Biden to sign executive order to reduce trauma of school shooter drills

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- On Thursday, President Biden and Vice President Harris will announce a new executive order meant to address gun violence and, in part, the potentially traumatic impact of school shooter drills on young students.

The order will direct the Departments of Education and Homeland Security to provide guidance for schools aimed at reducing trauma during shooting drills, The Hill reported early Thursday.

"This executive order is huge, because it is focused on preparedness while we've already made investments in prevention, investments in youth mental health, investments in violence reduction strategies," Deputy Director of the White House's Office of Gun Violence Prevention Greg Jackson told Nexstar. "This effort will make a strong stride toward ensuring our schools are more prepared for tragedy if, unfortunately, it strikes."

It's an issue Texas has already legislated. In 2021, the legislature passed into law a requirement that school shooter drills be "trauma-informed," using best practices to minimize the psychological impact.

Senate Bill 168 by State Sen. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, required the Texas Education Agency to develop drill guidelines in consultation with the Texas School Safety Center meant to be sensitive to student mental health.

The law requires districts to give adequate notice of shooter drills to students and parents, and to ensure the exercises are appropriate for the students' age and development as determined in coordination with school mental health professionals.

The bill's analysis cites data showing active shooter drills are associated with a 39% increase in depression, a 42% increase in stress and anxiety, and a 23% increase in physiological health problems in children as young as 5 years old up to high schoolers, their parents, and teachers.

"We know nearly every youth in our country now has experienced these active shooter drills, but there's very little research about what are the best practices, how effective are they?," Jackson said. "What harm are we applying to our youth, and what trauma are they experiencing at the hands of these drills? This historic step will look into developing more research, compiling best practices, and helping develop better standards for how we implement this to make sure schools are safer and more prepared while we minimize the trauma and harm to our youth."

Biden and Harris will announce and sign the executive order at 3:45 p.m. Central.