Key points:
- Active shooter drills can be too much for many students to process
- 5 critical ingredients in a school safety plan
- School safety concerns are on the rise as classrooms open
- For more news on school emergencies, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub
In late September, the Biden administration issued an executive order directing federal agencies to improve school-based active shooter drills, making them more effective and less traumatic for students.
“Many parents, students, and educators have expressed concerns about the trauma caused by some approaches to these drills. Federal agencies need to help schools improve drills so they can more effectively prepare for an active shooter situation while also preventing or minimizing any trauma,” according to the order.
As of September 19, the U.S. has seen at least 50 school shootings–13 were on college campuses and 37 were on K-12 school grounds. As a result, 24 people were dead and at least 66 other victims injured, according to CNN.
The announcement was met with approval from various education advocacy groups, school and adolescent mental health groups, and lawmakers.
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) said in a statement that it “welcomes the Biden administration’s executive order directing the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and publish guidance for K–12 schools and institutions of higher education to create, implement, and evaluate active shooter drills. Having published best practice considerations for such drills alongside the National Association of School Resource Officers and Safe and Sound Schools in 2021, we understand both the role that these exercises can play in keeping our children safe in school, as well as their potential to cause harm when not implemented correctly. It is imperative that the Departments of Education and Homeland Security engage school psychologists and other leading experts in developing their recommendations to ensure such guidance reflects the wide range of considerations for children’s safety, emotional well-being, and mental health.”
“School psychologists have been leading school safety and crisis preparedness and response efforts for years, and they have invaluable expertise that the Biden administration must ultimately incorporate into its recommendations for schools,” said NASP Director of Policy and Advocacy Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach. “We look forward to working closely with the administration to ensure schools have the guidance they need to keep students safe while supporting their mental health needs.”
The order directs the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Surgeon General, to develop and publish, within 110 days, information for K-12 schools and institutions of higher education regarding school-based active shooter drills.
“Today, the administration is taking additional steps to save lives. While addressing emerging firearms threats, this executive order also focuses on the less noticeable effects of gun violence, like the traumatizing impact of school-based active shooter drills. These drills, when organized poorly, can create stress for students, teachers and parents. That’s why, after seeing the impact on students firsthand, the AFT and Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence in 2020 announced opposition to active shooter drills that use the firing of blank ammunition, fake blood, the simulation of death or any other potentially traumatizing actions,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten in a statement.
The order also directs federal agencies to “combat the emerging threats of machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed firearms.” An Emerging Firearms Threats Task Force will consist of leadership from key federal departments and agencies and will issue a report within 90 days. That report will include: an assessment of the threat posed by machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed firearms; an assessment of federal agencies’ operational and legal capacities to detect, intercept, and seize machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed firearms; and an interagency plan for combatting these emerging threats. The report will include any additional authorities or funding the federal agencies need from Congress in order to complete this work.
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