While active shooter drills are common in U.S. schools, experts warn they may cause more harm than good due to limited evidence of their effectiveness and potential negative mental health impacts.
Miami-Dade Schools Police Officers performed a rescue operation during a 'Large-Scale Functional Active Shooter Drill' at Miami Senior High School in Miami, Florida on August 14, 2023. Active shooter drills have become commonplace in schools across the U.S., but experts warn they may cause more harm than good. While these exercises aim to prepare students to respond to gun violence at school, little evidence supports their effectiveness, experts told ABC News, days after two people were killed.
They can, however, significantly damage mental health and even serve as a guide for potential school shooters, according to some experts. 'There's too little research confirming the value of involving students -- but evidence is absolutely mounting on their lasting harms,' Sarah Burd-Sharps, the senior research director at the anti-gun violence advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, told ABC News. Over 95% of public schools in the U.S. have trained students on lockdown procedures for active shooter incidents, a number that has risen considerably since the early 2000s, according to a 2017 U.S. Department of Education. Despite their prevalence, few standards regulate how these drills should be conducted, Burd-Sharps said. Consequently, practices can vary widely. In some schools, training may involve basic education on lockdown procedures. Others, however, go further, simulating a real-life active shooting scenario with gunshots or school staff posing as shooters. Such trainings can be deeply traumatic for students and negatively impact their mental health. A 2021 study by Burd-Sharps and others, which examined 114 schools across 33 states, found an approximate 40% increase in anxiety and depression in the three months after drills
Active Shooter Drills School Safety Mental Health Gun Violence Education Policy
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