Presidential Candidate Wants to Replace Active Shooter Drills with More Counselors, Nurses

Presidential Candidate Wants to Replace Active Shooter Drills with More Counselors, Nurses

  • By Sherelle Black
  • November 13, 2019

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang wants to put an end to active shooter drills in schools as he says they do more harm than good.

Newsweek reported Yang made a proposal calling for more awareness from educators about the psychological impact the often-dramatic school shooter drills are having on America's youth.

"My son's school is holding 4 active shooter drills this year. The only clear impact of these drills is stress, anxiety and confusion on the part of children and families. I would end the drills or make them optional. Let our kids learn the right things," Yang tweeted Nov. 4, linking to a proposal on his campaign website to "End Active Shooter Drills."

Yang went on to say that drills cause trauma and anxiety. He cited that a student has a less than 1 in 614 million chance of being killed by a gunman.

"This needs to stop. I'm a parent and I know we all want our children to feel and be safe in the classroom. But, there is no evidence that these active shooter drills proportionally help prepare students for an actual shooter," reads the Yang 2020 website policy proposal.

The presidential candidate said around $3 billion each school year is being used on school security and active shooter drills, money that should be put toward more “counselors, nurses and teachers.”

In his proposal, Yang said people should be taught how to recognize and help troubled school children instead of practicing active shooter situations. Additionally, he said gun safety laws need to be strengthened.

About the Author

Sherelle Black is a Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

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