Most K-12 schools now run some form of lockdown or active shooter drill every year. In many states, it's required. But a growing body of research shows that how a drill is run matters as much as whether it happens at all, and some common practices can leave students more anxious rather than better prepared.

Trauma-informed training doesn't mean skipping drills. It means running them in a way that builds real preparedness without causing unnecessary psychological harm.

What the research actually shows

A 2026 RAND Corporation survey of educators found that nearly a third of principals and teachers reported being aware of students experiencing trauma or heightened anxiety following a drill, with the share even higher among elementary school leaders. The same research found real gaps in how drills are implemented: only about half of schools notify students or parents in advance, and just one in three principals said their school offered counseling or mental health support afterward.

None of this means drills are the wrong tool. It means the details of how they're run, communication, intensity, and follow-up support, are where the risk of harm actually lives.

What "trauma-informed" means in practice

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) publish joint best-practice guidance for active shooter and armed assailant drills. Their core recommendations include:

• Announcing drills in advance to staff, students, and families, with an option to opt out for students who need it
• Avoiding high-sensory simulations, such as simulated gunfire or actors playing an armed intruder, which can be difficult to distinguish from a real event
• Including school mental health professionals in the planning process, not just the response
• Making counseling and debrief support available before, during, and after the drill, not only for students who visibly react

These practices are consistent with a 2026 National Academies of Sciences report on the topic, which frames drill design as a mental health and behavioral health issue as much as a security one.

Where drills fit into a complete plan

A drill is one part of a school's response capability, not the whole of it. A complete plan also includes staff training on decision-making under stress, clear communication protocols, and coordination with local law enforcement and EMS. Training programs that focus only on the physical drill, without building in the communication and mental health pieces, leave schools with a rehearsed action but no real plan behind it.

Questions school leaders are asking

Does trauma-informed training mean a less realistic drill?
Not necessarily. It means calibrating intensity to what's developmentally appropriate for the group being trained, and building in support before and after, rather than measuring realism by shock value.

Who should be involved in planning a drill?
NASP and NASRO guidance both call for involving school mental health staff early, alongside administrators and safety personnel, not bringing them in only after a drill causes a visible reaction.

What should a school ask a training provider before hiring them?
Ask how they handle advance notification, whether they offer an opt-out, how drill intensity is calibrated by age group, and what support is built in for students and staff afterward.

How Joffe approaches this

Joffe's K-12 training is built around the same principle NASP and NASRO guidance points to: preparedness and psychological safety aren't in tension, they reinforce each other. Schools working with Joffe's school safety team get drills and training calibrated to their community, not a one-size-fits-all script.

Sources: RAND Corporation, "Are Active Shooter Drills in K-12 Schools Aligned with Best Practices?"; NASP/NASRO Best Practice Guidance for Active Shooter Drills; National Academies of Sciences, "School Active Shooter Drills: Mitigating Risks to Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health"