State Anxiety Prior to and After Participating in Lockdown Drills Among Students in a Rural High School

Emergency Preparedness Drills for Active and Mass Shootings in Schools

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

There is widespread use of emergency preparedness drills in public K-12 schools across the US, but considerable variability exists in the types of protocols used and how these practices are conducted. This review examines research into both "lockdown drills" and "active shooter drills" as it relates to their impact on participants across different outcomes and evaluations of their procedural integrity.

RECENT FINDINGS

A number of studies on lockdown drills yielded largely consistent findings about their impacts, whereas findings related to the effects of active shooter drills are less uniform. The research also demonstrated that lockdown drills, though not active shooter drills, can help participants build skill mastery to be able to successfully deploy the procedure. Differences in how drills impact participants and whether they cultivate skill mastery are largely attributable to the type of drill being conducted. This review suggests that employing clearly defined drill procedures incorporating best practices, coupled with instructional training, can help schools prepare for emergencies without creating trauma for participants.

Self-Reported Anxiety and Perception of Safety Following School Lockdown Drills among Adolescent Youth

BACKGROUND

Lockdown drills are mandated within many educational settings in the US; they may contribute to adverse mental health and there is little to suggest their effectiveness. We describe factors associated with post-drill anxiety and perceived effectiveness of drills.

METHODS

We surveyed youth-caregiver dyads presenting to the pediatric emergency department. Nonparametric tests compared factors across groups of child anxiety and caregiver perceived effectiveness of drills. Kappa statistics (κ) measured child-caregiver agreement on post-drill anxiety and depression symptoms.

RESULTS

108 child-caregiver dyads were included. Post-lockdown drill anxiety was reported by 27% of children; those reporting anxiety were more likely to have histories of bullying or skipping school for safety (p = 0.0004). Of caregivers, 47% believed drills effectively prevent firearm injury. There was a significant disparity between child and caregiver report of post-drill mental health symptomatology (κ anxiety = 0.19; κ depression = 0.30). Implications for School Health, Policy, Practice, and Equity: Understanding factors contributing to anxiety surrounding lockdown drills and perception of drill effectiveness may aid policy decisions and resource allocation.

CONCLUSIONS

Lockdown drills may increase mental health symptoms in children, while caregivers may not recognize this occurrence. Studies to identify risk factors of acute and chronic post-lockdown drill anxiety will help determine how to better serve youth.

Positive Creativity in a Negative World

In this article we raise two linked questions in relation to positive creativity (creativity that can help transform the world to a better place): (1) Why does a great deal of positive creativity fly under the radar? and (2) What can be accomplished to enhance the visibility and frequency of positive creativity? Building off of the recent CASE model (Capital, Awareness, Spark, Exceptionality Model), which is focused on creativity that is hidden and overlooked, we unpack some of the reasons why positive creativity is often ignored in classroom settings. Using this framework as an intervention tool allows us, conversely, to identify those elements that can be enhanced to make positive creativity more visible and, overall, more present in education (and beyond).