Pediatricians Call For An End To 'High-Intensity' Active Shooter Drills In Schools

Active shooter drills have been a regular occurence in American schools in the 20 years since Columbine but now, a group of top pediatricians has urged schools to stop running these harrowing exercises, which they say could traumatize students.

The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) released a statement this week detailing what it sees as the risks and detriments of these drills, which are often made to seem real while they happen. According to the AAP, these exercises can leave lasting psychological scars on young students and even leave faculty members ill-prepared to make decisions during real active shooter situations.

Students should be prepared for these scenarios and drills could be a way to accomplish this, the group stated. However, it insisted that the “high intensity” drills currently employed – which can sometimes involve makeup and actual gunshot sounds to mimic reality – do more harm than good. New drills, it explained, should be designed with input from experts.

“It is possible, and even likely, that other well-intentioned preparedness efforts may inadvertently cause children and adults to place themselves in additional danger in a crisis situation,” the statement read. “Children (and adults) might be taught to fight a heavily armed intruder, when fleeing or hiding would be a more appropriate response.”

The AAP elaborated on the negative effects of these drills, explaining that they can give students and staff an “illusion of control,” which would result in harmful decision making in an actual shooting. The group’s research also found that faculty members who had gone through these drills were twice as likely to make bad decisions in a real high-stakes situation than those that relied solely on common sense.