SIMEX After Action Report

As part of its mission to promote school safety and security across the nation, CISA sponsored the pilot School Security Simulation Experiment (SIMEX) in collaboration with MITRE (a non-for-profit research and development organization) and George Mason University (GMU). This two-week-long SIMEX focused on examining current security procedures and technologies with the goal of producing data-informed recommendations to improve both physical and operational security in K-12 schools—primarily against active assailants. Using virtual reality technology, this SIMEX specifically focused on evaluating three main variables and their effect on the outcome of an active shooter event: utilization of School Resource Officers (SRO), door locking policies, and staff capabilities for lockdown initiation. The key findings and takeaways from this SIMEX are detailed in an After-Action Report (AAR) and were developed based on quantitative and qualitative data analysis collected throughout the event. The goal of these findings is to provide data-informed conclusions and recommendations regarding physical and operational security in K-12 schools in the hopes of informing policy and operational decisions at the state, district, and school level.