School shooting drills: Are life-like mass casualty drills too real?

The emotional impact of school shooting drills is now at the center of some parents and students questioning why these simulations have become so realistic.

>> RELATED: Shotgun blanks to be shot inside Franklin school as part of drill

As drills continue to get more life-like they also are more frightening, prompting some to ask if they’re harming students’ mental and emotional or if the realistic drills are necessary.

>> RELATED: PHOTOS: Franklin holds active shooter training for high school students

A child psychologist with Dayton Children’s Hospital told News Center 7’s I-Team that she didn’t think those kinds of drills are needed.

Franklin High School had an active shooter drill with students, staff and police in October that included shotgun blanks being shot inside the school.

>> RELATED: Franklin High School active shooter training

Principal Kelli Fromm said that they wouldn’t have had the drill if they didn’t think students could handle it.

News Center 7's Gabby Enright dug deeper into how these realistic drills prepare students and whether or not they're necessary. Tune in at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, for more details.