P0162 - Evaluation of an established school safety curriculum’s impact on safety knowledge and anxiety

Background:
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, almost 95% of students attending public schools participate in school safety drills (or lockdown drills). Despite how prevalent school safety drills have become, no studies have evaluated the efficacy of their training or their effect on students’ psychosocial health.

Objective:
The aim of this study is to determine the impact on recall and anxiety of a school safety curriculum in children enrolled in grades 3-12. We hypothesize that after participating in the school safety curriculum, students will be able to retain one action item after a school safety drill, and students’ anxiety levels will be elevated immediately after the drill.

Design/

Methods:
This is a prospective, observational, cohort study of students enrolled in grades 3-12 in a suburban public-school district. Data was collected between October 2019 to December 2019. 2-3 weeks prior to a school safety drill, students completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children-State (STAIC-State), which measures anxiety at a point in time, and Trait (STAIC-Trait), which measures general anxiety. STAIC-State and STAIC-Trait scores range from 20 to 60, with higher scores signifying higher levels of anxiety. Immediately after the school safety drill, students completed the STAIC-State and 3 recall questions based on the school safety curriculum.

Results:
5776 students opted in to the study, with 2115 completing a baseline STAIC-State, 2131 completing a baseline STAIC-Trait, and 1484 completing the post-drill STAIC-State. Baseline STAIC-State scores were compared to post-drill scores for 982 students who completed both using paired T-tests. The drill was associated with a reduction in anxiety scores in high school students and in both males and females (Figure 1). No difference was found in anxiety scores in elementary or middle school students.

Students were evaluated on curriculum retention by answering recall questions. Of the 1646 responses, 42% answered at least 1 recall question correctly, with a higher percentage in middle school and high school students compared to elementary school students, and a higher percentage in females compared to males (Figure 2). Those who answered at least 1 recall question correctly had higher STAIC-State anxiety levels at baseline and post-drill; this was not significant for STAIC-Trait anxiety levels.

Conclusion:
School safety drills may not be associated with increased anxiety levels immediately after participation in a drill. Students with higher levels of anxiety at a point in time may retain more knowledge from school safety curriculums.