By Peter Nickeas and Elyssa Cherney, Chicago Tribune, February 12, 2020
Since last year, every school in Illinois has been required by law to conduct active shooter drills to prepare students for potential violence. But two national teacher unions are calling for an end to the practice of simulating violence during such drills because of the potentially harmful effects they can have on the mental health of students and teachers.
The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, along with anti-violence group Everytown for Gun Safety, said they want to end “simulations that mimic an actual incident” of gun violence during school safety drills.
A paper jointly released Tuesday by the groups questions the benefits of involving students in active shooter drills at all and advises that, if children do participate, the drills should be announced beforehand, age-appropriate and designed to minimize trauma.
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