Childcare centers in Indiana could soon be mandated to perform active shooter and intruder drills every six months. The change is part of a much larger set of proposed licensing changes from Gov. Mike Braun’s administration, including reducing education requirements, lowering credential minimums for providers and allowing sleeping bags instead of cots.
While some providers say the requirement matches their ongoing practices, some worry unregulated drills could lead to trauma and stress for young children.
Omar Khan, president at The Weston School and of the Indiana Child Care Business Alliance, said Weston and several other centers in the alliance already plan intruder drills.
“Same thing that we pray that we don’t have a fire, or we don’t have a tornado, or we don’t have any of these other things, but it’s good to be prepared in the event that we do,” Khan said.
Andy Roszak has been figuring out how to train young children for active shooter situations without causing trauma for over a decade. He’s the president of the Institute for Childhood Preparedness, the only organization that trains specifically for infants, toddlers and young children. He said he’s trained nearly a million early childhood professionals, including at large childcare center chains, Sesame Street and the U.S. military’s childhood programs.
There’s a lack of guidance for drills for infants who can’t walk, talk or communicate, Roszak said, but needing to prepare has become a reality.
Roszak said his training is focused on empowerment rather than frightening educators and children. Part of that means not using the words “active shooter.” Another element is framing drills like games, such as Bees to the Beehive which gets children to safety as they would need to be during an active shooter situation. Roszak compared it to hide-and-seek.
“If there’s a bank robbery or a high-speed chase or an escaped convict down the street from our childcare program, we don’t even get those alerts,” Roszak said. “Whereas the elementary, middle and high schools all get those. It’s a real gap in preparedness, quite frankly, and one that we’ve been working really hard to address.”
Part of that gap is at the state level. Roszak said he didn’t know of other states that had introduced a specific intruder drill requirement for daycares like Indiana’s. He thinks Indiana’s proposed mandate was long overdue and could be increased to monthly drills given high staffing turnover at centers. The federal government requires intruder drills for programs it funds such as Head Start, a federally funded early childhood education program for low-income families.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, which is proposing the change, declined an interview. It pointed to a federal requirement under regulations for the Child Care and Development Fund in response to a question about the decision behind the new requirement. The regulation calls for preparedness for a natural disaster or man-caused event, such as violence.
Head Start has its own procedure, called Stay Safe, which emphasizes developmental needs and emotional support. The guidelines say there is almost no research on the needs of younger children during drills.
The Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning, under the FSSA, is currently reviewing and responding to comments from the first public hearing. Any changes the office makes will be reflected in the notice for the next public hearing at an unannounced date. Individuals can attend in-person or virtually.
After the second public hearing, the rules will face final approval under “various offices,” according to FSSA. The Office of the Attorney General and the Governor’s office both must approve the rule changes. Braun declined an interview request about the changes as a whole through a spokesperson.
Risks of negative mental impact on toddlers
Despite calling for drill requirements, some are worried they could cause harm or anxiety for young children. Indiana law prohibits intruder drills from using simulated gunfire and requires advanced notice for guardians. The law originated from a 2020 lawsuit in Monticello after police shot teachers participating in a drill with plastic pellets from behind, unannounced. It is written to apply to school corporations, charter schools and non-public schools. Roszak worries that leaves a regulatory gap for childcare that could lead to trauma that can’t be reversed.
“If we went through the trouble of saying, ‘Gosh, you can’t be doing execution style stuff and shooting people and causing this ridiculous unnecessary trauma to a 7- or 8-year-old,’ why in the world would you be allowed to do it to a 2-month-old or a 5-year-old?” Roszak said.
A 2020 study from Everytown, a gun violence prevention organization, and the Georgia Institute of Technology found increases in depression, stress, and anxiety after drills in students of all ages. For example, student concerns over death increased by 22% percent after a school drill.
“These findings unveil even more reason to pause before rushing toward active shooter drills as a potential solution to school violence, as evidence suggests that they are causing lasting emotional and physical harm to students, teachers, and the larger community,” according to Everytown’s website.
Holly Simpson, a volunteer with gun violence prevention advocacy group Moms Demand Action, got involved with the organization when her children’s middle school renovated to increase entrance security. She said her kids now think about possible exits when they enter a room. Rather than focusing on school security, Simpson supports restricting gun access through a storage law.
“Even for elementary school and high school kids who understand all the implications of these drills, it’s bad enough for them, but to put toddlers and young children in these kinds of situations that sounds really scary for them,” Simpson said. She said she supports trauma-informed drills and notifying parents ahead of time.
Some Indiana childcare providers have already been approaching Roszak asking about trainings for trauma-informed drill practices. The Institute offers a cheaper online training option for $65 and encourages providers to ask their local childcare resource and referral agency for funding support for in-person trainings.
Khan said his center’s main goal in the drills they already run is to keep children calm and explain later on what actually happened if necessary.
“It’s very hard for an infant to two-and-a-half [years old] to understand the concept of somebody shooting with a gun,” Khan said. “I think past that at three to four and five, you possibly have a window there.”
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Lucy Tobier is the politics reporting intern for the Indianapolis Star. She can be reached at lucy.tobier@indystar.com or on X at @TobierLucy
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: New Braun administration rule would require active shooter drills in daycares
Reporting by Lucy Tobier, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Lucy Tobier, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
