The Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association recently released a report concerning active shooter drills in the school setting.  A copy of the report, The Impact of School Safety Drills for Active Shootings, can be found at: https://everytownresearch.org/school-safety-drills/.  The report is a follow-up to a comprehensive safety plan the three organizations previously released.  A copy of that plan, Keeping Our Schools Safe:  A Plan to Stop Mass Shootings and End Gun Violence in American Schools, can be found at: https://everytownresearch.org/reports/keeping-our-schools-safe-a-plan-to-stop-mass-shootings-and-end-all-gun-violence-in-american-schools/.

The report raises questions about the value proposition of active shooter drills which according to the report are conducted in 95% of public schools.  Specifically, the report questions the positive benefit of such drills given the limited data about their effectiveness and the potential detrimental impact on the emotional and physical well-being of students and on student academic performance.

The report recommends that schools adopt “trauma-informed” training focused on school staff which “might include training on lockout and evacuation procedures and emergency medical training.”  The report also recommends that such training be part of a comprehensive plan that addresses the issue of school safety more holistically, including incident prevention.

Finally, the report recommends that if a school decides to conduct active shooter training that includes student participation that such training aligns, at a minimum, to the guidelines adopted by the  National Association of School Psychologists and the National Association of School Resource Officers. 

Specifically:

1. Drills should not include simulations that mimic or appear to be an actual shooting incident; 
2. Information and notification must be provided to parents or guardians in advance about the dates, content and tone of any drills for students; 
3. A prior announcement should be made to students and educators prior to any drill;
4. Drill content should be created by a team including administrators, educators, school-based mental health professionals and law enforcement and should incorporate student input
5. Drill content should be age and developmentally appropriate;
6. Drills should be coupled with trauma-informed approaches to directly address students and educators well-being as standard practice; and 
7. The efficacy and effects of the drills should be tracked by schools, including symptoms and indications of trauma so drill content can be reevaluated if students and/or educators are exhibiting signs of trauma.