Ninety-five percent of schools in the United States practice lockdown drills. Yet, the question stands, are they effective in protecting students against potential assailants? Lockdown drills consist of the following procedures: lock the doors, secure the classroom and the students, and take students away from any windows, but it all gives the same idea … isolate, isolate, isolate.

On April 20, 1999, the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado had a death count of 13, with more than 20 people injured. Virginia Tech, April 16, 2007, one of the worst mass shootings, took away 32 lives and wounded 23 others. Sandy Hook Elementary, on Dec. 14, 2012, lost 26 young children. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February of 2018 took away 17 lives.

Mass shootings in schools are not an everyday occurrence, but most schools think of the drills as preparing for the worst. There has been an ongoing argument about whether schools should conduct lockdown drills. On the opposing side of these procedures, teaching students to crouch under desks leaves them vulnerable to the intruder, especially if the intruder is a student who has experienced these procedures and knows how and where the students are supposed to hide.

In addition, these drills lack federal guidance on what they are supposed to do. Those who support the lockdown drills believe it benefits students and staff by familiarizing them with these protection skills.

To sum up their side, it prepares those for the worst possible situation. There is no research given on whether lockdown drills are effective or not. However, research shows that it can cause psychological damage to young developing brains. Students, as well as faculty, in these types of drills, fear becomes real. These drills show an increase in depression by 39%, stress and anxiety by 42%, and other mental health problems by 23%.

There is another option instead of following the standard lockdown procedures; one is known as A.L.I.C.E. (this stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate). This procedure empowers the survival mindset and triggers the fight or flight response, either actively fleeing the site or, as a last resort, fighting off the intruder. Research has shown that students who practiced this protocol felt more prepared and less fearful.

More studies need to be conducted around the efficacy of the lock and place procedure versus traditional emergency evacuation. Emergency evacuation means one is supposed to exit a building immediately. With today’s modern technology, people should be able to run simulations and test whether these lockdown drills are effective.

For more information click the links below!

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/arguments-for-and-against-lockdown-drills/ 

 https://www.guideone.com/safety-resources/school-lockdown-procedures