While there are other significant concerns about potential dangers created with many current options-based active shooter training approaches, I find the running option to be perhaps the most dangerous as presently taught.
Preparing our children for profoundly unlikely events would be one thing if that preparation had no downside. But time and resources spent on drills and structural upgrades could otherwise be devoted to, say, a better science program or hiring more experienced teachers. And there's scant evidence that drills are effective. They can be psychologically damaging—and they reflect a dismaying view of childhood.
The devastating attacks at schools during the 2017-18 school year have caused understandable and unprecedented levels of anxiety among students, parents, school officials, and local, state and federal officials. An alarming number of schools have adopted an ever-increasing array of safety and security measures that have not been validated or found to be effective. To […]
Yes, the realism of surprise during training events makes them more effective, but terrorizing children during a lockdown drill can sometimes do more harm than good. It only makes sense to notify parents and give them the option of discussing the events with their children.
For the second year in a row, the growing mental health needs of young people topped the priorities of the nearly 340 district leaders who participated in DA's annual Outlook Survey.
The Alabama school system has started phasing in a new school protection officer (SPO) program. The district is working closely with Dothan Police to add officers with high-powered weapons to patrol schools. Unlike a school resource officer, an SPO has limited interaction with students, and is strictly there for safety and security. Dothan City Schools […]
