IN THE NEWS WITH ASR

Covid-19 Virtual Active Shooter Drills

COVID-19 has sent schools around the world scrambling. Eight months after the first wave of closures, many districts are still offering virtual instruction in some form, through either fully online or hybrid models with some students in the classroom and others calling in. Students and teachers have improvised to replicate aspects of traditional school over video chat: prom, scavenger hunts, art shows, musicals, even sports. But the cocktail of safety drills that schools usually offer (including simulations of active-shooter scenarios and other events like fires, tornadoes, and earthquakes) could pose a particular challenge when it comes to engaging remote students.

As of 2017, 95 percent of American schools held active-shooter drills. And across the country, students have continued to observe and participate in the exercises — over video chat, from their homes.

Why put virtual students through drills at all? At least 40 states require schools to hold them, even if they’re using blended instruction.  The answer is pretty straight-forward.  There were 417 mass shootings in the US and over 15,000 gun deaths in 2019; there were 25 school shootings with injuries or deaths. Even if students aren’t in school now, most will return in the future. It could be prudent to remind them of safety procedures and help parents feel more comfortable sending them back.

But long before remote schooling swept the US, there was controversy over whether active-shooter trainings make anyone safer. There’s no national standardized procedure for schools to follow, and there’s little research on their efficacy. America’s two largest teachers’ unions called on schools to end unannounced drills and drills that simulate violence earlier this year, arguing that the exercises traumatize students. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also warned of their “potential psychological risks.” Even Donald Trump doesn’t like them. And some research has shown that the drills increase stress and depression in school communities.  That can still be the case over Zoom. 

The competing philosophy is that conducting shooter drills (as well as covid-19 virtual active shooter drills) on the same routine schedule as exercises for fire, earthquake, and other natural disasters works to normalize the active shooter in the same vein — as an inevitable force of nature, says Blanchfield, the gun-violence researcher.

“Even when people are no longer in schools, we’re still training them to expect school shootings.”

Regardless of how a student gets the information, it is undisputed that everyone needs to be aware of the very real threat of active shooter and other crisis event situations that students, faculty, and employees can face while in school or at work.  There is a lot to be said about a virtual code-red drill being virtual and how that may or may not be effective for the virtual student.  This is where ASR Alert Systems can help.

ASR Alert Systems is patented state-of-the-art critical incident response technology specializing in the field of alert notifications to Law Enforcement and First Responders in the event of an active shooter or other crisis. Our technology can be customized to any industry, building, or event. We deliver customer-specific technology unmatched by anyone.  Our critical incident response technology uses hard-mounted buttons, mobile pendants and a mobile phone application to DIRECTLY communicate with first responders in the area to significantly decrease response times to an active threat or crisis situation.

So how does this relate to Covid-19 Virtual Active Shooter Drills?

In organizations where virtual active shooter drills are not working, there may be greater synergy that can be achieved by training students on how to get help in a crisis event while on site in the future.  With the simple push of a button, help is on the way.  This is empowering for all involved in a crisis as it takes a lot of the "thinking" out of the initial response.  While people would still need to be informed about protocol (where to go and what to do while waiting for help), the simple knowledge that help is on the way can reduce a lot of ambiguity and allow the victim(s) to seek safety faster.  Studies have proven that performing simple tasks, such as entering your passcode into your phone, then dialing 911 can be nearly impossible for most people when their lives and those around them are in danger.  The ASR Alert System removes this obstacle and virtual training on this important component can be highly effective.  

Learn More About the ASR technology and please feel free to reach out to us if you want more information on how we can help your organization.