Push to change NYS school lockdown drill requirements

Lockdown drills have become common in schools. But some mental health experts said they may be doing more harm than good.

MECHANICVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Lockdown drills have become common in schools. They are meant to teach students and staff how to respond in case of an emergency inside the building.

But some mental health experts said they may be doing more harm than good.

"Schools should be places for learning, reading, writing, arithmetic," NYS Sen. Andrew Gounardes said. "They should not be places to learn how to duck and cover."

A 2016 law requires New York schools to perform lockdown drills at least four times a year, an approach the group Moms Demand Action calls "harmful and ineffective."

"Excessive drills increase anxiety and depression in children of all ages, and haven't our kids been through enough?" Sheffali Welch with Moms Demand Action said.

But not everyone is in agreement.

"I think it's a terrible idea to be honest with you," Ken Cooper said.

Cooper is a retired police officer and is in charge of orchestrating lockdown drills at Mechanicville High School.

"I think that once we start limiting the amount of lockdowns we have, the people that actually are thinking about doing these active shooting events are gonna be at an advantage," he said.

The bill also calls for parents to be given a head's up when the drills will take place.

"The active shooter that comes in and wants to harm students and staff, he's not calling on the phone and saying, 'Hey, we're coming in 12 o'clock on Tuesday,'" Cooper said.

Sophia Tomasso is finishing her senior year at Mechanicville.

"I could be off at college and the same thing could happen, and I'd know what to do," she said.

The new legislation calls for two lockdown drills per year.

"Two is enough," Sen. Gounardes said. "And then that puts us in line with the vast majority of states."

The bill was introduced last year but never made it to the floor for a vote.