Lockdowns should also be kept consistent -- the same drill every time -- with teachers offering frequent and calm reassurance, Dr. Steven Schlozman, a psychiatrist and an associate director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital, told CNN in 2019. One study found in past years, more than a third of youth receiving mental health services in the United States got them in an academic setting. How long did it take to lock-down the building? To carry out their duty of care, schools have students practise drills such as lockdowns and evacuation procedures in case these events occur. I dont think my school is going to catch on fire because we have a fire drill, but I know what to do should that happen., In the age of active shooters, a new mantra has emerged: 'Run. Lockdown drills are still happening even during the coronavirus pandemic -- but now they involve social distancing measures. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Lockdown drills require schools to physically gather students inside classrooms, lock the door of the classroom, tell the students to hide, and not to make any noise. How do you explain to your littles what you are doing when you have a lockdown drill?. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. When we had the lockdown, I felt like it was real, the girl said. Advertisement: Indeed, drills like the one in . HWDSBWeHelp: Mental Health and Well-being. The purpose of a school lockdown drill is to protect the children and adults in the building from a potential emergency such as the presence of a school shooter. Become a Chalkbeat sponsor. We have rescheduled our Lockdown Drill for Wednesday November 9th. Janet H. Elizabeth Mulvahill is a Contributing Editor with WeAreTeachers. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. "I was on the second floor thinking, 'Can I jump from this window, hide in the closet?' Teachers could resume reading storybooks to their classrooms. I understand the apprehension, but this is really no different than when my parents did nuclear bomb drills back in the 60s, said Schildkraut, an associate professor of criminal justice at the State University of New York at Oswego. The number of exhibitors at the conference went up 25% compared to the previous year. They also can be subject to secondary stress, which can happen when the trauma they observe affects them, said Charles Figley, director of the Tulane University Traumatology Institute. The results also showed that students were less likely to report feeling safe at school or in various parts of the building after the drills. If done properly, in conjunction with training, the lockdown drills provide us with an opportunity to train our staff and students, to build their personal confidence in their ability to respond in an actual crisis, said Thomas Ristoff, director of the Syracuse City School Districts department of public safety in New York. The reality is that even though youre telling the shooter the doors are going to be locked, the lights are going to be off and everybodys going to be out of sight, theyre still not going to try to breach that door, she said, Historically, what we have seen is that theyre just coming in vigilante and theyre not really worried about this methodical thinking.. As caregivers, we want to give kids reassurance that nothing bad will ever happen to them but avoid doing so or minimizing their fears, Schonfeld said. Is the school aware of the response time for emergency personnel? They tend to occur in large public high schools that are predominantly White, she said. Did you encounter any technical issues? Using fun characters and engaging rhymes, The Lockdown Drill explains safe emergency practices to young children in a non-threatening manner. What's changed is a (nearly) $3 billion school security industry, that we're spending millions and millions of dollars on things like doors and bulletproof glass.. Here's what the teachers in our group had to say: Call and Response She co-wrote an opinion piece for CNN in 2018 titled, The usual approach to school security isnt working.. And it is time that we put our opinions and emotions aside and prepare. How were students/staff in the bathroom and hallway notified and handled? I dont think the kids are scared. Over the course of the project, three currently enrolled students from the district were killed (outside of the schools) and many were exposed to other episodes of neighborhood violence, the researchers wrote in the study. In accordance with Commonwealth of Virginia Code 22.1-137.2, lockdown drill must be performed at least two times each school year. Because its always better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it, she said. Internet and intranet access As part of our Secure School Protocol, the staff and students at R.A. Riddell practice Lockdown procedures twice annually. Discovery Company. Living with that knowledge -- that people might come kill you at school -- I don't know what impact that's going to have. Parents/Guardians, Please note that we are planning on having a "Lockdown" drill at Highview School on Friday, November 24th, at 9:00 a.m. with our Community Officer present. It is a universal shock that makes many parents and communities want to see some type of action -- whether that be in the form of gun control, security measures, school psychologists or anti-bullying education. Lock-down drills. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The practice drill takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. But Peterson has argued that there should be more focus on preventing school shootings from occurring in the first place. In every public school there shall be a lock-down drill at least once during the first 20 school days of each school session, in order that students and teachers may be thoroughly practiced in such drills. Select from premium School Lockdown Drill of the highest quality. Some school security experts, such as Jaclyn Schildkraut, are convinced that lockdown drills can be safe and effective procedures for children -- if done properly. We do not raise the temperature and put smoke in the hallway to simulate a real fire, he said. The foundations website states that its programs are used in more than 30,000 schools and organizations across the US, Canada and 11 other countries around the world. While the lockdown ended without casualties, the experience had a lasting impact on Cooley, she said. Lockdown drills are a set of procedures designed to have the occupants in a building familiarize themselves with ways to protect themselves against a threat, such as an armed intruder. Codes can kill. Following the lockdown drill in Syracuse, a fifth-grade student told Baldwin, Ive been doing this for a lot of years., Baldwin responded, Youve been doing this a lot of years?. We prepare for emergencies on airplanes; schools should be no different. There is some benefit to preparing for potential disaster, Schonfeld said. Your email address will not be published. These kids, I'm seeing them come into college now. If Peterson could change how drills are performed, she would argue for the adults to be trained and not the students. But despite. Lockdown drills require schools to physically gather students inside classrooms, lock the door of the classroom, tell the students to hide, and not to make any noise. Mariah Cooley, who is now a student at Howard University, was at her high school during a lockdown in winter 2018. The question at the heart of this debate is what causes more harm in a students life: the threat of a school shooting occurring or the constant stress from lockdown drills? Teens who undergo school shooting training and lockdown drills feel more prepared - and less safe in school - says a new study published in the Journal of School Violence. Staff are required to ensure that they and their students are familiar with . For instance, shooting teachers with pellets, bringing in guns with simulated ammunition so they can hear what guns sound like, crisis actors laying on the floor in pools of fake blood, none of that is necessary, Schildkraut said. Kids are showing signs of severe stress, in some cases even trauma, as an unintended consequence of the exercises themselves. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Some students became somber and pensive as their classmates discussed the risk of a real emergency -- and one young girl told CNNs Brooke Baldwin that she was nervous. This amended law holds the safety of our children to a higher standard. Her areas of research are in bullying including cyberbullying, anxiety disorders in young people and school counselling. 2022 R. A. Riddell | 905-387-3350 2. Are there any unintended harmful consequences? In the near future, we will also be having both "Shelter in Place" and "Hold and Secure" Drills. Some critics argue that lockdown drills can still traumatize students and more research is needed to determine how effective they are at keeping schools safe. Yet youth homicides associated with schools still accounted for less than 2% of all youth homicides, according to the report. Across the United States, lockdown drills have become nearly as commonplace in schools as fire drills. On that cold November afternoon in 2019, there was no sound in the schools hallways except for the echoing of footsteps, going door to door between classrooms. It was just after 9/11, and he reminded his daughter, then a middle schooler, that such drills were serious and needed to be treated as such. Dad, I know its serious. Clarification: A School Psychology Review study mentioned in this article originally published in 2007 and published online in 2019. How those feelings manifest may not look the same for all kids there can be headaches, behavior changes or school absences so be sure to keep the conversation open and dont be afraid to seek help from a mental health professional, said Figley of the Tulane institute. Bring disaster supplies to the designated safe place location. A. In 2018, the National School Safety Conference had to triple its exhibition hall size, Sean Burke, president of the School Safety Advocacy Council, said at the time. School lockdown drills and exercises are controversial today, due in large part to some troubling examples making headlines. It can be hard to bring up scary topics, but avoiding them can make kids feel like they dont have a place to go to ask questions which is key to them feeling safer. These cookies do not store any personal information. The evidence does exist. More intense variations may stage a shooting, and some may even be conducted without prior warning to students and teachers. She said that some students have asked her whether the lockdown drills could help potential shooters devise a mass attack. Both the school and the outraged parent agree on the basics of what happened: The school simulated a lockdown without warning teachers, and parents were informed the day of the drill with, at least in some cases, insufficient warning to give them the opportunity to pull their kids out of school for the day. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. There will be an announcement.. Preparing for natural disasters may seem less anxiety producing or destroying trust in people as preparing for man-made emergencies. My hope is to help students feel calm and safe. Are school lockdowns necessary in Australia. The drill of evacuation is probably necessary, especially in the case of fire, and fire drills are a legislated requirement in Australian workplaces, meaning organisations in the Australian community do practice these kind of procedures. There is some public concern that practising lockdowns as a prevention for harmful physical violence could potentially cause trauma in itself, especially to vulnerable students. Lockdown drills are a hard part of teaching and school in 2022. Watch rare access inside a school lockdown drill 6:20. This download is a 2-page PDF. It is also important to share and model the coping skills you use, such as breathing, distraction, meditation and conversations with loved ones. CRICOS No. The students completed another drill in March 2019 and were surveyed again in April 2019. Though feelings about emergency preparedness may have improved over the course of the project, perceptions of safety in the schools did not. Lockdown or safety drills are required in Illinois schools and they have become normal for a lot of students. All Rights Reserved. Hear what kids have to say 5:59, When a lockdown is no longer a drill and becomes real, that can leave lasting negative impacts, according to students who have experienced active shooter situations. In real life, situations. We can reassure them that the adults in their lives are doing everything they can to keep them safe and show them actions your family, school and community might be taking, Gurwitch added. She currently resides outside of Boulder, Colorado and loves learning new things, hearing people's stories and traveling the globe. But there are ways to conduct them that are better for students mental well-being, Schildkraut said. Thus, it is possible that their concerns about their potential for victimization in the community carried over into their perceptions of their safety at school, they wrote, adding that more research is necessary. Training can go too far, however, Schonfeld said. Subscribe for our electronic subscription to weather alerts, school closures and our monthly newsletter. In 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, the Syracuse City School District gave CNN rare access to attend some of these lockdown drills. As with fire drills and other safety programs, the hope is to acclimate students and teachers to a procedure that they will be able to follow quickly, effectively, and safely. Four students were killed and seven others injured on November 30, when student Ethan Crumbley allegedly opened fire with a pistol at the school. The drills are for resource officers' training as well. What is a school lockdown drill? Another American study found that high school students reported feeling less safe at school after multiple lockdown drills. When Dr. David Schonfelds daughter came home and told the story of a lockdown drill at school, she talked about making jokes with other students while her class hid in a closet for 30 minutes. Lockdown drills are not always in preparation for an active shooter; they can be for any threat of danger, but they are not necessarily conducted the same across the country and can have a negative impact on students when done the wrong way, said Jaclyn Schildkraut, associate professor in the department of criminal justice at the State University of New York at Oswego, whose research focuses on school and mass shootings. The Department of Education defines a lockdown drill as "a procedure that involves securing school buildings and grounds during incidents that pose an immediate threat of violence in or around the school." case Lockdown drills are an important element of emergency management and all students should participate so they are prepared in the event of an actual emergency. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. What we found was that students that were taught the drill procedures and then had to do them were able to gain the knowledge, do the actual steps of the drill, and then there were no differences in anxiety and perceptions of school safety between those kids and the kids that did the origami., Even though the research on lockdown drills and students perceptions of them remains limited, Melissa Reeves, past president of the National Association of School Psychologists, said that absolutely you need to be prepared for an active shooter situation, but it doesnt have to be highly sensorial.. The National Association of School Psychologists notes on its website, Lockdowns can save lives and are considered best practice in crisis response. The sophomore at Lake Brantley High School in suburban Orlando, Fla., said she heard an announcement over the intercom that the school was in a code red lockdown it was a drill, but Storm. What's changed is our response, Peterson said. exterior? They see it as a fire drill, Knoll said about her own children in December 2019, who were attending first, fifth and sixth grade at the time in a private Jewish school. The drill was over. Hallways, bathrooms *and open areas are cleared, and students directed to closest safe classroom. In one South Australian primary school a newspaper article in 2016 reported that a lockdown drill entailed students hiding under desks and creating barricades from chairs. Even when you know its a drill? Although warnings are not given to practice drills to make them more effective, perhaps students could be gradually desensitised with some talking and reading about both man-made emergencies, such as bomb threats (which are sometimes experienced in schools) and natural disasters, such as fires and floods. Data shows that school shootings also happen in the United States more than other major industrialized nations. The term Lockdown is used when there is a major incident or threat of school violence within the school, or in relation to the school. The Centre for Inclusive Education. Robin T. Being too blunt about it could actually be traumatic for them. The survey results were published in the Journal of School Violence in December 2019. As states put in place plans to ensure students can safely return to the classroom once this pandemic subsides, we must also give school administrators the tools they need to most effectively conduct active shooter drills, Murphy said in part in the announcement. She said it was very real and I almost wet my pants.. And even the best lockdown drills can stoke fear and anxiety in them, Schonfeld added. And preparation that teaches them how to seek safety can relieve some level of anxiety, she said. But many parents still find the subject difficult to talk about. The researchers conducted a survey in November 2018, about a week after students completed unscheduled lockdown drills. Cooley, who attended Richwoods High School in Peoria, Illinois, had taken part in lockdown drills before. There are too few studies that look at the unintended consequences of lockdown drills on students mental health. The modified lockdown assures a more controlled environment for . In this blog Professor Marilyn Campbell, Associate Professor Beth Saggers and Associate Professor Adrian Kelly explore whether these drills are effective at keeping students safe and what impact they might have on students sense of safety and wellbeing. When I saw that email, I thought, Wow, Im so happy that the administration at my kids school is so on top of things. And then I thought, Oh my goodness, why is this something that we need to be concerned about and worried about? Knoll said. He researches in the areas of adolescence, mental health, and community approaches to prevention. Schools typically have three clearly defined goals during lockdown drills: lock doors, turn off lights and remain silent and out of view of anyone in the hallway. Of all the posts from people grappling with the Florida school shooting that flooded my social media feeds this week, one in particular, shared by a fellow mom at my 9-year-old daughter's school, stood out: "I want to seriously talk about active shooter drills in school right now," it began. As an ex teacher, I understand why these drills exist and believe it is important to have safety procedures and practice runs of these procedures for a range of different situations.. Thats five out of 56 million students in the United States. Toronto-area school boards direct schools to conduct a minimum of two lockdown drills in . It's not that you don't want to train anybody, and you don't want to rehearse, but there's no reason that the kids -- if there's a potential perpetrator, that's who it is -- so there's no reason that, I think, they need to be going through it, Peterson said. QUT acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands where QUT now stands. 'Constant state of anxiety.' The Lockdown Drill teaches students the importance of listening to their teacher and school resource officer during important school drills. Lockdown drills, which include the "Run-Hide-Tell" response, are activated when there is a terrorist threat on school premises, although they can be applied to other forms of security. Lockdown drills the kind practiced at my daughter's school, which entail kids hiding in the corner of their locked classroom and remaining very quiet and still. More than 95% of public schools in the United States had drilled students on a lockdown procedure before the coronavirus pandemic. We turn off the lights and read a story together until we know everything is good again. The lockdown drill that CNN attended in Syracuse did not include such simulations and students were informed that it was in fact a drill. A Warner Bros. While schools can practice drills and lockdown procedures, officials are warning people of all ages to be prepared for anything. Outside of Schildkrauts study in Syracuse, very few have analyzed students perceptions of lockdown drills. Another recent 2020 study in the US showed that over 60% of students reported feeling unsafe and frightened. That's okay. Make sure your kids know that different things work for different people, but you are there to help them find out what works best for them. But she told CNN that she has since temporarily modified the drills to incorporate social distancing due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The limited existing research suggests that the unintended consequences of lockdown drills are mostly negative, with students anxiety increasing and paradoxically feeling less safe after practising these procedures. Many security and school safety experts understand the need to prepare for the worst but say there are best practices to follow to minimize the psychological impact of lockdown drills on children and their teachers. Drills should not be a surprise. While we wish that this responsibility did not lie on teachers, the reality is most of us will have to do lockdown drills with our students. You can make the point in a less harmful and traumatizing way, she said. Please see below for more . These procedures were first initiated in the United States and are mainly practised in that country because of the threat of school shootings. Fourth-grade teacher Katie Durkin and her class were prepared for November's lockdown drill. Youre teaching yourself and youre building those skills to do what you need to do.. In that second group, we actually were teaching the kids how to do origami, said Nickerson, who co-authored the study and is a professor and director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at the University at Buffalo in New York. Also last year, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety, a group working to end gun violence, to publicly condemn active shooter drills in schools. You know what? Typical active shooter drills might have students hide in a part of their classroom and keep quiet. Fifty-seven percent of US teens reported in 2018 that they were worried a shooting could happen at their school, with one in four being very worried, according to a Pew Research Center survey. They practiced the day before, so when Principal Jane Wilkins came over the PA . appreciated. Schildkraut trains schools in drills and collects data about the impact they have on students. In real life, situations that . In particular, you will be given the school emergency procedures for: emergency evacuation lockdown bomb threats suspect packages. The problem's not going away, so I think we have to try other strategies.. Prior to each drill, teachers will have age appropriate . Teachers and students should always be aware of planned lockdown drills, Dr. David Schonfeld, pediatrician at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, told CNN in 2019. Evacuation drills, on the other hand, gather students outside the school building to move to a safe place, calmly and quickly. This expert study will help us protect students from the physical threat of school shootings without causing lasting psychological trauma in the process.. Most school shooters tend to have histories of early childhood trauma, Peterson said, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, having a parent who died by suicide or being raised by people with serious or persistent mental illness. It may be amended to suit specific schools. We dont light a fire in the hallway to practice fire drills. We've analyzed this, it's statistically different than where other types of gun violence happen, which tends to be urban, public high schools that are majority students of color.. Specifically, students taking the survey at the end of the project were significantly less likely to report feeling safe at school or in various parts of the building, the researchers wrote. Instead of active shooter drills, the trio recommends a more comprehensive approach that doesn't involve students, but rather staff training on lockout procedures and emergency medical procedures and enacting Extreme Risk laws, which don't allow people who demonstrate risk of harming themselves or others to buy a firearm. Heres what the teachers in our group had to say: My go-to for all of the drills we do at school has been the same call and response. But today it's a reality, and like fire drills, our kids will grow up knowing what to do in the event of a dangerous situation. Children are often aware on some level of the violence happening around the country, said Gurwitch, a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center and senior adviser for the terrorism and disaster program of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress Network. A parent reported to the newspaper that his six-year-old daughter came home from school highly distressed and tearful after the lockdown drill. That person could be far away, many streets over (usually the case), but since were not sure, we just need to stay quietly in our room. "Supposedly the teachers do it on institute day. One such study in 2007, published in the journal School Psychology Review, included 74 fourth, fifth and sixth graders in upstate New York. Lockdown drills are a hard part of teaching and school in 2022. We were also very interested in their anxiety levels and their perceptions of school safety. These procedures were first initiated in the United States and are mainly practised in that country because of the threat of school shootings. The value of these lockdown drills should not be simulation but . I dont say much more. Modified Lockdown. A school lockdown is issued when there is a threat to students and school staff and faculty members. Demographically, mass shootings tend to occur in suburban and rural communities, Peterson said. Privacy Policy and 2022 Cable News Network. That's normal., Are lockdown drills necessary? These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Lockdown drills, however, are practising for a very unlikely event and might not be necessary. The difficulty is that although more than four million students practice lockdown in the US each year only very few of these potentially lethal events actually eventuate and assessment of the response to that particular situation cannot be solely attributed to lockdown drills. All schools need to conduct lockdown drills at least once during the first 20 school days of each school session. I think we've yet to see it.. The term "Lockdown" is used when there is a major incident or threat of school violence within the school, or in relation to the school. We've been doing safety in one way since Columbine happened, and it's not fixing the problem, Peterson said. Im hopeful that with this new requirement in place, it could prevent a bad situation from becoming worse and help save lives., A State Education Department memo from September that was shared with CNN in February notes in bold print that When conducting a drill, it should ALWAYS be announced that it is a DRILL and NOT AN EMERGENCY., The document also says, While it may be desirable to practice certain actions during a drill, such as law enforcement releasing a classroom from lockdown, it should be done in a way to minimize the likelihood that a student may experience trauma as a result..
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