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Kids at summer camp at Arlington rec centers will start active shooter training drills this week

At some of the busiest summer camps in Arlington, kids will start doing active shooter drills as early as this week.

ARLINGTON, Texas — After what happened in Uvalde and Duncanville, these incidents have some summer camps across the Dallas-Fort Worth area thinking about doing active shooter training drills.

At some of the busiest summer camps in Arlington, kids will start doing drills as early as this week.

At the East Library and Rec Center in Arlington, kids are not only learning to play basketball, but, starting this week for the first time, they will be doing an active shooter training drill.

“We’ve never encompassed the campers into the training. So that’s going to be new,” said Dr. Venera Flores Stafford, the assistant director of Parks and Recreation in Arlington.

It's new because of what happened at the Duncanville Fieldhouse this week.

“It’s Duncanville. Being so close to home, you hope it won’t be there, but with Uvalde, and Duncanville, these kids need to understand,” said Flores.

On Monday morning, Duncanville police say Brandon Keith Ned walked into the main lobby at the Fieldhouse and managed to shoot into a classroom packed with children.

Moments later, police say he ran to the gym where there were kids, and by that time, police shot and killed him.

His family says Ned was looking to get help after he was having a paranoid episode from being bipolar.

In case something like that happens at any of the five recreation centers in Arlington with summer programs, officials want the kids to be prepared.

“It’s unfortunate, but that’s the world we’re living in right now,” said Flores.

Part of the training, kids will not only learn about the safe spaces in the classroom, but also safe spaces in and around the rec centers.

“It’s a matter of knowing the retreat area and how to be quiet if something is going on like that. Making sure you’re looking around, observing your surroundings, and unfortunately it’s how do I exit safely,” said Flores.

The main goal is to keep the precious kids safe.

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