Lockdown Drills

A comprehensive resource on what lockdown drills are, why they are necessary, and how best to conduct them.

The first book to offer a comprehensive examination of lockdown drills in K–12 schools, Lockdown Drills balances research findings with practical applications and implications. Schildkraut and Nickerson, school safety experts with complementary backgrounds in criminology and school psychology, review the historical precedents for lockdown drills, distinguish school lockdowns from other emergency procedures (such as active shooter drills), explain why they are conducted, present evidence-based research on their effectiveness, and describe how to conduct them according to best practices. Proponents of lockdown drills as a life-saving necessity, the authors help to bring much-needed standardization to how these drills are studied and conducted.
 
The authors present common arguments for and against the inclusion of lockdown drills in emergency preparedness efforts, balancing their discussion of the perceptions and psychological impacts of lockdown drills with scholarly research on the extent to which lockdown drills improve how effectively individuals respond to a potential threat. Placing lockdown drills in the larger context of school safety and preparedness, they examine the broader implications for policymakers. Finally, they emphasize that drills, of which lockdowns are only one type, are just a part of the complex school safety puzzle. Ensuring that schools are safe places for students and educators begins long before a crisis occurs and continues through the days, weeks, and years of recovery following a crisis.Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Part I: How Did we Get Here?
1 Lockdown Drills as a School Safety Phenomenon 3
2 Why Lockdown Drills? A Look at How we Got Here 15
3 What are Lockdown Drills? Differentiating Drills and Exercises 33
4 Should we or Shouldn't we? Arguments For and Against Lockdown Drills 49
Part II: What does the Research Say?
5 For Students: Are we Training or Traumatizing? 63
6 For Faculty and Staff: Building Cooperation and Collaboration 77
7 Teaching the Steps of Lockdown: More than Just Drilling 91
Part III: Policy and Best Practices 
8 How Should we Think about Lockdown Drills? Guidance and Best Practices 105
9 Lockdown Drills: A Piece of the School Safety Puzzle 127
10 The Future of Lockdowns and Other Emergency Preparedness Drills 139
Appendix: Annual Drill Requirements by State for Lockdowns or Other Emergencies 151
Notes 165
Essential Readings 201
Index 205“Lockdown Drills presents solid sources, real data, and intelligent takeaways while providing guidance for understanding, planning, and conducting drills. I give this valuable book five stars!”
—Ellen Stoddard-Keyes, Operations Director of The I Love U Guys Foundation
 
“Finally, a book based on real world research. This easy-to-read book gives the blueprints desperately needed on how to conduct safe and effective lockdown drills. It is a MUST read for all school administrators and safety teams.”
—Missy Dodds, Former teacher & Survivor of the Red Lake High School Shooting, School Safety Advocate
 
“Schildkraut and Nickerson provide a clear assessment of the use of lockdown drills and how they fit into larger discussions surrounding school safety. This is a valuable resource for school officials and parents seeking to make evidence-based decisions regarding student safety.”
—Cheryl Lero Jonson, Associate Professor, Xavier University
 
“This book is the definitive guide to school lockdown drills. The authors provide a practical, non-technical summary of research findings and explain the role of lockdown drills in a comprehensive school safety plan.”
—Dewey G. Cornell, Ph.D., Virgil Ward Professor of Education, University of Virginia

“Schildkraut and Nickerson masterfully sift through the steps and components of what makes an effective, and not traumatizing, lockdown practice. This is the guide we have all been missing. Discerning and thoughtful, this book is an outstanding contribution to the field of school safety preparedness.”
—Kristina Anderson Froling, Executive Director, The Koshka Foundation for Safe SchoolsJaclyn Schildkraut is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at SUNY Oswego.
 
Amanda B. Nickerson is Professor of School Psychology and Director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at the University at Buffalo SUNY.