Active Shooter Drills in Schools: Are They Actually Helpful?
Active shooter drills, students and faculty simulate how they are to respond in an active shooting situation. While this may seem helpful, like a fire drill, they can actually cause more harm than good as it is important to find the balance between preparing and traumatizing. Many schools have been going through these drills unannounced, as you would with a fire drill, however believing that an active shooter is in the school is far more stressful and terrifying than believing the fire alarm was set off because of a fire, these drills can traumatize students and cause unneeded stress and fear for students. Many organizations including the National Education Association suggest that if the drills are going to be performed it is important to prepare the students for the drill, explain to them what is happening and when it is going to happen.
There is very little evidence supporting the idea that these drills are actively helpful when the situations do occur, but there is evidence supporting the idea that these drills do cause mental harm to the students who go through them. These drills are often life-like and graphic so while the children are not in legitimate harm they can still become traumatized from the event. The fact that they have to practice for these events can also increase the amount of anxiety a student has because they are more likely to worry about or think about the idea that the event could occur.
There are several factors that should be taken into account when a school is deciding whether or not to perform one of these drills:
- Drills should not include simulations of an actual shooting
- Parents should be notified beforehand
- Children and faculty should be told it is a drill before it starts and at the beginning
- Drills should be developmentally and age appropriate
- Mental health professionals should be included in the forming of these drills
While keeping our schools safe and prepared is important we should also focus on the current wellbeing of our students, we do not want to jeopardize the wellness of our students because we are worried about something that may happen in the future. Being prepared is important but so is maintaining the comfort and security in the schools today.
References:
Prothero, A. (2020, February 11). Active Shooter Drills in Schools: Harmful or Helpful? The Debate Rages On. Retrieved February 24, 2020, from https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2020/02/active_shooter_drills_schools_harmful_helpful.html
Hi Tristen!
ReplyDeleteYour blog post topic was really interesting! Any type of school drills is something that we often found ourselves having to participate in from the beginning of our school careers. Your post presents a different view point on something that certain officials do frequently to prepare students for the worst case scenario. I think that active shooter drills may be something to look at in the future however, it is very difficult to conduct something like that in a respectful and non-traumatizing manner. Schools should be prepared without having the students take part in a precautionary event that may make them lose focus and be worried in school. I agree with you, there are many things that schools should take into account when considering the possibility of a school shooting. Also there should definitely be parental consent, which arises the topic of what to do if the parents don’t want their children to participate. Great job!
Tristen,
ReplyDeleteWe live in a world where practicing for an active school shooting is just as important as a fire drill. It is sad that this is our new reality. I do think that students and parents should be aware of when these drills are to be conducted. However, knowing it is just a drill, many students do not take the situation seriously. To them it is a few minutes of getting free time away from learning or completing an assignment. I do believe that a drill should be made aware that it would be conducted at a soon point in time, and not minutes before. There are cases of students with mental issues, and I do believe in such a case only them should be told before the drill to avoid such a panic. In the case of an actual fire or an active shooter, many would not initially know how to react and simply panic. Teachers are equipped with instructions in the case of a fire drill, intruder around school grounds, intruder on school property, and other serious situations. I think the beginning of every month they should review such instructions in preparation of any one event actually happening.