US school goes to extreme lengths to try to protect students from shooting

As America reels from another high school mass shooting, kids at a school in Indiana drill for the potential day an intruder clutching a gun wanders the halls.

Southwest High School in Indiana is trying to make itself as safe as possible.

The classroom doors are bullet-resistant, NBC News reports, cameras are everywhere and the sheriff’s department can even track an intruder in real-time.

Teachers are also prepared – they wear a panic button around their necks which with one push sets off an alarm system to alert the school to an intruder.

Teachers also have boxes in their classroom connected to the sheriff’s department which can call for help if the class is in danger and can also be flicked “to safe” if the threat wasn’t real.

The school has another big budget safety precaution:  $512,815 (US$400,00) exploding smoke cannons.

They are installed near the school doors and can be deployed in an instant to disorient and blind the intruder.