Kendall County Times

In an effort to protect the mental well-being of students, the Illinois State Senate has unanimously passed measures that would restrain drills for school shootings.

House Bill 2400, titled the School Safety Drill Act, would require school lockdown drills to be announced in advance and involve school personnel, and would also require drills to be toned down and no longer include graphic simulations of active shooter incidents, according to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). 

The bill is sponsored by State Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago), who took to Facebook to thank one of her constituents for raising the issue.

"Thanks to Maggie, a young constituent, for bringing this issue to our attention and impacting change! Youths voices matter," Villa wrote in a May 28 Facebook post.

Under the bill, parents would be permitted to exempt their children from participating in drills and also give school administrators the option to forego drills and instead provide alternative safety education and instructions.

“As many students live in fear of a shooting happening at their school, it’s important that we work to keep them safe without causing additional trauma,” Villa said in a statement. “This legislation will give students an opportunity to prepare for an active threat without having to experience the distress of a school shooting.”