Hirschauer Passed New Law to Protect Students from Trauma

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. –  To help keep students safe during school lockdown drills, state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, sponsored an initiative to implement best practices, while ensuring these drills include trauma-informed approaches and age appropriate content. After passing through the legislature with bipartisan support, the new law will take effect immediately. 

“The safety of our students while they attend school is of the upmost importance, but it is vital to ensure that safety drills are run to consider the wellbeing of staff and school personnel as well,” said Hirschauer. “Parents will now know when the drills will occur, providing parents with an opportunity to discuss the importance of safety drills with their children.”

House Bill 2400 requires that parents and guardians of students must receive prior notice of a law enforcement drill no less than 5 days prior to the drill. This law will also ensure that these drills cannot include simulations that mimic an actual school shooting incident of active school shooter event. This will ensure schools adopt age and developmentally appropriate drills with the help of school-based mental health professionals and trauma-informed approaches when addressing these tough situations.

“This bill is very personal to me and my family because my daughter, Maggie, began advocating for these commonsense changes back when she was in elementary school. After being taught to fight back, throw her Chromebook at a shooter, or even stand on the toilet to hide, she and her classmates no longer felt safe in their school,” said Hirschauer. “She wanted to see change, not only for her own classmates, but for students across Illinois. Now, three years later, we are able to provide all students with trauma informed, commonsense safety drills.”

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