Now, a leading gun-control advocacy group and the nation’s two largest teacher unions are calling on schools to halt the most extreme active-shooter drills, such as those that occur without advanced warning and include simulated gunfire. For other kinds of lockdown drills, the groups laid out guidelines they say could minimize trauma for students, while emphasizing that little proof exists the drills make students safer in a shooting.
In a white paper published Tuesday, Everytown for Gun Safety, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association cited mounting anecdotal evidence that the drills, while intended to keep students safe, are inflicting trauma and leaving children anxious, rattled and unable to focus in the classroom. Researchers who have begun to study the problem are making similar findings.
“There’s very little data that shows that these drills are effective,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, which advocates for strong gun restrictions and is part of Everytown. “There is data that shows that they cause trauma and anxiety in kids.”
Changes urged for "active-shooter drills"
1Teacher unions, gun-control advocates urge changes to active-shooter drills, citing student trauma