Schools are reopening in a Kentucky county where a shooter was injured…

In the rural Kentucky county where a gunman still at large opened fire on a highway, hitting a dozen vehicles and injuring five people, schools reopened on Tuesday with increased security.

As authorities continue to search for the shooter, public schools in Laurel County were in session for the first time since the attacker went on a shooting rampage on Interstate 75 on Sept. 7. The search for the suspected shooter, 32-year-old Joseph Couch, focused on a rugged wooded area near London, a town of about 8,000 people about 75 miles south of Lexington.

Laurel County school administrators worked with law enforcement on the district’s reopening plan, which includes increased safety on buses, school grounds and during extracurricular activities.

Police have increased patrols on most rural bus routes in the southeastern Kentucky school district, school leaders said in a statement on the district’s website. Parents have been asked to keep their children indoors if possible until the bus arrives. Police have increased their presence to monitor each school campus and patrols have been increased at extracurricular events.

“We appreciate the support, trust and cooperation of our families and community as we safely return to school,” the district said in a statement.

After the shooting, students switched to virtual classes for several days.

Police have asked residents to be vigilant and watch out for their neighbors as searchers try to locate the suspect. The area where Couch is believed to be hiding is characterized by rock walls, sinkholes, caves and dense brush.

The day after the shooting, law enforcement officers searched an area overlooking I-75 near where Couch’s vehicle was found. There they found an army-style duffel bag, ammunition and empty shell casings, authorities said in an arrest warrant affidavit.

A short distance away, they found an AR-15 rifle with a mounted sight and several extra magazines. The duffel bag had “Couch” handwritten in black marker on it. Couch fired 20 to 30 shots during the attack, investigators said.

Shortly before the shooting, Couch wrote in a text message, “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well, at least I’m trying.” In another text message, Couch wrote, “I’m going to kill myself after this.” The messages were released in the affidavit.