School Safety and Security

The U.S. Supreme Court kicked off a new term in October, with one of the first cases heard concerning whether "ghost guns" — or homemade guns assembled from kits purchased online — should be subject to background checks and age verification like other firearms on the market. 

In oral arguments Oct. 8 on Garland v. VanDerStok, many justices seemed inclined toward regulating ghost guns. While a final decision is likely months down the road, here's what you need to know about the issue and how it relates to K-12: 

Why are ghost guns relevant? 

A majority of 80 online ghost gun sellers began selling the product kits within the past five years, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control advocacy organization and the parent group of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. Everytown called the untraceable firearms the "fastest-growing gun safety problem facing our country." 

Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett indeed noted during oral arguments,  "These kits are a more recent problem." 

While regular firearms sellers and manufacturers are required to mark their products with serial numbers, maintain sales records and conduct background checks, those practices didn't apply to ghost guns until the Biden administration updated regulations to do so in 2022. 

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, arguing before the Supreme Court on behalf of the administration, said "those basic requirements are crucial to solving gun crimes and keeping guns out of the hands of minors, felons, and domestic abusers." Yet, Prelogar said later, "the manufacturers were themselves the sellers putting these products on the market with explicit knowledge that it was being put into the hands of teenagers." 

What is the link between ghost guns, teenagers and school shootings?

As ghost guns proliferate in the U.S., so too does their popularity among teenagers. 

"Once seen as the weapon of choice by terrorists, criminals, and others who couldn’t pass background checks, ghost guns have now started to show up in the hands of children and teens and in shootings at schools across the country," said Mark Barden, co-founder and co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit that advocates for gun violence prevention policies and programs, in an email to K-12 Dive. Barden's son, 7-year-old Daniel, was among the 20 children and six adults killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. 

According to a list compiled in 2023 by Everytown for Gun Safety, there have been more than 50 incidents involving teenagers and ghost guns since 2019. 

Earlier this year, the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department in Wisconsin disbanded a ghost gun manufacturing ring run by high school-aged teens, according to local news reports.

"They're going to high school during the day and at night, they have this illegal gun manufacturing operation going on instead of doing their homework," Sgt. Colin Coultrip, who supervises Westosha Central High School and Wilmot High School Resource Officers, told news outlet WISN.

According to Barden, ghost guns have been used in at least five school shootings so far, including a mass shooting at California's Saugus High School in 2019, when a 16-year old brought one to school, shot five students, killed two and then killed himself. 

What did the Biden administration do in response? 

In 2022, the Department of Justice issued a final rule clarifying that ghost guns count as "firearms" under the Gun Control Act. This change meant manufacturers of ghost gun kits would be subject to the same license, serial number and background check requirements as other firearm sellers. 

"Ghost guns are especially dangerous because they are completely accessible to people who are legally prohibited from purchasing firearms, including minors," said Barden. "Sold without background checks and serial numbers — unlike firearms sold by licensed manufacturers or importers — they’re almost impossible to trace." 

Those challenging the regulation — including two gun advocates from Texas, a firearms producer and retailer, and a firearms organization — say the Biden administration overstepped its authority in issuing the rule, partly by expanding the definition of "firearm" to include collections of its parts. 

However, some justices last week seemed unconvinced. 

Justice Brett Kavanaugh told Prelogar that the Biden administration’s argument "has force," but he worried that its regulation "broadens a criminal statute beyond what it had been before" and wondered whether the administration would criminally charge firearm sellers if they are "truly not aware that they are violating the law." Prelogar said that if a manufacturer believes in good faith that they aren't selling a regulated product in violation of the law, they would not be criminally chargeable — a response Kavanaugh said was "helpful."

"This bench of justices has been inconsistent in their rulings on sensible gun safety solutions," said Barden. 

In June, justices upheld a bar on firearms for those under domestic violence restraining orders. But that same month they struck down a ban on bump stocks, which alter semi-automatic guns to fire at a rate similar to machine guns. 

In the ghost gun case, upholding the Biden administration's regulations would be "their chance to take a stand to better protect our schools, homes, and communities from gun violence," Barden said.

With a flood of threats reported nationwide against schools in September, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently released guidance to help district leaders navigate the critical challenges that come with anonymous threats against K-12 schools.

Anonymous threats can cripple a school’s daily operations, sometimes forcing closures and lockdowns. Beyond losing instructional time, such threats can traumatize entire school communities, CISA wrote in its report. 

The agency cited FBI data that found schools were targeted in over 6,000 threats in 2022, most of which were anonymous and posted on social media. 

CISA recommends six key strategies for addressing anonymous threats:

• Boost awareness about reporting threats early. Proactively building awareness in a school community on reporting will help flag an anonymous threat before it spreads. Schools should encourage community members to “Report, Don’t Repost” threats they spot online. It’s equally important that parents and families have conversations with their children about the dangers and consequences of making threats. 
• Create a partnership structure to help address anonymous threats. Partners like the FBI and school-based law enforcement can help schools assess threats and appropriately respond. Mental health and other threat assessment professionals can also help school communities address threats and any aftermath to ensure that well-being and emotional needs are met.
• Consider including a multidisciplinary threat assessment team when investigating an anonymous threat. If the source of a threat is identified, schools should tap into multidisciplinary threat assessment teams to help flag the severity of the threat. From there, the team of school administrators, school-based law enforcement and school counselors can decide on the most fitting supports and interventions for students identified as a “risk of doing harm.”
• Seek balance when initially responding to threats. Given how certain threat responses — like lockdowns or increased police presence — can traumatize students, schools should consider how to balance their initial response while leaving open the possibility of rapidly intensifying security measures as needed. 
• Triage anonymous threats. Alongside law enforcement officials, schools should look at a threat’s background and context when determining whether to scale response up or down. From there, officials should identify any discernible patterns that could raise or lower the threat level. The final step should be to spot any imminent signs of the threat coming to fruition that may warrant a rapid response to protect the school community.
• Improve school preparedness to take on future threats. Threat response protocols, such as age-appropriate drills and safety training, should already be in place at schools. Schools should also have an established process for communicating with families on threats.

Sponsored content

By Navigate360

When emergencies strike, preparedness can mean the difference between chaos and control, fear and survival. While nearly 95% of schools nationwide have a written emergency response plan, having a plan is just the first step. Research reveals that while students and staff often understand the purpose of emergency procedures, many are unclear about the specific actions, roles, and responsibilities outlined in their school’s plan. The real question: Are these plans truly effective when it matters most?

I’m George Hunter, Director of Training at Navigate360, bringing over 27 years of law enforcement experience to the field of school safety. My mission is to empower individuals with the skills and confidence to act decisively during emergencies. By examining real incidents and the lessons they teach us, we can uncover actionable strategies to strengthen emergency response plans and safeguard school communities.

Why Effective Emergency Response Plans Matter

Schools face a wide range of potential threats, from natural disasters to acts of violence, requiring a proactive and adaptable approach. Yet, many schools fall short in key areas:

• Lack of Regular Training: Safety drills are often inconsistent or too narrowly focused, leaving staff and students underprepared for diverse scenarios.
• Weak Communication Protocols: Poorly coordinated communication can hinder timely responses during emergencies.
• Outdated Plans: Many schools rely on static, outdated plans that don’t address the dynamic nature of modern threats.

Consider this: During a recent school crisis, staff were unfamiliar with evacuation routes due to infrequent drills. This gap in preparedness delayed the response and escalated confusion among students and staff. Effective emergency response plans for schools are not just checkboxes—they’re living documents that evolve through practice, review, and refinement.

Lessons from Real Incidents: West Liberty-Salem's Story

In 2017, the small town of West Liberty, Ohio, experienced a school shooting that put their emergency response plans to the test. The quick actions of their ALICE-trained staff saved lives, underscoring the value of preparation. However, post-incident reviews revealed areas for improvement, such as enhancing reunification protocols and refining communication strategies.

This tragedy reinforced two key points:

1. Preparation Saves Lives: Regular drills and training enabled staff to respond swiftly and effectively.
2. Plans Need Flexibility: Real-world incidents often expose gaps that require ongoing updates and adaptations.

Proper planning and training are critical to equipping schools for emergencies. During the shooting, ALICE Training® proved invaluable. Staff who had undergone the training responded decisively, using their skills to protect students and minimize harm, demonstrating how preparation can save lives.

Greg Johnson, Principal of West Liberty-Salem, emphasizes the need for inclusive training: “Emergency plans aren’t just for administrators. Bus drivers, substitute teachers, and cafeteria workers play critical roles too.” He highlights the importance of preparation and response training for every member of the school community, ensuring all staff understand their roles and responsibilities.

By fostering situational awareness and critical thinking, Navigate360 ALICE Training helps schools move beyond compliance to build truly prepared communities capable of responding effectively to any crisis.

Practical Steps to Strengthen Emergency Response Plans

Strengthening emergency response plans for schools involves taking actionable steps to enhance preparedness and build confidence during crises:

1. Train Staff with Proactive Strategies: Empower staff to recognize threats, make informed decisions, and act decisively. Multi-option strategies, like those in ALICE Training®, are vital for addressing active shooter situations.
2. Streamline Communication Protocols: Integrate internal alerts, external notifications, and real-time updates into a cohesive strategy for seamless communication with staff, students, and emergency responders.
3. Review and Update Plans Annually: Use feedback from drills and evolving safety standards to refine emergency plans. Digital tools can simplify updates and streamline plan management.
4. Practice Diverse Drills: Conduct drills for emergencies ranging from natural disasters to active shooter incidents, involving all staff and students. Tools that document and analyze drill results can improve readiness and compliance.

Empowering Schools Through Preparation

Effective emergency response plans are the cornerstone of safe, resilient schools. They don’t just protect lives—they build trust among school communities and foster confidence in the face of uncertainty.

By committing to regular training, inclusive planning, and ongoing improvement, schools can stay ahead of emerging threats. At Navigate360, we’re here to help schools create comprehensive, actionable safety plans tailored to their unique needs.

Together, at an age-appropriate level and in a trauma informed manner, we can ensure that every student, teacher, and staff member feel equipped and supported.

A steady increase in school shootings in recent years, combined with a flurry of violent threats and swatting calls, has districts on edge as they begin the 2024-25 school year. 

In Florida, an 11-year-old allegedly made threats this school year to commit a mass shooting at a middle school in Volusia County — one of 54 threats received by school officials and law enforcement across the county in the span of just a week. In Chicago, threats of violence have already led to school closures, remote learning and panic among students this school year.

However, tips received by schools can also be credible. Right before a mass school shooting in Georgia last month, student Colt Gray's mother reportedly voiced concerns about her son to the school counselor at Apalachee High School before Gray killed two students and two teachers on Sept. 4. There is also speculation that one of Gray's teachers noted concerning behavior prior to the shooting, according to news reports.

"In the early stages of an incident, officials are in the 'fog of war,' and details may be scant," said Ken Trump, a school safety consultant and president of National School Safety and Security Services, an emergency preparedness firm. "As time goes on, details from each incident tend to unfold to get a better understanding of what happened, what did not happen, what worked, and what, if anything, failed."

Routing reports to behavioral threat assessment teams

To evaluate the credibility of concerning student behavior, schools should have in place a behavioral threat assessment team that investigates all concerns — no matter how big or small, said Guy Bliesner, a school safety and security analyst for the Idaho State Board of Education. 

However, for the threat assessment teams to meet their full potential, schools should have in place a system where anyone — teachers, students, parents, bus drivers — can make a report that is ultimately routed to the team for evaluation. 

"When you look at the after action reports from these things, multiple people said, 'Well, I saw this. I saw that.' It was never routed anywhere," said Bliesner. 

That information, Bliesner said, should be "moved effectively to somewhere to be looked at in aggregate with all of the other reports — the one that came from the cafeteria and from the bus driver and from all of those places — so that you can build the entire picture, as opposed to trying to make this decision based on one-off observations." 

Change reporting culture

To encourage that kind of reporting, however, classroom culture needs to shift from one where teachers feel judged for student misbehavior to one where reporting is expected. 

"And that's a hangover from another era, where we didn't report anything for fear that it would be listed on our teacher evaluation that we didn't have good classroom management skills," said Bliesner. "So we're fighting an institutional inertia of teachers who believe that good teaching is handling it in a classroom."

Professional development and training can help in this area. 

"While the facts and merits of each case will vary, a common theme we have seen in prior school safety litigation cases is that allegations of failures tend to focus on alleged failures of human factors — people, policies, procedures, communications, training, systems gaps, etc.," said Trump. "Not alleged failures of security hardware, products, and technology." 

Put support in place early

Entire school communities must also embrace the reporting culture, including kids who are sometimes pressured to not report out of fear for punitive consequences their peers might face, said Bliesner. 

To avoid that fear, behavioral threat assessment systems should offer support rather than suspicion to students who have been reported. 

"Behavioral threat assessment is not disciplinary," stressed Bliesner. "It was never designed as such."

Rather, they are meant to identify students who may need specific support, like mental health resources, and provide that resource while also keeping students and communities safe. "So do understand that it's not and should not be seen as disciplinary or punitive in any way."

While school security experts often vouch for threat assessment teams, several disability and civil rights groups oppose them, citing concerns that students with disabilities and students of color are disproportionately impacted. 

NASHVILLE — With just four school days left before summer break for Oklahoma’s Moore Public Schools, district administrators were preparing for high winds, thunderstorms and hail to roll through the area around dismissal time on May 20, 2013.

However, by 2:40 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning in Cleveland County, where most of the district’s schools are located, said Superintendent Robert Romines. Then, at 2:56 p.m., the first reports came out of a tornado in progress.

By 3:01 p.m., a tornado emergency was issued for Moore, and at 3:16 p.m., the tornado severely damaged Briarwood Elementary School before destroying Plaza Towers Elementary School minutes later. Shortly after that, the tornado hit the Highland East Junior High gymnasium, the district’s administration building and its information technology building. 

“We had about 16 minutes to prepare for an F2 tornado increasing to an F5 tornado once it hits the most western side of our school district,” Romines said.

The lethal tornado took the lives of seven 3rd graders who were sheltering in Plaza Towers Elementary’s gym when it collapsed. At the time, some of the district’s schools — including Briarwood and Plaza Towers — lacked a storm shelter. But Romines said that’s no longer the case, since a local bond passed in 2015 to fund construction of shelters for every district building. 

Romines and other Moore Public Schools administrators reflected on that tragic day 11 years ago and shared lessons learned on crisis response and recovery efforts during a Sept. 18 panel at the Association of School Business Officials International’s annual conference. 

Reunify school communities ASAP

As schools develop their own specific crisis plans, it’s important to make staff, students and parents aware of where reunification sites — and alternative reunification sites — are located, said Dustin Horstkoetter, the district’s director of safety and security. 

“Have a backup to the backup to the backup,” Horstkoetter said. 

Michelle McNear, who served as principal at Wayland Bonds Elementary during the 2013 storm and is now deputy superintendent of human resources, said she remembered watching the tornado stop right in front of her school and then head down a different route.

In a severe situation like this, McNear said she could not carry out her school’s standard checkout system to release students to their parents. With over 650 students in the building, McNear said, at one point she had to check out over 300 students within three to four minutes.

“I told my teachers to get a roster, and if we called the names, just mark the kids off,” McNear said. “We could not do it in the office and keep up, but we needed to get our kids to their parents.”

After such a tragedy, it’s also important to bring students back into their school community as quickly as possible, said McNear.

McNear said staff were brought back into the schools that were still in good condition days after the tornado to have a chance to be with each other. Students were also able to return to pick up supplies and see their teachers before the summer break began.

“Kids need to see their teacher. They need to see their principal,” McNear said. “They need to be in their building. They need the familiar.”

Prioritize mental health counseling

McNear said it’s crucial to invest in mental health counseling for both students and staff immediately after a crisis. Within a day after an emergency, counseling services need to be made available.

“If you don’t deal with the counseling component on this, you will pay for it for years to come in your district, I promise you on that,” McNear said. “We’ve seen it through our administrators. We’ve seen it through our kids.”

Following the tornado, the district made counseling services available throughout the summer and into the next school year, McNear added. “So have your resources in place before something happens.” This includes triage sites for counseling centers, she said.

Memorialize the lives lost

When the district decided to rebuild a new elementary school at the Plaza Towers Elementary site, administrators wanted to create a memorial in collaboration with the families of the students who died that day.

The memorial includes seven granite benches, each with the name of a child inscribed. The bench designs reflect each student’s passions and interests, McNear said. 

“There’s a story to be told here with our seven students,” Romines said. “Like Ms. McNear said, it’s a very friendly environment, but there is a story there, and … it’s continued to be told.”

In his own personal way to memorialize that day, Romines said he still has a clock he found intact in a Briarwood Elementary classroom after the tornado. “That’s when time stood still at Briarwood, and that clock sits in my office today as a gentle reminder.”

One in six teachers nationwide works in a district impacted by gun violence since the 2019-20 school year, according to a Rand Corp. report released Sept. 18. Teachers were more concerned about being victims of gun violence in the 2023-24 school year than in the year prior. 

Teachers working in urban, suburban and large schools, as well as in schools serving mostly students of color, were more likely than their peers to report that their district was impacted by gun violence in the past five years.

Despite growing concerns and an increasing number of incidents of gun violence on school grounds in recent years, practice drills to prepare for such an incident remain controversial.

"But even practice drills — which simulate lockdown situations in an attempt to increase staff and students’ preparedness to respond to actual emergencies — may be troubling for school communities," said Rand Corp. researchers in the report.

Active shooter drills are linked to increased depression, stress, anxiety and physiological health problems among students of all ages, as well as parents and teachers, according to 2020 research from Everytown for Gun Safety and Georgia Tech.

Although active shooter drills can be stressful and fear-inducing for students, just 16% of teachers in the Rand research indicated their schools have adults monitoring students for signs of trauma in real time — which the National Association of School Psychologists and National Association of School Resource Officers both recommend.. 

While active shooter drills have been shown to have a negative impact on the school community, their effectiveness remains a tossup. 

Only 20% of teachers said drills make them feel safer. And half of teachers perceive drills as having no impact on preparedness, according to the Rand report.

In research released last year by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, less than a quarter of schools said they were "very prepared" to respond to an active shooter.

Starting this school year, New York school districts will be banned from running realistic active shooter drills — such as using actors, props, simulations or tactics mimicking a school shooting or other incidents of violence — during the school day or at school activities.

Any realistic drills outside those parameters require parents' or guardians' written consent, according to a school safety measure that kicks in on Wednesday. The New York State Education Department Board of Regents, which oversees K-12 schools in the state, approved the measure unanimously July 15. 

Schools will instead be required to ensure that drills are "trauma-informed" and conducted in a "developmentally and age-appropriate manner." Students and staff must be informed in advance when a school is conducting a drill. 

The changes are effective July 31 and kick in at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. 

"In recent years, concerns have been raised nationwide about the unintended trauma or harm to students, staff, and/or families that may result from drills that are not communicated as being practice rather than an actual emergency," according to a July 11 memo on the amendment from Angelique Johnson-Dingle, deputy commissioner for P-12 instructional support at the New York State Education Department. 

"This is pronounced when a drill is conducted that includes elements to simulate a possible emergency," Johnson-Dingle said.

The memo cited tragedies at Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary School as propelling school safety initiatives in the state, including the Safe Schools Task Force and the School Safety Improvement Team. 

However, while deadly mass shootings have prompted gun violence prevention and safety measures on school grounds, there has also been a growing awareness to ensure those methods are trauma-informed.

Active shooter drills are conducted in about 95% of American K-12 schools, according to 2017 data from the National Center for Education Statistics. In a 2023 Ipsos poll of K-12 parents, a majority of respondents said they support at least one active shooter drill per year at school starting as young as kindergarten. More than half said their child had experienced one such drill at school.

A majority (78%) also supported warning students about drills ahead of time, and fewer supported scenarios like banging on the outside of classroom doors (42%) and using the sound of guns or gunshots (36%).

Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates for gun violence prevention including on school grounds, recommends against active shooter drills that can cause "distress and sometimes lasting trauma." 

"Schools should carefully consider these impacts before conducting live drills that involve students," the group says on its website.

Administrators are under pressure to prepare for active school shootings, according to a 2021 study on the psychological impact of school shooter drills published in the Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. 

Drills can range from general lockdowns to simulations including masked shooters and gunfire, the researchers said. "However, the broad and lasting impact of these drills on the well-being of school communities is poorly understood." 

The study found that anxiety, stress and depression increased by up to 42% following active shooter drills. However, it also found that such drills increased civic engagement by up to 106%. 

Researchers in that study said their findings could indicate that proactive school safety strategies rather than active shooter drills may be more effective and take less of a toll on the mental health of K-12 school communities.