I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3432 

To require the Secretary of Education to enter into an agreement with 

the National Academies to conduct a study on the possible mental health 

effects of a lockdown drill or active shooter drill in elementary and 

secondary schools, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 20, 2021 

Mr. PERLMUTTER (for himself, Mrs. MURPHY of Florida, and Mr. 

FITZPATRICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Education to enter into an agreement with the National Academies to conduct a study 

on the possible mental health effects of a lockdown drill 

or active shooter drill in elementary and secondary 

schools, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘School Safety Drill 

5 Research Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 3432 IH

1 (1) The Pew Research Center found that 57 

2 percent of teenage students worry about the possi3 bility of a shooting happening at their school. 

4 (2) The National Center for Education Statis5 tics found that 96 percent of public schools in the 

6 United States conducted lockdown drills in 2015 and 

7 2016. 

8 (3) According to Steve Schlozman, a professor 

9 of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, children in 

10 proximity to frightening circumstances are at risk 

11 for lasting symptoms, including ‘‘everything from 

12 worsening academic and social progression to de13 pression, anxiety, poor sleep, post-traumatic symp14 tomatology and substance abuse.’’. 

15 SEC. 3. STUDY AND REPORT ON MENTAL EFFECTS OF 

16 LOCKDOWN DRILL OR ACTIVE SHOOTER 

17 DRILL IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 

18 SCHOOLS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education shall 

20 enter into an agreement with the National Academies of 

21 Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under which the Na22 tional Academies shall conduct a study on the mental 

23 health effects resulting from a lockdown drill or active 

24 shooter drill in elementary and secondary schools. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 3432 IH

1 (b) ELEMENTS.—The study conducted under sub2 section (a) shall include— 

3 (1) an assessment of the extent to which a 

4 lockdown drill or active shooter drill results in ad5 verse psychological effects on students, faculty, and 

6 staff of elementary and secondary schools; 

7 (2) a comparison of the mental effects of a 

8 lockdown drill or active shooter drill, including— 

9 (A) the effects of active shooter simula10 tions, full-scale lockdowns, and secured-perim11 eter lockouts; 

12 (B) the effects of announced versus unan13 nounced drills; and 

14 (C) the effects of drills of varying fre15 quencies; 

16 (3) an analysis of the effects of a lockdown drill 

17 or active shooter drill on— 

18 (A) students of different ages or grade lev19 els; and 

20 (B) students with intellectual or develop21 mental disabilities; 

22 (4) the identification of best practices for— 

23 (A) accommodating— 

24 (i) students of different ages and 

25 grade levels; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 3432 IH

1 (ii) students and staff with a history 

2 of prior trauma; 

3 (iii) students for whom English is a 

4 second language; and 

5 (iv) students with developmental and 

6 physical disabilities; 

7 (B) training faculty and staff to recognize 

8 traumatic stress reactions; 

9 (C) the provision of mental health supports 

10 during and after a drill by a school-based men11 tal health services provider; 

12 (D) discussing school violence with stu13 dents; and 

14 (E) keeping parents and the community in15 formed about drills, including— 

16 (i) the type of information commu17 nicated to parents, emergency dispatchers, 

18 and the community before and after a drill; 

19 and 

20 (ii) the resources given to assist par21 ents in talking with children about con22 cerns or fears related to violence at school; 

23 and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 3432 IH

1 (5) an analysis of other studies and reports ex2 amining the effects of a lockdown drill or active 

3 shooter drill on student and staff mental health. 

4 (c) REPORT.—The agreement entered into under sub5 section (a) shall include a requirement that, not later than 

6 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

7 National Academies shall— 

8 (1) compile a report on the results of the study 

9 conducted under subsection (a); 

10 (2) make such report publicly available on the 

11 website of the National Academies; and 

12 (3) provide a briefing to Congress on the results 

13 of the study conducted under subsection (a). 

14 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

15 authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 to carry out this 

16 Act. 

17 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act, the following defini18 tions apply: 

19 (1) ACTIVE SHOOTER SIMULATION.—The term 

20 ‘‘active shooter simulation’’ means a drill in which 

21 acts mimicking an active shooter situation are simu22 lated, including any of the following: 

23 (A) The activation of emergency alarms. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 3432 IH

1 (B) The presence of an active shooter or 

2 law enforcement officer, or both, inside a 

3 school. 

4 (C) The firing of a gun with blanks. 

5 (D) The sound of a gun being fired. 

6 (E) An attempt by an intruder to breach 

7 classroom doors inside a school. 

8 (F) The expectation that individuals inside 

9 the school will fight an intruder. 

10 (2) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘elemen11 tary school’’ has the meaning given the term in sec12 tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu13 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

14 (3) FULL-SCALE LOCKDOWN.—The term ‘‘full15 scale lockdown’’ means a drill in which all doors of 

16 a school are locked, all windows of the school are 

17 covered, and students and faculty must remain silent 

18 and hidden, but in which an active shooter is not 

19 simulated. 

20 (4) LOCKDOWN DRILL OR ACTIVE SHOOTER

21 DRILL.—The term ‘‘lockdown drill or active shooter 

22 drill’’ means a procedure in which a school practices 

23 an emergency protocol designed to protect students 

24 and faculty against assault by an armed assailant. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 3432 IH

1 (5) MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDER.— 

2 The term ‘‘mental health services provider’’ means a 

3 State-licensed or State-certified school counselor, 

4 school psychologist, or school social worker, or a 

5 mental health professional qualified under State law 

6 to provide mental health services to children and 

7 adolescents. 

8 (6) SECONDARY SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘sec9 ondary school’’ has the meaning given the term in 

10 section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu11 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

12 (7) SECURED-PERIMETER LOCKOUT.—The term 

13 ‘‘secured-perimeter lockout’’ means a drill in which 

14 the outside building doors of a school are locked and 

15 there is no entry or exit allowed to or from the 

16 school, but teachers continue with instruction. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS