Increase school protections against active shooters

 An overwhelming majority of Americans want children to have active shooter drills in school, but a new NPR/Ipsos poll finds that they differ on how to conduct them, and what safety measures to invest in.

Both parents and the general public at large agree that gun violence is one of the top concerns around K-12 education, the poll found. But their views on how to approach the issue diverge starkly along party lines.

"You see this really deep partisan divide that has sort of crystallized here," Mallory Newall, a vice president at Ipsos, says. "On the type of investment and the type of priority that we should have when it comes to school safety."

The survey examined three different measures to keep children safe at schools: social and emotional measures, security measures, and training measures.

Partisan disagreement on how to improve school safety

Percentage of Republican and Democratic respondents who say K-12 schools should prioritize investing in each measure.

Republicans

Democrats

0%20%40%60%80%100%

Social and emotional measures, such as anti-bullying programming, social and self-awareness, mental health education or guidance counseling

38%

65%

Security measures, such as metal detectors, bulletproof glass, clear backpacks, security guards or school resource officers

60%

33%

Source: NPR/Ipsos poll of 1,304 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 5-11. The margin of error for the overall sample is 3.2 percentage points. For this question, respondents could only choose one answer.Credit: LA Johnson/NPR

According to the data, Democrats are more inclined (65% to 38%) to support investing in social and emotional measures to enhance school safety over expanded security measures. Respondents favored approaches like guidance counselors, anti-bullying campaigns, and increased mental health education. While those who identified as Republican strongly favored (60% vs. 30% of Democrats) expanded security measures, like metal detectors, bulletproof glass, and clear backpacks over social and emotional measures.

The third, less popular option, was whether they support investing in training measures: "So that's training teachers to carry guns," explains Newall.

"Very few Americans are aware of that happening in their community," she says. "And when you ask them if they support training teachers to carry guns in schools, about 4 in 10 Americans are in favor of that."

An overwhelming majority of Americans (roughly 80 percent) say they believe that active shooter drills in schools should be both evidence-based and age-appropriate. With that in mind, 63 percent said they want children to be required to participate in at least one active shooter drill each year.

Differences appear when it comes to how to conduct these drills.

In some schools around the country, administrators go for a realistic simulation, with some drills involving things like the simulated sound of gunshots, banging on classroom doors, or the use of fake blood.

Some other drills place more of an emphasis on a lockdown procedure: Shutting off lights, keeping students silent, and blocking classroom doors.

The poll asked parents and the public their views on these approaches. "A vast majority of parents, and American adults alike, are in favor of practicing basic lockdown procedures in schools, almost 9 in 10," Newall says. "However, as you get into ... the more graphic options, support drops."

Only about 1 in 3 Americans and parents say that they support the use of sounds of guns or gunshots during an active shooter drill in schools.

Amy Klinger, the founder and director of programs for the nonprofit Educators School Safety Network, says focusing on how to scare kids ignores the root of the problem.

"Rather than coming up with a comprehensive solution, we have said, 'If we only had more counselors, we would have no more shootings. If we only had no more guns, we would have no more shootings, if we only had everybody armed in school.' " But, she adds, "none of those things are correct."

Instead of focusing energy on realistic simulations, which she says can sometimes be traumatizing for students, her organization proposes moving to a more balanced approach to school safety: "For every dollar you spend on response, you spend equal amounts of time and effort on prevention."

Carla Nardoni agrees. "I definitely want both," she says.

At the end of the day, protecting the lives of students is not only a safety issue, but also a deeply emotional one, she adds. "I never, ever let my children leave the house without saying "I love you" and that's the reason why."

NPR October 25, 2023