HS AC
AN FFRDC OPER ATED BY R AND UNDER CO N T R ACT WITH DHS
HOMELAND SECURITY
OPERATION AL ANALYS IS CENTER
PAULINE MOORE, MELISSA KAY DILIBERTI, BRIAN A. JACKSON
Teachers’ Experiences
with School Violence and
Lockdown Drills
Findings from a 2023 American Teacher
Panel Survey
V
iolent incidents, such as shootings, and potentially violent incidents, including threats of
shootings, have become relatively common occurrences in K–12 schools across the United
States. Between January 2023 and March 2024, the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which
collects information on a wide variety of firearms-related incidents across the country
based on media reports, recorded more than eight shootings per month on average at K–12 schools
(see Figure 1). Other databases have recorded even higher numbers of shooting incidents.
1
In addi-
tion to shootings, the GVA dataset captured news reports of an average of 68 incidents per month of
confiscated guns at K–12 schools, as well as an average of eight additional incidents of gun carrying
per month reported as resulting in campuswide lockdowns (GVA, undated).
A lockdown is a protocol commonly used by K–12 schools in response to violent incidents
or threats of violence, such as shootings, in which classroom doors are locked, and students and
staff go to a safe space inside their classrooms and remain quiet until an “all clear” is given. While
implementation may vary by context, lockdowns generally involve locking classroom and exterior
doors, turning off lights, moving out of sight of interior and exterior windows, and remaining silent
(Schild kraut et al., 2023). As of the writing of this report, 96 percent of U.S. public schools have a
written plan in place detailing procedures to be taken in the event of an active shooter event, which
often involves lockdowns (Irwin et al., 2023). Meanwhile, 93 percent of U.S. public schools have
similar plans meant to address bomb threats or incidents that could require additional or alternative
steps to take during an emergency (e.g., evacuations) (Irwin et al., 2023).
Research Report
