Do active shooter drills make kids safer?

The research isn’t sure

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We are all collectively sickened by school shootings. Though statistically, there is a very small likelihood of a child dying from a mass shooter, it's unimaginable and unacceptable that any child or teacher would die in this way. Yet, too many have happened. As such, responses that give us a false sense of control seem to have driven schools to respond in ways that may compromise our children’s mental health. 

For all their good intentions, active shooter drills remain controversial. Concerns amongst mental health providers include trauma induced by the drills themselves, an unrealistic reliance on preparing for unlikely events, worries that children won’t retain the information in the drills, and the probability of counterproductive information-sharing when shooters or suspected shooters are former students at the school. This is all magnified by the lack of consistency in drill practices, with some schools providing advance parental warnings and others not, with questions about whether certain drills are age-appropriate, disagreements around whether it’s a good idea for school employees or actors to portray gunmen or use simulated gunfire, and horrifying instances when school officials have failed to inform students that the drills were over. 

Actual research on these drills has come up with mixed results. It’s been impossible to study the direct impacts of these drills on safety, and research on how these drills make students feel have come up with findings so wide ranging as to include everything from reduced anxiety to reduced perception of school safety—which could increase anxiety. There’s certainly no scientific consensus on the long-term effects of these drills on children’s mental health. 

I want to emphasize again that active shooter incidents are actually very rare. Statistics tell us that student homicides happen just once every 6,000 years in each given school, so any potential harm from widespread use of drills is certainly worth taking into account. I am loath to say this if it in any way diminishes the gravity of solving this problem. It is unacceptable and terrifying that it is even a possibility and yet, we do not need to rush to potentially psychologically harmful measures to give false security. 

Pediatricians at the American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommend eliminating student participation in high-intensity drills that mimic horrifying events without advance warning given to students and staff. The release from the pediatric group says, "In response to mass shootings in schools and other public spaces in recent years, many school districts adopted live crisis drills and exercises intended to help students and staff respond in the event of a shooting incident. While well-intentioned, some drills were put into place with the intent of preparing adults without consideration of harm to children.” While we want our children to feel safe and be safe, we don’t want to cause undue stress and anxiety—especially given that there’s so little evidence that these drills effectively prepare kids for a crisis. Let us remember that a brain in a triggered stress response can’t be open to learning. How kids recover after these drills is unknown in science. So, come on, folks. How can we ask them to keep doing this? If your school is doing this, ask them to take measures to minimize extreme training, prepare parents and students in advance, and give talking points and support for families.