Chicago Heights students get 'Safety Day' training after deadly Nashville school shooting

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (WLS) -- Lurie Children's Hospital said they started organizing "Safety Day" assemblies as a response to school shootings, with the goal of teaching students life-saving skills in the event of a tragedy.

Tuesday's event took place after the deadly shooting at a Nashville school.

Students at Bloom High School in Chicago Heights took a break from reading, writing and arithmetic, and learned how to render aid in the case of an emergency, like stopping a bleed or giving CPR.

Lessons were taught by trauma coordinators from Lurie Children's Hospital. They offer Safety Day workshops to schools in the area, a program they started in response to school shootings.

Bloom Principal Jerry Anderson arranged for 75 students to take part.

"Safety is paramount and the world is pretty crazy right now. And the better we can be prepared for emergencies the better we'll be able to respond," Anderson said.

Anderson said the timing for the workshop is crucial, given the deadly school shooting Monday in Nashville and the shooting a few days ago at Denver East High School, where she once worked as a principal.

"No one wants to have what happened in Nashville or Denver East. No one wants that," Anderson said.

While some students say they appreciate learning how to help save a life, they're troubled by the circumstances in which they may have to use those skills.

"It kind of disheartens, and it kind of makes you feel uneasy. Walking down the hallways, never knowing," said Joshua Jones, a student.

Emergency experts with Lurie said lives can be saved when bystanders take action. They encourage any school officials who want this kind of training to contact them.