No More Realistic School Shooting Drills in New York

The U.S. state of New York's Education Department banned schools from holding realistic active shooter drills during the 2024-2025 academic year. 

“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,” according to a memo from the department's Board of Regents 11 July meeting. “This is pronounced when a drill is conducted that includes elements to simulate a possible emergency.”

Under state law, New York schools are required to annually complete at least eight evacuation and four lockdown drills. These drills are intended to familiarize students and staff with aspects of emergency preparedness and school safety, according to the board of regents.

In 2023, the state’s Safe Schools Task Force and the School Safety Improvement Team recommended certain changes to the drills to raise awareness and mitigate the impacts of trauma on students and staff.

Earlier this month the board approved the recommended changes, which include that while normal school activities are in session, schools are banned from conducting full-scale exercises that mimic an actual school shooting in coordination with emergency responders and with the use of props, actors, simulations, or other methods. Students can only participate in these drills with the written consent of a parent or guardian. The drills are required to “be conducted in a trauma-informed, developmentally and age-appropriate manner,” according to the rule.

If a school district has an established behavioral assessment team or regional threat assessment team, school safety plans are required to include information from those teams. These teams are tasked with determining if certain behaviors or actions require some form of support or intervention. 

Schools are also required to notify students’ parents, students themselves, and staff about upcoming drills.

“Parents have made comments at local school board meetings about being shocked at what their children told them about the drills. One Clifton Park parent said her preschooler, attending a private preschool for children with disabilities, was taught to stand on a toilet seat in the bathroom to avoid being seen,” the Times Union reported.

The state is also considering whether to reduce the number of emergency drills that schools are required to perform.

The new rule goes into effect on 31 July 2024, prior to the start of the upcoming school year.