Makayla Tendall | The Des Moines Register

Rodney White, Des Moines Register

Two rural Iowa school districts will require middle school students to take a firearms safety course this spring.

Students from the Clarksville and North Butler school districts will learn how to safely handle a gun during a physical education course focusing on hunter safety.

But Joel Foster, the superintendent for both districts, said he hoped the course will prepare students to react in the event of an active shooter situation.

"We've done everything to make (students and district employees) as safe as possible at school with cameras ... locks," he said. "We would like them to be able to deal with a situation that comes up."

During the course, students will use inoperable guns with replica ammunition.

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

They will learn how to load and unload ammunition and hold and care for firearms, Foster said. They'll also learn how to safely carry a gun and how to recognize when a firearm is loaded.

"We know not all kids are going to hunt," he said. "This is an alternative to sitting on your hands and not doing anything. It's being proactive to handle things the best manner as possible if something occurs. Through education, kids know guns aren't toys."

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The hunter safety course is expected to last about a week and will be taught by a naturalist from the Butler County Conservation Board.

Parents can opt to have their children sit out the course.

Foster announced the class in a blog post on the districts' websites. He said Monday that he hasn't received any negative feedback.

Derek Drayer, communications director for the Iowa Firearms Coalition, said he's glad to see the districts require the hunters' safety class.

"I hope politics stay out of it," Drayer said. "Even if you're never going to own a gun, some exposure to that safety aspect is a good thing. While there is a lot of disagreement on gun policy, everyone agrees we want safety."

The course will be required for all seventh- and eighth-grade students in the North Butler district and all eighth-graders in the Clarksville district.

High school students from both districts will have the option of taking a similar hunters' safety course during the evening.