Regents ban props, actors in lockdown drills |
On Board Online • August 12, 2024
By Sara Foss
Special Correspondent
New York will ban realistic school lockdown drills under regulations approved by the Board of Regents in July. Under the new rules, drills are required to be conducted in a "trauma-informed, developmentally and age-appropriate manner."
The new rules also bar the use of "props, actors, simulations or other tactics intended to mimic a school shooting, incident of violence and other emergency."
State law requires that schools conduct at least four lockdown drills each year. Under the new rules set by the Regents, districts are also required to inform students and staff when a school is conducting a drill.
If schools and districts opt to participate in drills with local emergency responders and preparedness officials, exercises that include props, actors, simulations or other tactics that mimic a school shooting are not allowed on a regular school day or when school activities are occurring. These exercises cannot include students without written permission from parents or guardians.
Lockdown drills have become a subject of controversy in recent years.
Proponents maintain they are essential for ensuring students and school staff know what to do when there is a dangerous incident on or near campus, such as an active shooter. Critics say drills can cause unintended trauma or harm to participants, particularly if they are realistic.
"The State Education Department consulted us as they prepared the recommendation for the Regents," said NYSSBA Executive Director Robert Schneider. "We took no position, but we think drills should be trauma-informed and age-appropriate."."
Robert Lowry, deputy director for advocacy, research and communications at the New York State Council of School Superintendents, characterized the new regulations as "a thoughtful, careful response" to concerns about lockdown drills.
“I don’t believe that banning props, etc., will diminish the efficacy of drills," he said. "We have been doing fire drills for decades without requiring anything to replicate conditions during an actual fire."
Jaclyn Schildkraut, executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, has conducted 500 lockdown drills in New York schools. She said there's no reason to use props or other tactics that simulate a real-life active shooter scenario.
"The whole point of a drill is to build muscle memory," Schildkraut said. "So if you find yourself in a stressful situation like an active shooter event or any emergency, your body sort of goes on autopilot and does what you've trained it to do. You can train it to do what it's supposed to do without the theatrics."
Brian Forte, executive director of the State of New York Police Juvenile Officers Association, said his members, who include school resource officers (SROs), will adjust to the changes. He said that police representatives should have more input into any future changes as they are developed.
He said that school staff need realistic training that is separate from lockdown drills so that they can model how to behave in the event of an emergency for students.
"Drilling is always a good thing," Forte said. "I think it upsets adults more than kids."