Research

It’s challenging to encompass the complex history and current landscape surrounding armed assailant drills, mental health, and American kids in one documentary project, so we created this page to be a contextual resource for anybody who wants to learn more.

Federal reports

United States Government Accountability Office, “Improved Federal Coordination Could Better Assist K-12 Schools Prepare for Emergencies”
Institution of Education Sciences, “Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools”

Nonpartisan databases

How are active shooter drills affecting kids? News on the subject

The 74 Million
- “Inside the $3 Billion School Security Industry: Companies Market Sophisticated Technology to ‘Harden’ Campuses, but Will It Make Us Safe?”
ABC News
- “Schools preparing for active shooters the wrong way, experts say”
ABC4 News
- “Active shooter drills causing trauma for elementary school children”
The Atlantic
- “What Are Active-Shooter Drills Doing to Kids?”
- “Active-Shooter Drills Are Tragically Misguided”
CBS News
- “Are active shooter drills too scary for schoolchildren?”
- “School lockdowns can traumatize young students, report finds”
Deseret News
- “The traumatizing effects of drilling for an active shooter on school campuses. Is there a better way?”
Forbes
- “Why Schools Should End Active Shooter Drills Immediately.”
Illinois News Room
- “Why Some Parents, Healthcare Experts Worry Active Shooter Drills In Schools Do More Harm Than Good”
KHOU-TV
- “Houston doctor warns of traumatizing effects active shooter drills have on young kids”
National Education Association Today
- “During Lockdowns, Collaboration Among Staff Helps Ensure Student Safety”
- “Helping Students Cope with Active Shooter Drills”
New York Times
- Opinion, “‘It’s Sick That We Have to Do This’: Do We Really Need Shooter Drills?”
- “When Active-Shooter Drills Scare the Children They Hope to Protect”
NPR
- All Things Considered, “A Look At The Impact Of Active Shooter Drills”
- Colorado Public Radio, “How Effective Are Lockdown Drills? There’s Little Data, But One Researcher Wants To Find Out”
- KQED, “Do Active Shooter Drills Do More Harm than Good?”
- WFYI Indianapolis, “How Active Shooter Drills Can Harm A Child's Health”
Psychology Today
- “5 Strategies for Talking to Children About Mass Shootings”
School Psychology Review
- “Effects of an Intruder Crisis Drill on Children's Knowledge, Anxiety, and Perceptions of School Safety”
Targeted News Service
- “Psychological Effects of Active Shooter Drills in Schools”
USA Today
Vox
- “After Parkland, a push for more school shooting drills”
Washington Post

Organizations invested in our subject matter:

Private companies offering active shooter training:

State laws

Other documentary media on the subject:

Analog documentaries
- StoryCorps Shorts | POV, “The Drill”
- HBO, “Song of Parkland”
Data visualization
- The Wall Street Journal, “Blue Feed, Red Feed”