House to create Boylan commission to study school lockdowns safety drills.
STATE HOUSE – The House passed a resolution, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Boylan, that will create a House commission to study school lockdowns, safety drills and responses to threats.
Representative Boylan got the idea for the commission after 14 police departments across Rhode Island received reports of a school shooting this past March. Students and teachers in those communities went into lockdown, hiding in the back of classrooms or in bathrooms.
Law enforcement responded quickly, determined the calls were a hoax and gave permission to return to regular learning. But for many students and teachers, it wasn’t so easy to snap back into their normal routine after fearing for their lives.
“The kids are not OK,” said Representative Boylan (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence). “Students are told to hide from an active shooter in their school, and then 20 minutes later are told ‘never mind, get back your math test.’ We need a better way to respond to these events, with guidelines and protocols so teachers know what to do and how to address the trauma caused.”
These terrifying hoaxes, known as “swattings,” are occurring across the country with alarming frequency. There were 51 school shootings last year that resulted in injury or death, so officials must take every threat seriously.
The resolution (2023-H 6422) creates the Legislative Study Commission To Evaluate And Provide Recommendations On Mandated Safety Protocols For Rhode Island Schools.
The commission will bring together 20 experts and stakeholders from across the state in a commission to study lockdowns, fire drills and the associated mental health supports for students.
It will include public safety officials, teachers, students, mental health professionals and legislators. It is tasked with answering complex questions such as whether and when students should be encouraged to evacuate during lockdown events, whether advanced notice should be provided to students and/or parents prior to a lockdown drill and whether the frequency of drills should be changed.
Under current Rhode Island law, schools are required to conduct one fire drill each month and two evacuation drills and two lockdown drills each year.
There is significant debate about the mental health impact and efficacy of these drills. Currently, 40 states, including Connecticut, require lockdown drills while 10, including Massachusetts, do not. New York is currently considering reducing the number of mandatory lockdown drills from four a year to just one, and allowing parents to opt their students out entirely.