Following another deadly mass shooting that occurred March 27 at the Covenant School in Nashville, educators are asking themselves how they might respond in a similar situation. 

The Covenant School shooter was identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, a former student of the school. The shooting killed six people, including three nine-year-olds and three adults. Hale was shot at the scene by two officers and died. According to the police, Hale’s victims were randomly selected, and a local school and church building were the targets.

Former and current University of Mississippi students and teachers shared their feelings and what plans they have in place to protect their students.

“I walk into any classroom, and I immediately think, ‘Where is the window, where is the door, where would the kids go?’” Maeve Lewis said.

Lewis is a first-year teacher at Della Davidson Elementary School in Oxford and a UM graduate. 

“I think, ‘What’s in the corner? Are there shelves in the way?’ You think about it, and it’s real,” Lewis said.

Lewis said during her first day at the school teachers were prepped for various lockdowns by their resource police officer, including if an active shooter came into the school. She realized at that moment no school or town was safe and that she would be willing to sacrifice herself to protect her students.

“As a teacher, I feel that most teachers would put themselves in the line of fire for someone else; as for myself, I know I would put my life on the line for them,” she said.