The tragic shooting Friday in Newtown, Conn. that took several young lives has sparked local conversations about school safety.

Demopolis City Schools Superintendent Al Griffin said he has spoken with local law enforcement to ensure student safety, which he said is the system’s number one priority.

“We understand parents’ concern, but we want to assure them that school safety is always our number one priority,” he said. “We always want to provide a safe structured learning environment.”

Griffin said each school has a school safety plan, they have monthly drills in case of an emergency and the principals do a great job of documenting those drills.

“It is always an ongoing effort to improve our school safety plans,” he said.