On October 8, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of its first nationally representative survey data on transgender students, which showed that transgender students also had higher rates of bullying and poor mental health. In fact, CDC found that approximately 3% of the nation’s high school students are transgender, and another 2.2% say they are questioning their gender. In addition, slightly over a quarter of transgender students and the same portion of questioning students skipped school in 2023 because they felt unsafe, compared to just 8.5% of cisgender male students. About the same level also said they attempted suicide within the last year, as opposed to 5% of their cisgender male peers. Transgender and questioning students also had higher rates of bullying and poor mental health and the lowest rates of school connectedness when compared to their cisgender male and female peers.

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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.