Parent and student reunification after Evergreen High School shooting in Colorado faced challenges. Here's why.

As shots rang out at Evergreen High School on Wednesday, many students ran for safety. In the ensuing aftermath, once the scene was declared safe, first responders began the process of reuniting the children with their families, a process some parents expressed frustration with.

Jacki Kelley, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer, acknowledged Wednesday's challenges after the shooting happened.

"I think there was a lot of chaos yesterday. We know that some kids were on lunch, which gave them more freedom and access to hallways and outdoors, and we know that there were a lot of kids who ran, and a lot of kids who locked down," said Kelley. "I don't think that's avoidable when you have something like this."

She added that while the district does have an emergency plan in place, the situation was fluid.

"Every situation is different. What might work today may not work next time. The framework is there, but we have to adjust to the kids who ran," said Kelley.

There was no school resource officer on campus during the time of the shooting. Kelley said Evergreen High School used to have a full-time school resource officer who is now on medical leave, and now it's a shared duty. During the shooting, the part-time SRO was dispatched for an accident nearby, but the SRO returned to the school within a matter of minutes of the shooting happening.

As word of Wednesday's shooting at Evergreen High School started to spread, frantic parents began racing to the area to find their children. There was some confusion at first over communication with parents, then there were changes in where those reunifications would happen.

Some parents have shared their concerns over how the district responded after the shooting. In a news tip to CBS Colorado, one parent said, "The communication from JeffCo was contradictory and confusing, I had no idea if my student was safe. This has been a horrific day."

"We're not critical of those kids who ran to neighborhoods, who ran to the rec center, who ran down the street or went to the library; they went everywhere," Kelley added. "So, unifying all of that was a bit of a challenge yesterday, and that's just going to happen. It's just chaos, and it took a while to get our arms around that, get buses to the right places, and get parents back to their kids."

Former Columbine High School Principal Frank DeAngelis, who does safety consulting for Jeffco Public Schools, says, "The district does a great job, and I know they do drills, and that's part of the protocol. There are certain plans in place in Jefferson County. It's a standard response protocol which deals not only with what do you do with the lockdown situation or a secure situation, but also reunification."

Kelley says they're now focused on supporting those affected. "We are going to do everything we can to help these kids heal."

A Resource Information Center was set up on Thursday and will also be set up on Friday at Bergen Meadow Elementary's old building, with victim advocates and mental health professionals readily available.