Reevaluating School Safety Measures Post Santa Clarita Shooting

The tragic school shooting in Santa Clarita, California has intensified the national debate over school safety. In response, schools across the United States are exploring ways to prevent future tragedies, often relying on visible “hardened” security strategies.

School Safety Measures: Drills and Their Impact

Currently, at least eight states have laws that require active shooter drills in schools. However, the effectiveness of these drills remains uncertain, as little research supports their success. Some states including Illinois, mandate such drills, involving students hiding or evacuating. Parents are divided on their utility.

Ronick Frazier, with two daughters in Champaign, Illinois, supports the drills for preparedness. Conversely, Dianne, a parent of Rory, a 7-year-old with autism and ADHD, voices concerns about the trauma these drills cause her child. Rory’s reaction to a “hard lockdown drill” left her upset and fearful of returning to school.

After seeing Rory’s reaction, Dianne says she doesn’t think any kids should have to participate in drills like these.

Melissa Brymer from the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress believes that while drills can save lives, they may traumatize children with anxiety or developmental disorders, as shown by a Ball State University study finding insufficient evidence supporting their effectiveness.

Reassessing Existing Security Measures

The latest U.S. Secret Service report reveals the limitations of security strategies such as drills. It examined 41 school attacks from 2008 to 2017, noting that most incidents ended quickly and many occurred despite existing lockdown procedures. Although lockdowns were in place in many cases, their effectiveness in limiting attacks is difficult to measure.

Remarkably, only one incident from the study occurred at an elementary school, suggesting that the focus of concern on youngest students may need reexamination. The report emphasizes not only response during an attack but also proactive threat assessment.

Proactive Threat Assessment: A Solution

Lina Alathari, the report’s lead author, advocates for a comprehensive, “multidisciplinary” approach alongside drills. This strategy involves teachers, administrators, mental health professionals, and law enforcement working collectively to identify and support students in distress before violence occurs.

Many attackers were found to have faced bullying or ostracism. The report highlights that four out of five attackers experienced severe, prolonged bullying. Despite anti-bullying initiatives since Columbine, incidences have increased.

Alathari encourages school leaders to evaluate their bullying climate and prevention programs. Creating positive school climates could potentially save lives, as many attackers exhibited warning signs that often went unreported. Developing strong adult-student relationships in schools can encourage students to report concerning behavior.

Focusing on Prevention in Schools

Incidents meeting the criteria of targeted attacks are rare, with an average of four cases per year over thousands of schools. This low frequency highlights the need for preventive efforts that improve overall school climate, irrespective of potential worst-case scenarios.