Hero students highlight shift in school shooting guidance

The actions of students who died tackling gunmen at two separate U.S. campuses a week apart have been hailed as heroic.

At a growing number of schools around the country, they also reflect guidance to students who are told, at least in some situations, to do what they can to disrupt shootings.

A majority of school districts have now embraced such an approach, with experts saying educators need to give staff and students as many options as possible in the worst-case scenario.

Many schools have stuck with the traditional approach of locking down a school and letting law enforcement confront the shooter, especially in grade-school settings. Encouraging students or faculty to do otherwise, critics say, could make them more of a target.