Regents go too far in clamping down on school safety drills

Lockdown drills and other such training unfortunately remain essential tools for preparing students for the horrid possibility of gun violence in their schools.

Last month, the state Board of Regents adopted new rules that prohibited active shooter drills and began requiring parental notification for other types of drills. The new rules rightly underline that need, saying schools and communities must "have a plan in place" and calling staff and student training "critical components of emergency preparedness and school safety." 

But the Regents have gone too far by providing extraordinarily broad regulations that don't adequately differentiate by such factors as student age, type of building or campus, or the size of the school or district. It's shortsighted not to account for such differences and the insights of local school boards and superintendents. The notion, for instance, that all active shooter drills and simulations should be banned for students of any age seems too limiting, especially when older students could benefit from drills that go beyond shutting the shades and hiding in a corner of the room. Certainly, a kindergarten student shouldn't have the same drill — or the same conversation about it — as a high school student.

It is important to take students' mental health needs into account, to recognize that even discussions of school shootings, never mind drills that illustrate them, can have a traumatic impact. In defending the new rules, Long Island Regent Roger Tilles told the editorial board the drills that sent him ducking under a desk as an elementary school student gave him nightmares about nuclear war. Many of our readers have expressed the same. That's understandable.

But understanding those long-lasting impacts only reinforces the idea that state officials and local school leaders shouldn't just focus on which drills to permit. They also need to put attention on how such drills are conducted. With the right expertise and thoughtful implementation, these kinds of drills can be useful without traumatizing students. Age-appropriate conversations and the inclusion of mental health professionals and other child-focused experts are critical. Limiting the trauma to students is ideal. But preparedness is, too.

The Regents would better serve the state's students and schools by providing guidelines and best practices without blanket bans to allay the fears of nervous parents. It's appropriate to inform parents when evacuation, lockdown or, yes, even active shooter drills take place. But what schools can and can't do to prepare staff and students for the worst is both a state and local responsibility.

If the nightmare scenario ever occurs on Long Island and a shooter takes aim at one of our schools, our students and teachers, in coordination with first responders, must be as ready as possible.