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This Is Not A Drill: Active Shooter Training At School

A student (R) engages a gunman overa mock shooting victim during a Tac*One Consulting "Lone Wolf" civilian active shooter response course for concealed weapons permit holders in Longmont, Colorado.
A student (R) engages a gunman overa mock shooting victim during a Tac*One Consulting "Lone Wolf" civilian active shooter response course for concealed weapons permit holders in Longmont, Colorado.

It’s been two years since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people.

Since then, more active shooter scenarios and lock down trainings have been implemented in schools around the country. While the practice first emerged after the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, some now say the effectiveness of the drills should be reassessed. There is concern  that they might be harmful to students and teachers.

On February 11, the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety and the two of the largest teachers unions — the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association — came out with a report calling for schools to reconsider their use of school shooter drills.

Citing concerns from parents about the impact the drills have on their children’s well being, the report recommended schools stop the use of the drills.

Should schools reconsider active shooter drills? How do they affect the learning environment? Are they making schools safer?

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5. To see more, visit WAMU 88.5.

Haili Blassingame
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