Students in local schools participate in safety drills about twice a month because of a new state law that requires 16 drills during the school year, officials say.
Some worry the increased drills do more harm than good, but school administrators say theyve also given them an opportunity to better examine safety plans for a variety of emergencies.
State legislators are now considering a bill that would reduce the number of drills after receiving complaints from school groups that say their increased frequency not only takes away from instruction time but also causes anxiety among students and faculty when the focus is on a possible intruder intending to do harm.