As mass shootings are becoming something to worry more about, many students are unprepared for the incidents.

As of Oct. 27 there have been a total of 294 mass shooting incidents that have occurred in the year of 2018 according to Gun Violence Archive. This year the only thing the school has done to prepare the students for an active shooter is have a “see something, say something” assembly.   

There have been many assemblies about what to do, but there are a lot of students who don’t pay attention at assemblies. Larger settings can be very distracting for students to stay focus and consume information.

There is only so much that one can learn from assemblies, but what one has not learned could have been what saved ones life.  Something one cannot be taught is how to stay calm and not freak out if a shooter was present. Also students may think they know what they would do if shooting occurred, but they don’t.

If the school has active shooting drills at least once a year it will better prepare students in case of the event occurring.  The drills could include a security guard or staff member pretending to be a shooter during a school day. Students will then experience how to safely block classroom entrances and hide.  Also students would learn how to stay calm and safely escape the incident.

Active shooting drills are important to have in schools especially with the society today.  Six states require schools to have specific active shooting drills each year according to Vox news.  Students and staff will leave the drill with more knowledge that could someday save their lives.