sellers, owner of Advanced Security Training and Consulting. “But more today than probably ever, schools are facing some serious questions regarding campus and student safety.”
Sellers developed the School on Target program that offers districts two options: a safety-awareness seminar or school-threat officer training.
For the safety-awareness program, Sellers travels to the school district, goes over its campuses with officials and then provides a seminar in which he outlines steps they can take to better protect students, teachers and staff.
“It’s a great seminar for schools that are on the fence about whether they want to arm a staff member, but they’re still looking for ways to learn about school safety and how to respond in certain situations,” he said.
Sellers’ other program is school-threat officer training, in which a school employee can take 80 hours of training in order to handle the critical period during an active-shooter situation. Sellers said this is those precious minutes when someone is on campus with a weapon or during a similar dangerous situation.
Though Texas law bans firearms on school campuses, Seller said it does allow for an armed person on-site with written permission from the school board.
People interested in the program can take the 80 hours over a two-week period or five weekends. During that time, Sellers will cover the mental aspects of both the school-threat officer and those he or she might face such as a shooter or another aggressor.
“We’ll go through real-life scenarios using paintball guns and Airsoft guns,” he said. “Those rounds travel much slower than a real bullet, but it will give people an idea about how fast you can get hit.”
Throughout the training, firearms safety and proficiency will be stressed. Seller said it’s not just about shooting but also handling a situation in the best way to ensure the safety of students and faculty.
Go to astaconsulting.net for more on the program or other safety classes, both personal and corporate.
daniel@thepicayune.com