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Repeated claims made by some researchers about the effectiveness of lockdown drills have called these practices into question. Said claims are not backed by evidence but instead represent the opinions of the researchers. These claims are problematic. Here’s why (a thread): 1/x
The argument raised is that by conducting lockdown or active shooter drills in schools, it is giving the perpetrator the playbook. That’s possible, but one can’t definitively say whether the perpetrator was present during training. So let’s look at the evidence we can verify. 2/x
Every life lost to a school shooting is one too many. If, however, we examine all of the school shootings that have happened, we find that just 3 shootings have taken place where anyone was killed behind a locked door, and in 0 of those cases did the door lock fail. 3/x
The first was Red Lake High School in Red Lake, MN in 2005. The perpetrator breached a locked door by shooting out a window, reaching in, and letting himself into the room where he ultimately killed 5 students, a teacher, and himself. The locks held even with being shot at. 4/x
A year later, a gunman held students at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, CO hostage in Classroom 206 – behind a locked door. When the SWAT team breached the room after failed negotiations, the perpetrator killed one of the students and himself. 5/x
At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL in 2018, the perpetrator killed 6 students in classrooms without ever entering a single room. The remaining 11 individuals killed were in open areas within the building or at the entry to it. 6/x
Let’s also consider when lockdowns have saved countless lives. At Columbine, there were hundreds of students and teachers whose lives were spared because they secured (without a formal plan) behind locked doors. 7/x
At nearby Arapahoe High School in 2013, the janitor’s quick thinking to call a lockdown within 45 seconds of observing a gunman moving towards the building undoubtedly saved numerous lives – there were more than 2,000 students and educators in the building at the time. 8/x
This, of course, does not count the hundreds of thousands of students who have been on school grounds when a shooting occurred – and went home because they had a plan. 9/x https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/local/us-school-shootings-history/
In fact, the #1 recommendation out of the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission was that the safest place to be during an active shooter situation (if not out of the building) is behind a locked door. Door locks are important because they create a time barrier until police come. 10/x
Certainly, there is no ethical way to test the effects of a lockdown on the preservation of life during a shooting, but these examples all provide support for why these practices matter. 11/x
Also, here is a list of research studies that all found, in some way, that participating in training and/or drills makes students and educators feel more prepared to respond in situations like active shooter events and improved their skill mastery as well. 12/x
The research on the actual effects of lockdown drills (e.g., anxiety, perceived safety, fear, perceived risk) remains divided – positive impacts, negative ones, no impacts. But we must ask ourselves if the potential risk is balanced out against the potential benefit? 13/x
Collectively, the information presented in this thread suggests yes. So if we want to have a conversation about whether lockdown drills should be conducted, let’s come to the table with the evidence. 14/x
Finally, let’s ensure that any protocol or response we are implementing is done in accordance not only with the evidence, but also best practices from organizations like @nasponline and @nasro_info. 15/x https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/systems-level-prevention/mitigating-psychological-effects-of-lockdowns
We cannot afford to dismiss a practice that has been shown to save lives because of emotion or because unsupported claims of their ineffectiveness are being made. Solutions must always be grounded in research and evidence-based examples. Let’s have a serious talk. 16/End
