Maryland Center for School Safety publishes updated guidelines for active shooter drills

A Maryland law passed earlier this year requires the Maryland Center for School Safety to study the effectiveness and the mental health impacts of active shooter drills and trainings on students and staff. Kim Buckheit, director of strategic initiatives at the Maryland Center for School Safety, explained that simulated sounds of gunfire or explosions, banging on classroom doors and having individuals posing as assailants or victims are banned under the guidelines for drills carried out during the school day: “All of those types of simulations are not allowed in Maryland.”