This is an issue that has a lot of parents and kids shaken up.
Most schools put students through some kind of active shooter drill. Some practice lock downs, while others are made to feel a little too real, and go so far as to teach kids how to run and hide, barricade doors, and even fight back.
New reports are showing that instead of improving safety, these type of drills are actually doing more harm than good, and in some case cases actually traumatizing students and giving them anxiety.
Shouldn’t schools and districts alike notify students AND parents in advance of running any kind of active shooter assimilation?
Makes sense, right? Well some schools choose not to notify their students or the parents which has made many kids frightened that an active shooter is actually on site for real.
How effective are these drills anyway?
Critics argue that drills can go too far. There should never be an instance where a student thinks that their life is in danger when it actually isn’t.
They could be causing students anxiety, sleeplessness, depression, or worsening school performance.
Perhaps more resources should be focused on preventing gun violence. After all, real lives are at stake.