Local elected officials said Tuesday that the state must reform lockdown drills for the safety and comfort of both students and parents.
Photo courtesy of Edwin J. Torres/Mayoral Photography Office
The beginning of the school year usually elicits excitement and anticipation for learning. However, as children return to school, so do the anxieties and fears of potential school shootings.
With New York City public school students preparing to head back on Sept. 7, state Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon paid a visit to P.S. 133 the William A. Butler School in Park Slope to advocate for more effective and fewer lockdown drills in an effort to improve student mental health and wellbeing.
Lockdown drills may do more harm than good
New York State has one of the most intense lockdown drill mandates in the nation – requiring schools to hold four drills per year. Lockdown drills prepare students and teachers for life-threatening emergencies, especially school shootings.
While the drills are intended to educate students and faculty on how to remain as safe as possible during active shooter situations, recent studies have shown that lockdown drills correlate to higher rates of depression, anxiety and rates of physiological health problems in children.
Additionally, experts at Everytown for Gun Safety, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association have all raised concerns whether or not it is realistic or feasible to expect children to retain all of the information they are supposed to learn during drills.
In order to maintain school safety as well as student mental and physical wellbeing, Gounardes and Simon collaborated to introduce new legislation to reduce the number of annual drills from four to one and to alter drills to ensure that they are age appropriate and trauma-informed. The bill would also introduce statewide, standardized drill training.
“As students and teachers return to…
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