Beyond the supplies themselves, which she’s grateful to have, it was the nonchalant way the buckets, kitty litter, and Sharpie marker were handed out during a routine back-to-school training that shook Jeffco Public Schools teacher Cassie Lopez.

“We were doing [professional development], and it was like, ‘Oh, get your buckets, and this is what your buckets are for,’” Lopez sad. “It was shocking. I was pretty upset afterward.”

The buckets and kitty litter are for students to use as toilets in case of a prolonged lockdown triggered by a threat inside the school. The Sharpie is for teachers to write the time they applied a tourniquet to a bleeding student, so paramedics know how long it’s been on. Lopez also got a kit that includes normal first-aid supplies, as well as candy to give to students with diabetes in case they experience low blood sugar while hiding in the classroom.

The head of school safety for Jeffco Public Schools described the supplies, and other new safety efforts, as innovative approaches to a problem with which the suburban Denver district has firsthand experience. Jeffco Public Schools is home to Columbine High School, where two teens murdered 12 of their classmates and a teacher 20 years ago.

“These events aren’t specific to us, but we have associated experience that is on the front page of the paper constantly,” said John McDonald, executive director of the district’s department of school safety. “Part of our responsibility is to be on the leading edge and take it seriously.”

Read the full story from our partner at chalkbeat.org. Chalkbeat Colorado is a nonprofit news organization covering education issues. For more, visit chalkbeat.org/co.