I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3872 
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 
JUNE 6, 2023 
Ms. PETTERSEN
(for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. MACE, and Mr. 
MOSKOWITZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Education to enter into an agree-
ment 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘School Safety Drill 
Research Act of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. STUDY AND REPORT ON MENTAL EFFECTS OF 
LOCKDOWN 
DRILL 
OR 
ACTIVE 
SHOOTER 
DRILL IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 
SCHOOLS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education shall 
enter into an agreement with the National Academies of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under which the Na-
tional Academies shall conduct a study on the mental 
health effects resulting from a lockdown drill or active 
shooter drill in elementary and secondary schools. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The study conducted under sub-
section (a) shall include— 
(1) an assessment of the extent to which a 
lockdown drill or active shooter drill results in ad-
verse psychological effects on students, faculty, and 
staff of elementary and secondary schools; 
(2) a comparison of the mental effects of a 
lockdown drill or active shooter drill, including— 
(A) the effects of active shooter simula-
tions, full-scale lockdowns, and secured-perim-
eter lockouts; 
(B) the effects of announced versus unan-
nounced drills; and 
(C) the effects of drills of varying fre-
quencies; 
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(3) an analysis of the effects of a lockdown drill 
or active shooter drill on— 
(A) students of different ages or grade lev-
els; and 
(B) students with intellectual or develop-
mental disabilities; 
(4) the identification of best practices for— 
(A) accommodating— 
(i) students of different ages and 
grade levels; 
(ii) students and staff with a history 
of prior trauma; 
(iii) students for whom English is a 
second language; and 
(iv) students with developmental and 
physical disabilities; 
(B) training faculty and staff to recognize 
traumatic stress reactions; 
(C) the provision of mental health supports 
during and after a drill by a school-based men-
tal health services provider; 
(D) discussing school violence with stu-
dents; and 
(E) keeping parents and the community in-
formed about drills, including— 
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(i) the type of information commu-
nicated to parents, emergency dispatchers, 
and the community before and after a drill; 
and 
(ii) the resources given to assist par-
ents in talking with children about con-
cerns or fears related to violence at school; 
and 
(5) an analysis of other studies and reports ex-
amining the effects of a lockdown drill or active 
shooter drill on student and staff mental health. 
(c) REPORT.—The agreement entered into under sub-
section (a) shall include a requirement that, not later than 
18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
National Academies shall— 
(1) compile a report on the results of the study 
conducted under subsection (a); 
(2) make such report publicly available on the 
website of the National Academies; and 
(3) provide a briefing to Congress on the results 
of the study conducted under subsection (a). 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 to carry out this 
Act. 
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(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act, the following defini-
tions apply: 
(1) ACTIVE SHOOTER SIMULATION.—The term 
‘‘active shooter simulation’’ means a drill in which 
acts mimicking an active shooter situation are simu-
lated, including any of the following: 
(A) The activation of emergency alarms. 
(B) The presence of an active shooter or 
law enforcement officer, or both, inside a 
school. 
(C) The firing of a gun with blanks. 
(D) The sound of a gun being fired. 
(E) An attempt by an intruder to breach 
classroom doors inside a school. 
(F) The expectation that individuals inside 
the school will fight an intruder. 
(2) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘elemen-
tary school’’ has the meaning given the term in sec-
tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(3) FULL-SCALE LOCKDOWN.—The term ‘‘full- 
scale lockdown’’ means a drill in which all doors of 
a school are locked, all windows of the school are 
covered, and students and faculty must remain silent 
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and hidden, but in which an active shooter is not 
simulated. 
(4) LOCKDOWN
DRILL
OR
ACTIVE
SHOOTER 
DRILL.—The term ‘‘lockdown drill or active shooter 
drill’’ means a procedure in which a school practices 
an emergency protocol designed to protect students 
and faculty against assault by an armed assailant. 
(5) MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDER.— 
The term ‘‘mental health services provider’’ means a 
State-licensed or State-certified school counselor, 
school psychologist, or school social worker, or a 
mental health professional qualified under State law 
to provide mental health services to children and 
adolescents. 
(6) SECONDARY
SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘sec-
ondary school’’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(7) SECURED-PERIMETER LOCKOUT.—The term 
‘‘secured-perimeter lockout’’ means a drill in which 
the outside building doors of a school are locked and 
there is no entry or exit allowed to or from the 
school, but teachers continue with instruction. 
Æ 
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