Teachers Associations Protest Lockdown Drills

Feb 11, 2020, 2:20 PM

(From NPR) In recent years, active shooter or lockdown drills have become common practice in schools. Now the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, two of the largest teachers unions with several million members, have jointly called for schools to reassess the outcomes of lockdown drills. In a white paper, the groups cite emerging evidence that "these drills cause trauma, whether it's anxiety or depression, sleeplessness, worsening school performance in kids." They also condemn incidents of "over the top" drills where teachers were shot with pellet guns, for example. 

The groups say that if schools choose to do these drills with students, they shouldn't be unnecessarily realistic and schools should give plenty of warning. Age-appropriateness and sensitivity towards children with special needs or those who have experienced trauma should also be considered. Prevention through threat assessment and expanded mental health services, as recommended by the U.S. Secret Service, have been offered as an alternative to lockdown drills and other "hardening" measures used in schools.

More at NPR

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Related content
Safety & Security: Knowing Your Neighbor (Nov/Dec 2019)
Safety & Security: Dangers of Active-Shooter Training Programs (Sep/Oct 2018)
Safety & Security: From Fear to Empowerment: Changing Active-Shooter Protocols (Nov/Dec 2018)


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