California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that standardizes how public schools conduct active shooter drills and bans the use of “high-intensity drills” that involve dramatics, such as simulated gunfire and fake blood.
Assembly Bill 1858, also known as the Safe and Prepared Schools Act, was proposed following a series of controversial active shooter drills at California schools, AOL reports. During a drill earlier this year, a principal at a San Gabriel, Calif., elementary school allegedly used her fingers to imitate a gun and pointed it at students, telling them, “Boom, you’re dead.” School staff also allege she announced after the drill that seven students were dead.
“When it comes to fire drills, we are not filling the halls with smoke and turning up the thermostat,” said state Assemblymember Chris Ward, the bill’s author. “We should not be doing the same to our kids when it comes to active shooter drills. We need to make sure these drills are not doing more harm than good in preparing our students for the possibility of these tragic events occurring.”
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A 2021 study found anxiety, stress, and depression among students increased 39-42% following an active shooter drill. According to Every Town for Gun Safety, a gun violence prevention organization that recommends against active shooter drills, only 0.2% of gun deaths occur on school campuses.
“Our responsibility as lawmakers is to ensure that schools are prepared to handle emergencies effectively while minimizing the potential of traumatizing our students,” said Mike Gipson, another California assembly member and co-author of the bill.
Safe and Prepared Schools Act Requires Notification Before and After Active Shooter Drills
AB 1858 further requires schools to notify parents about any active shooter drill no more than a week before it takes place and right after it occurs. The law also requires schools to make a school-wide announcement that the drill is about to start, make drills age-appropriate for students, and provide resources after the drill to address student or parental concerns.
The California Department of Education will be issuing recommendations but Ward notes it will ultimately be up to school districts to decide how to “fine-tune” the new safety rules.
The bill will go into effect Jan. 1 and Education Department must post the guidelines on its website by June 15.
New York Bans Realistic School Shooter Drills
Similarly, in July, the New York State Education Department voted to ban realistic active shooter drills in schools to reduce unnecessary fear and trauma.
The state’s new rules, approved by the Board of Regents, call for a “trauma-informed” and “age-appropriate” approach to drills that excludes the use of “props, actors, simulations, or other tactics intended to mimic a school shooting, incident of violence, or other emergency” when school or extracurricular activities are in session. If school officials want to hold a realistic drill, it must be done when school is not in session and students who wish to participate must receive written approval from their parents or guardians.
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“Training and drills intend to prepare and train, not to scare … so that they may in a sudden emergency be able to respond appropriately in the shortest possible time and without confusion or panic,” the department wrote in a statement. “In recent years, concerns have been raised nationwide about the unintended trauma or harm to students, staff, and/or families that may result from drills that are not communicated as being practice rather than an actual emergency. Emerging research has demonstrated that ‘active shooter’ trainings increase anxiety and stress among students, teachers, and parents.”
Like in California, New York schools must also notify students, staff, and parents of planned active shooter drills. However, school officials do not have to tell the parents exactly what day the drill will occur.