According to a September 18, 2024 Rand Corporation report, despite growing concerns and an increasing number of incidents of gun violence on school grounds in recent years, practice drills to prepare for such an incident remain controversial. Researchers found that “even practice drills — which simulate lockdown situations in an attempt to increase staff and students’ preparedness to respond to actual emergencies — may be troubling for school communities.” In fact, while active shooter drills have been shown to have a negative impact on the school community, their effectiveness remains questionable and only 20% of teachers said drills make them feel safer while half of teachers perceive drills as having no impact on preparedness.

In addition, active shooter drills are linked to increased depression, stress, anxiety and physiological health problems among students of all ages, as well as parents and teachers, according to 2020 research from Everytown for Gun Safety and Georgia Tech University.

Although active shooter drills can be stressful and fear-inducing for students, just 16% of teachers in the Rand research indicated their schools have adults monitoring students for signs of trauma in real time, which the National Association of School Psychologists and National Association of School Resource Officers both recommend.

On September 27th, in response to the above concerns, the Biden administration issued an executive order to improve active shooter drills. The order calls for federal agencies to help schools more effectively prepare for active shooter drills while preventing or minimizing potential trauma and tells federal agencies to improve school-based active shooter drills. Research on active shooter drills shows them to be controversial. The drills have been linked to increased depression and other negative psychological symptoms in students and the White House confirmed the problems in its announcement saying, “Many parents, students, and educators have expressed concerns about the trauma caused by some approaches to these drills.” 

The order thus directs U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and other federal leaders to publish information on school-based active shooter drills within 110 days, including resources on how to create, communicate about, and conduct effective drills in schools.

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) called the order “a step in the right direction” and Michelle Kefford, principal of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, said the guidance will help schools conduct age-appropriate drills. For more from K-12 Dive, click here and here.

On September 24, 2024, after a monthslong investigation, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a pair of scathing reports that found the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) failed to properly oversee vendors, follow its own procedures, and properly communicate with students and colleges as they rolled out the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

The report found, that 74% of the total calls received (approximately for million in all) at USDE call centers went unanswered from January to May, which were the first five months of the FAFSA application cycle. 

Responding to GAO officials expressing concern that the USDE could repeat a similar debacle for the  2025-26 academic year, a USDE spokesperson said the agency has already made improvements for the 2025-26 form which will be fully available by December 1, 2024. In fact, starting October 1st the USDE will test the new form with a limited number of students and institutions to help ensure complete functionality when the form fully launches on Dec. 1st.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

On September 19, 2024, NPR reported that, according to a study conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Black girls face more discipline and more severe punishments in public schools than girls from other racial backgrounds. The report, shared exclusively with NPR, took nearly a year-and-a-half to complete.

The findings offer a first of its kind snapshot of the disciplinary disparities that Black girls face in public schools across the U.S. — often for similar behaviors.

Over the course of the 85-page report, the GAO found that in K-12 public schools, Black girls had the highest rates of so-called “exclusionary discipline,” such as suspensions and expulsions. According to the report, Black girls accounted for 45% of out-of-school suspensions, 37% of in-school suspensions and 43% of expulsions for actions like “defiance, disrespect, and disruption.” Nationally, Black girls received such exclusionary discipline at rates 3 to 5.2 times those of white girls. The study also found that when they had a disability, discipline rates for Black girls grew even larger.

The GAO report is the first to examine underlying infraction data among discipline disparities and identify what contributes to them. It found that school poverty levels, the percentage of girls facing disabilities, the number of new teachers and the presence of a school resource officer were among the factors tied to increased discipline for girls.

Source: NPR

To read more on the study from NPR, click here.

On August 21, 2024, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory warning that America’s mental health crisis is weighing heavily on parents who are struggling with economic and societal concerns as they try to raise children. Barriers parents are facing include stressors like gun violence, loneliness, a lack of support from extended family or in-person community, and having to face more job-related pressure as well as other newer stresses that prior generations didn’t have to contend with in the same way.

The advisory, titled Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents, calls for expanded parental, medical, and sick leave, as well as incorporating mental well-being checks into primary care. The advisory also suggests that anyone who is a parent or filling that role prioritize stress-relievers like exercise and enough sleep, along with recreational activities.

Parents are also advised to nurture relationships with other parents, caregivers, or supportive friends, obtain insurance coverage for themselves and their families, and seek mental health care when needed.

Last year, Murthy issued a public health advisory about the harms social media poses to young people, and in June called for Congress to issue a warning label for kids on social media.

To access Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents, click here.

Source: Axios

https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/parents/index.html