Press Release from Scottsdale Unified School District: 

Scottsdale Unified School District, Scottsdale Police and Fire Departments to Conduct Mock, Active-Shooter Simulation

School safety is SUSD’s top priority and a shared responsibility.

On October 1, 2022, Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) and the Scottsdale Police and Fire departments will conduct a full-scale, active-shooter simulated event at Cocopah Middle School, 6615 E. Cholla St., Scottsdale.  The exercise will test the three organizations’ emergency response plans, which would have to work together seamlessly in a real school emergency.

The exercise will provide the agencies an opportunity to practice together and use the emergency response and communications systems they would use in a real-life scenario.

The October 1 event gets underway at 8 a.m. with a briefing of all participants and wraps up at approximately 3 p.m. with a debriefing.

• WHO:             
  • Scottsdale Unified School District staff, students and parent volunteers
  • Scottsdale Police
  • Scottsdale Fire
  • Other Valley public safety agencies
• WHAT: Full-scale, active-shooter simulation to help ensure that SUSD and city first-responder agencies are prepared to handle a real-life school incident
• WHERE:       Cocopah Middle School, 6615 E. Cholla St., Scottsdale
• WHEN:          8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday, October 1, 2022

To help make the exercise feel more authentic, exercise coordinators are recruiting volunteers from among SUSD students, staff, administrators and parents, with each group playing a different, critical role.  Participation is voluntary.  Those who take part will be warned in advance that during the exercise, they are likely to hear screaming and life-like, simulated, gunfire.  They may also see “victims” with simulated injuries and the actors who will portray the perpetrators of the mock scenario.

Recognizing that there is potential for these sorts of intense stimuli to bring out different reactions in the volunteer participants, SUSD will have counselors on-site both during and after the exercise to assist volunteers in dealing with their possible responses.  A list of community mental health resources will be provided to participants, as well.

Participants will be required to park their vehicles off-site and will be shuttled to the school campus for the exercise.  No cellular phones, other electronic devices or weapons will be permitted on campus. (Please note that weapons of any kind are never permitted on school campuses.)  All volunteers will be required to sign a permission slip.  Participants will be notified where they are to park the day of the event and assigned a role to play.

Please fill out this form if you are interested in participating.

Please direct your questions or concerns about the October 1 event or SUSD safety and security practices in general to Josh Friedman at 480-484-8640 or jfriedman@susd.org 

Thank you.