Kansas committee hears bill setting standards for active-shooter drills and requiring yearly violence-prevention instruction

Senate Bill 263, the Students Safe at School Act, was presented to the Kansas Senate Committee on Education with provisions that would set statewide standards for active-shooter drills and simulations, require schools to provide evidence-based violence-prevention training for students in grades 6 through 12, and establish parental notice and opt-in/opt-out rules.

The bill’s overview was presented by Tamara Lawrence, a committee staff member, who told the panel that the legislation would not mandate active-shooter drills but would make them one defined type of the three crisis drills already required under current law. “This bill does not require that schools conduct active shooter drills,” Lawrence said, adding that the statute would require schools that choose to conduct such drills to follow standards in the bill, provide 24-hour advance notice to parents, allow parental opt-out for students, and provide a debrief and student access to mental-health services after drills.

Supporters and neutral witnesses described the proposal as an attempt to create uniform definitions and trauma-informed procedures while preserving local planning. Katya Rodriguez, manager of state policy for Sandy Hook Promise, testified in strong support and described the bill’s distinction between drills and simulations: “Drills focus on preparedness, teaching students and staff how to respond to a crisis…