Too Traumatic? School Lockdown Drills Would Be Reduced Under NY Bill

A bill sponsored by Democratic Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon would cut back the number of required lockdown drills from four per year to two. Schools would still have the option of conducting more drills if they chose to.

The legislation would also mandate that school drills be conducted in a “trauma-informed, developmentally age-appropriate manner,” and would permit parents to opt their children out of such drills.

Gounardes said the bill reflects a national trend of improving lockdown drills following a study by Everytown for Gun Safety that found that “excessive and aggressive” drills lead to a marked increase in anxiety and depression among students.

Specifically, researchers noted a 42-percent increase in anxiety and a 39-percent increase in depression among students.

"Our current approach to school lockdown drills is doing more to traumatize kids than to keep them safe," Gounardes said in a statement.

“As a father, a New Yorker, and a lawmaker, I’m deeply committed to ensuring our children’s schools are truly safe. Reforming our approach to lockdown drills is part of a holistic strategy to make that happen."

The bill has the backing of several health and gun safety organizations, including Moms Demand Action, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, and the New York Association School Psychologists.

Similar measures have already been put in place in Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Illinois.

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