School Safety Drill Research Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.3432 | Sponsor: Rep. Perlmutter, Ed (D-CO)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
School Safety Drill Research Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Education to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study and report on the mental health effects that may result from a lockdown drill or active shooter drill in elementary and secondary schools.

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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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 
2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Pew Research Center found that 57 percent of 
        teenage students worry about the possibility of a shooting 
        happening at their school.
            (2) The National Center for Education Statistics found that 
        96 percent of public schools in the United States conducted 
        lockdown drills in 2015 and 2016.
            (3) According to Steve Schlozman, a professor of psychiatry 
        at Harvard Medical School, children in proximity to frightening 
        circumstances are at risk for lasting symptoms, including 
        ``everything from worsening academic and social progression to 
        depression, anxiety, poor sleep, post-traumatic symptomatology 
        and substance abuse.''.

SEC. 3. 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 National 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 subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) an assessment of the extent to which a lockdown drill 
        or active shooter drill results in adverse 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 simulations, 
                full-scale lockdowns, and secured-perimeter lockouts;
                    (B) the effects of announced versus unannounced 
                drills; and
                    (C) the effects of drills of varying frequencies;
            (3) an analysis of the effects of a lockdown drill or 
        active shooter drill on--
                    (A) students of different ages or grade levels; and
                    (B) students with intellectual or developmental 
                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 mental health 
                services provider;
                    (D) discussing school violence with students; and
                    (E) keeping parents and the community informed 
                about drills, including--
                            (i) the type of information communicated to 
                        parents, emergency dispatchers, and the 
                        community before and after a drill; and
                            (ii) the resources given to assist parents 
                        in talking with children about concerns or 
                        fears related to violence at school; and
            (5) an analysis of other studies and reports examining the 
        effects of a lockdown drill or active shooter drill on student 
        and staff mental health.
    (c) Report.--The agreement entered into under subsection (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.
    (e) Definitions.--In this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) Active shooter simulation.--The term ``active shooter 
        simulation'' means a drill in which acts mimicking an active 
        shooter situation are simulated, 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 ``elementary school'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education 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 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 ``secondary school'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education 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.
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