Lockdown drills are a fact of life in U.S. schools. What does that mean for students?

"Since the start of the school year, there have been more than 70 shootings on campuses across the U.S., according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. That level of violence is why educators in the U.S. face what feels like an impossible but very American question: How do you prepare kids for the possibility of gun violence at school without traumatizing them?"

"It's a question Amy Kujawski, principal of St. Anthony Middle School near Minneapolis, thinks about a lot. "The biggest, the most important message I can share to my students and my families and my teachers," Kujawski says. "Schools are really, really safe places." It's likely her school will never have to deal with violence, but she has to prepare the kids anyway."

"It's also the first drill since the August mass shooting at nearby Annunciation Catholic School and Church, which led to the deaths of two children. "It's terrible. It's unacceptable. I cannot believe we just carry on. Andwe do use different language in positive, affirming ways because of all of that tragedy," Kujawski says. "We will emphasize the belonging, the safety, the love and care and warmth.""

More than 70 school campus shootings have occurred since the school year began, creating pressure on educators to prepare students for potential gun violence without causing trauma. Amy Kujawski, principal of St. Anthony Middle School near Minneapolis, emphasizes that schools are very safe while still conducting precautions. The school held the first of five state-mandated lockdown drills after a nearby August mass shooting that killed two children. Kujawski uses positive, affirming language, breathing-exercise stickers, fidget spinners, and visible signs promoting love and safety. Laminated safety-protocol posters with simple commands are posted in every room and are familiar to students and first responders.

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