New York State bans realistic active shooter drills in schools
NEW YORK - The New York State Department of Education is banning realistic active shooter drills in schools after parents and teachers voiced their concerns, calling the drills too traumatic for students.
Mass shootings at schools across the country have led to an increase in safety drills, but now these drills will have to exclude all simulations, including the use of any props, actors, or tactics depicting violence.
"We always want to keep in mind is the social emotional health of our students. If it's coming forward that these trainings are causing trauma that's not a great way to work effectively with any student," said Edwin Smith, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Deputy Superintendent of the South Huntington school district.
Smith also happens to be in charge of safety and security for the district, and although the district does not do any realistic active shooter drills with students, they do evacuations, lockdowns, and lock-out drills.
"I think the training we provide our students is enough, we do it constantly so they have the memory of what they should do in case of certain emergencies," Smith said.
Just recently, he participated in active shooter training with local police where real-life scenarios played out.
"I can speak looking from the outside in, it was traumatic. It was traumatic to go through and see what it would look like," Smith said.
"There is no need to do realistic simulations and have it be unannounced and scary. It really doesn't help learning. Our brains don't function in an ideal way when we're in active alert, so if we think something dangerous is happening, it will not be the best way to learn what the procedures are," Feuer said.
Meanwhile, New York schools require 8 evacuation drills and four lockdown drills to be conducted every year, which will remain.
Teachers and students will have to be notified of any type of drill taking place in schools ahead of time, and parents must be told at least one week prior.
The new rules will go into effect this upcoming school year.