For decades, educators and school safety professionals have struggled with appropriate ways to teach kids how to stay safe during an active shooter or violent event. From traumatic hyper-realistic scenarios to practicing “scary animals” or “monster” drills, how to prepare and discuss this fear-inducing topic in a way that wasn’t entirely frightening not only students but also their teachers has been elusive. Many states have begun to legislate active shooter training and drills to be conducted in an age-appropriate and trauma-informed manner, leaving schools and districts to develop the response on their own while not fully understanding what any of it means. This interactive session explores what it means to be “age-appropriate” and “trauma-informed” using real-life case studies and methodology from Safe Kids Inc.’s H.E.R.O. Program.