SHAWANO, WI- Local Law Enforcement and School Districts are responding to a school shooting incident that took place this week at Mount Horeb Middle School.

Police shot and killed a student outside the middle school after receiving a report of someone with a weapon. Not much information has been released, but it was reported that the gunman never got in the building.

“We don’t know much, but it appears that police acted swiftly and responsibly in that situation,” Clintonville Police Chief Craig Frietag said.

Shawano Police Chief Brad Rabideau said protecting schools is still an ongoing process that his department works through.

“Anytime this happens, we get together and we are always looking at ways to improve our critical response, but that is something that we do constantly,” Rabideau said.

In Clintonville, Superintendent Troy Kuhn spent Thursday morning meeting with Clintonville Police Chief Craig Freitag to discuss the event and what they can learn.

“We don’t work by ourself,” Kuhn said. “The biggest practice that we go by is if you see something, say something.”

Freitag and Rabideau both said that they had some more patrol at the schools on Thursday.

“We have an SRO in our school five days a week and we also have patrol officers that work during the day that are expected to walk through the schools and patrol around the schools so we are very proactive,” Freitag said. Rabideau said in Shawano they do a good job with making sure the different emergency response groups train and work well together.

Both Shawano and Clintonville schools had couseling available for students or staff that may be looking for help after hearing about the news.

“Even if parents don’t know how to have those conversations, we can help give them some tips or hints if they reach out to us, Kuhn said.

“This is an important conversation to have with your kids. Let them speak of their fears or concerns so as a family, you can come up with a plan,” Rabideau added.

Shawano Superintendent Kurt Krizan sent out an email to families after hearing of the news. “The simple fact is that schools should and must be a place where students and staff feel completely safe and secure. News of an incident like this understandably leaves many of us feeling shaken,” the letter stated.

Rabideau says even though the incident happened across the state, it still hits close to home.

“These things can happen anywhere,”Rabideau said. “Mount Horeb is a town of a little over 7,000 people so its very similar to Shawano and Clintonville.”