Do Active Shooter Drills In Schools Do More Harm Than Good? Some Teachers Come Out Against Common Practice
“Folks are desperate to do something,” says Lily Eskelsen García, president of the National Education Association. “And what happens when you’re not sure what that something is, is you just make stuff up.”
WBUR:
Major Teachers Unions Call On Schools To Rethink Active Shooter Drills
Two major teachers unions have called on schools to rethink lockdown drills — the active shooter training scenarios that some educators and psychologists say can traumatize children with little proof that they actually work. The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, the country’s largest education unions, released a report Tuesday saying they do not recommend active shooter training for students. The unions put out the release jointly with the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. (Hobson, 2/11)
Chicago Tribune:
Active Shooter Drills Are Now Required In Illinois Schools, But A New Report Says They Can Traumatize Students: ‘We May Be Doing More Harm Than Good.’
Since last year, every school in Illinois has been required by law to conduct active shooter drills to prepare students for potential violence. But two national teacher unions are calling for an end to the practice of simulating violence during such drills because of the potentially harmful effects they can have on the mental health of students and teachers. The American Federation of Teachers and the National Educators Association, along with anti-violence group Everytown for Gun Safety, said they want to end “simulations that mimic an actual incident” of gun violence during school safety drills. (Cherney and Nickeas, 2/12)
