SCHOOL SAFETYProtecting Mental and Emotional Health of Students During Active Shooter Drill Practices
New report calls for a unified policy and research agenda to ensure the mental, emotional, and behavioral health and well-being of students and school staff when conducting active shooter drills.
A new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls for a unified policy and research agenda to ensure the mental, emotional, and behavioral health and well-being of students and school staff when conducting active shooter drills. The report outlines practices for mitigating potential harm and recommends action to better understand and protect the health and well-being of school-aged children and adolescents.
As school shooting incidents continue to be a public concern, safety and security measures like active shooter drills have become increasingly common. Although many states now mandate school active shooter drills, the ways in which they are defined, designed, and implemented can vary significantly, and their effects on the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of students have not been well researched, the report says. The effectiveness of active shooter drills at preventing harm in the event of an actual emergency was not part of the study’s statement of task, and the report does not offer feedback or recommendations on that matter.
“Every parent sends their child to school with the simple expectation that they return home safely,” said Richard J. Bonnie, Harrison Foundation Professor of Medicine and Law Emeritus and director emeritus, Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, and chair of the committee that wrote the report. “But there are many unanswered questions about potential risks and harms associated with school active shooter drills. Our aim is to help school leaders make informed decisions to protect student and staff well-being.”
Strategies for Mitigating Harms to Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health
The report recommends that schools adopt trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate approaches for active shooter drills that balance physical, emotional, and psychological safety. The report also urges state legislatures and education agencies to prohibit the use of deception and high-intensity and high-sensorial simulations that can cause undue stress and emotional harm to the students who participate. To aid schools and policymakers, the report outlines best practices that can reduce the risk of harm to mental, emotional, and behavioral health and well-being before, during, and after drills, such as announcing drills before they begin and discouraging the use of hyper-realistic simulation exercises.
Implementation Considerations
Although school systems have considerable autonomy at the state, district, and local levels, the committee recommended multilevel, cross-sector efforts to develop a cohesive, coordinated approach that ensures all schools have the resources, training, and support needed to implement supportive strategies for all students.
At the national level, federal agencies — the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — should issue national guidance that adheres to best practices in informed and appropriate emergency-preparedness procedures. On the legislative side, Congress should fund school safety initiatives, violence prevention efforts, and programs that promote a positive environment in schools. In addition, state and local governments and school boards should fund similar programs in their school systems.
To further ensure accessibility and safety, policymakers and school administrators should make sure active shooter drills are accessible to all students — particularly students with disabilities and students with functional or access needs — by issuing guidance and proactively incorporating accommodation considerations into emergency-preparedness measures. Philanthropies, advocacy groups, the private sector, and universities should assist in research and development of best practices that consider the needs of all students and school staff in active shooter drills.
Recognizing that better policies are only part of the solution, the report also recommends that any law enforcement officer assigned to work in schools should be trained to work in educational environments and be properly prepared to respond using developmentally appropriate and trauma-informed practices that support the mental, emotional, and behavioral welfare of children and adolescents. Researchers, nongovernmental organizations, and law enforcement officials are encouraged to conduct further research on the effectiveness of school resource officer training and collaborate on developing these trainings.
Looking Ahead
In writing this report, the committee noted that there is a lack of research exploring the causal effects of active shooter drills on student health and well-being. To fill these gaps, the committee identified several research priorities and opportunities to improve the current data infrastructure.
The study — undertaken by the Committee on the Impact of Active Shooter Drills on Student Health and Well-being — was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education
