UTICA, N.Y. -- Several Mohawk Valley students got out of school early on Tuesday. That's because about a dozen school districts had an emergency "Go Home" drill.

The drills help school officials check early release procedures and strengthen communication between different departments.

Some schools also held a lockdown drill.

The principal of John F. Kennedy Middle School in Utica, Joshua Gifford, said the drills aren't meant to be an inconvenience. The schools just want students and staff to be prepared in case an emergency situation ever comes up.

"We have a plan, number one, and it's to test that plan to make sure that that plan works, and if it doesn't, we have to debrief and go back to the drawing board and make adjustments as needed," Gifford said.

It's mandatory for schools across the state to hold 12 drills each year. Four of those required drills must be lockdown drills.