"Some of the kids are scared to death."

[link:https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2019/09/18/active-shooter-drills-at-school-some-of-the-kids-are-scared-to-death/|

School drills designed to protect students from shootings are in and of itself scary to schoolchildren, some parents and lawmakers say, with little kids in elementary classrooms frightened to the point that they need counseling.

Now, families and politicians are wondering if the so-called “active shooter drills” are too much for vulnerable kids, and whether schools should consider ways to reduce the number of drills that have become part of the education landscape.

Law enforcement officials are now looking at recommendations for state lawmakers.

The drills have come after a series of shooting massacres, from Colorado’s Columbine, to Connecticut’s Sandy Hook to South Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and staff were killed by a shooter in February 2018.

In Hillsborough County schools doing active shooter drills, “Some of the kids are scared to death,” says State Sen. Janet Cruz, a Tampa Democrat who spoke about the issue at this week’s Senate Education Committee meeting.