Helping Schools Prepare for and Prevent the Worst

Gain insight and understanding of best practices for lockdown drills from school safety researcher and author, Jaclyn Schildkraut whose recent interview appears in the December/January 2023 issue of Kappan.

Schildkraut has spent decades studying “crime statistics, media representations, security and prevention, and legislative responses to U.S. mass shootings” in order to better understand and prevent school violence. At the time of Columbine, lockdown drills were unheard of, and now 95% of schools nationwide use them.

Schildkraut’s research indicates that most lockdown drills are done incorrectly because we are not having conversations about how they can be done meaningfully. Part of the conversations need to include discussion of the distinction between active shooter drills and lockdown drills. “Active shooter drills usually refer to options-based protocols like “run, hide, fight,” or the ALICE [alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate] Protocol. These protocols have challenges. While “run, hide, fight” is beneficial in certain scenarios, it’s usually not the best plan for schools. Little kids remember things in the order that you tell them, and you don’t want them running unless that’s their only option. Plus, these options-based protocols only can be used in an active shooter situation.” The active shooter drills were not designed for anything other than protecting against an active attacker.

Lockdown drills can be used for any danger inside the building including an active shooter. They key elements of a lockdown include the following:

1. Lock the door. This is the most critical step and life-saving practice. In only 4 cases have people been killed behind a locked door, but it wasn’t due to failure of the door locks. Locking the door creates a time-barrier; shooters almost always only have a couple of minutes and are looking for the most easily accessible targets.
2. Turn out the lights. You want to convey that the room is empty.
3. Get out of sight.
4. Maintain silence.  To avoid detection or draw attention and to communicate that the space is empty, keep quiet. 

Schildkraut notes, “We talk to [students] about how you keep the same principles of “locks, lights, out of sight” for your home or another space to keep you and your family safe.”

Additionally, lockdown drills should be performed in a trauma-informed way and then debriefed. Trauma-informed means facilitating the drill in a calm way that keeps student anxiety down. Be sure you explain it as a drill AND that students understand it is practice, a drill and NOT real. Consequently, guidance from groups like the National Association of School Psychologists, the National Association of School Resource Officers, and Safe and Sound Schools calls for no “sensorial techniques,” no one dressed as or portraying a shooter/s, no simulated gunfire, and no fake blood. The goal of a lockdown drill is to practice the steps and ensure everyone understands why you and they are doing each step. The adults engaging in the drill should remain calm, so that the students are calm. Students “look to adults as their protectors, so when you escalate, they go with you because that’s what they think they’re supposed to do.” 

The debrief involves asking questions about the experience. What happened? How did it go? What could you do better? What do you want to work on? Creating safe spaces and having the conversation where students can get their questions answered is important. “If you just go through the motions, you’re not getting anything out of it. You don’t know what your vulnerabilities are. You don’t know what you need to work on. You’re telling students they don’t need to take this seriously.” You want them to know this is serious and we all need to be prepared.

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