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The Conversation
James Densley, Professor of Criminal Justice, Metropolitan State University

Students are taught to hide in closets and under tables if there is a school shooting – but does practicing for this possibility keep kids safe?

Most schools do lockdown drills, but there is not any federal guidance on the best approach to this practice. TW Farlow/iStock/Getty Images Plus

There have been 63 school shootings – meaning any time there is gunfire on a school campus – so far in 2026.

They happen so often that preparing for one has become normal. Students as young as 4 years old routinely practice for the possibility of a school shooting with lockdown drills – typically, hiding in the corner of a dark classroom, behind a locked door.

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