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Students and safety advocates press committee to make school drills trauma‑informed; working group plan backed by many witnesses
Summary
Lawmakers heard emotional testimony from students and parents and broad support for HB 7077, which would require trauma‑informed, age‑appropriate crisis drills in Connecticut schools and limit surprise active‑shooter simulations that many witnesses described as harmful.
A bipartisan working group’s recommendations to change how Connecticut schools conduct crisis drills drew broad support at the Education Committee public hearing. HB 7077 would create a statutory framework requiring age‑appropriate, trauma‑informed crisis-preparedness measures and would limit or prohibit simulation tactics that many students and clinicians say can be retraumatizing.
Student witnesses gave emotional testimony. “When I hear the alarm, there’s always a split second of terror,” said Skyler Urbina, a Newtown High School sophomore. “These thoughts don’t go away when the drill ends.” Callie Taylor, also a Newtown student, told lawmakers that drills made her “associate these safety drills with negative memories.” Several student witnesses urged the committee to require advance notice, pre‑drill education in age‑appropriate language, and alternatives to surprise active‑shooter simulations.
Education and public-health groups — including the Connecticut Education Association and the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education — said they support the working group’s guidance. “Periodic crisis response drills may be necessary to ensure preparedness but there is evidence that overuse of school lockdown drills can have adverse impacts on the mental health of students and staff,” testified Luis Rosado Birch for CEA.
Gun‑violence prevention groups told lawmakers that preventing unauthorized access to firearms is the primary way to keep children safe; they urged the committee to pair drill reforms with public outreach on secure storage. Connecticut Against Gun Violence and allied groups also recommended notifying parents in their native languages and involving school‑based mental‑health professionals in planning and post‑drill debriefs.
School‑safety practitioners and many committee members pushed back against sweeping bans on drills, arguing school teams must retain flexibility to practice responses and to coordinate with first responders. Several school officials said drills for staff-only and tabletop exercises remain essential. The working group’s text aims to balance those needs by requiring pre‑drill training, limiting use of live‑simulation tactics with students, and mandating accommodations for students with disabilities.
What’s next: The committee received the working group’s report and extensive public comment. Members asked for technical edits and a clearer implementation plan; no vote was recorded. Several lawmakers said they would press for additional training and language to ensure the statute requires coordination with mental‑health staff and protection for vulnerable students.
