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Active shooter drills may soon be required for all Georgia students
A new bill before the Georgia Legislature could make active shooter training mandatory for all public school students in the state.
ATLANTA - A new proposal at the statehouse would require public schools to conduct active-shooter drills. The Georgia House on Monday passed the bill called "Safe Schools Act."
The proposal would make it mandatory for schools to conduct active-shooter exercises by Oct. 1 each year. Public-safety experts say the drills help make schools safer. Opponents say the exercise could leave kids traumatized.
Yannah Eason’s daughter Aliyah is a kindergartner. Eason says she would support active-shooter drills in her child’s school.
"It’s happening a lot. So why not prepare?" Eason asks. "I think it’s a good idea."
Rayanna Perry’s daughter Lily is in the fourth grade. Her daughter Ivy is in the first grade. Perry says she believes the drills could help teach her children what to do if their lives were on the line.
"It’s always good to be safe and prepared for an emergency," Perry said. "It might ease their fear a little bit."
Cedric Alexander, the former Director of DeKalb County Public Safety, recognizes school shootings are chaotic and terrifying. Alexander says schools should establish clear strategies in case of what used to be the unthinkable.
"Yes, they are effective and they do work," Alexander said when asked of the effectiveness of active-shooter drills. "We have to have a plan in the event that we have an active shooter in our schools. It is always important to have a plan so that people know what to do, where to go, how to exit, how to think about protecting themselves and their families."
Mason Goodwin, with the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition, opposes active-shooter drills.
"Bad idea," Goodwin said. "They have significant effects on anxiety [and] depression after students go through [them]."
Goodwin wants lawmakers to instead focus on issues he says would address root causes of mass shootings.
"Gun legislation, like mental-health resources … make those things available instead of traumatizing kids with active shooter drills," Goodwin said.
Gov. Brian Kemp supports the bill. It now moves to the Georgia Senate for consideration.