ROUND VALLEY - For decades, school safety drills have been a part of every student's life. Most of us can remember the fire alarm ringing and filing out of the building. 

But as the times have changed, so have the dangers in school, and the efforts to be prepared. 

Some say a school shooting drill went way to far and involved children far too young.

School officials at Round Valley Intermediate School call it a proactive approach to planning for the worst. 

But it's an approach that included masked men, fake blood, cap-guns and a shoot-out, all in front of elementary school students. 

When it comes to life in a small town, there are different ways to count the qualities.

Hauling hay bails at cowboy up feed store on the edge of Eager, Arizona, John Joy loves life in his little town with white mountains, wild deer and a serenity most cities miss out on.

But with a population of about 4500, it's that small town status that makes some local leaders fearful when it comes to school shootings.

After all, Eager police point out that since 1996, the majority nation-wide have happened outside major metropolitan areas. 

Three weeks ago, the Round Valley School District planned to prepare students with police, firefighters, masked men and fake blood. They used make-up on 3rd thru 5th graders to simulate injuries as "bad guys" took children and teachers hostage.

Then there were the gunshots.

During the drill, police traded cap-gun fire with the masked men, around teachers who practiced a lock-down with their 8, 9 and 10 year old students. School officials say the stress of the situation was critical to creating a realistic and successful drill.

At least one parent said while that's all fine for the adults involved, it went way too far for young children.

“I wanna know:  who raised their hand and said 'oh, I have an idea,” Pete Levinton said. “Hey lets use fake blood on the kids and let's use capguns.” 

Levinton said the school simply sent a letter saying students would "experience an evacuation drill." No warning about acting out a shootout.

“You know, they have fire drills at school, and they don't need to make it realistic,” he said. “They don't set the curtain on fire so the firemen feel like it's real.”

Some other parents say no matter how scary, the earlier the lesson, the better.

“I think they ought to realize the reality of what they could see and regardless of the age, I think it's an education,” Rex Walker said.

Adolescent psychiatrist Eric Benjamin said there is a price, but it's not preparation.

Well I don't see any benefit, and the cost is it could seriously traumatize at risk kids,” he said.

Benjamin calls the drill ridiculous, and said schools should educate parents about how to recognize mental problems, not 3rd graders about mentally disturbed gunmen.

“It's all about adult agendas and following adult guidelines,” Benjamin said. “So if kids that age are exposed to this, they are going to be very troubled. Why are adults staging something like this? Why do I have to worry about this? It's very concerning.”

Still, school officials say they are concerned too. While there's plenty evidence of the problem, they want to plan for it. As of now, even eight-year-olds are part of the plan.

“There was a little bit of anxiety, but overall, it was a very positive experience in the sense of preparation,” Superintendent Travis Udall said.