Oxford High School has conducted many trainings on how to deal with gunmen in school. But some critics questioned their purpose.

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On Tuesday, a gunman opened fire at Oxford High School in Michigan. The panicked students and teachers remembered their active shooting training. They blocked the door with tables and chairs. They covered the windows, then quietly curled up in a corner or bathroom cubicle. Some people arm themselves with temporary weapons such as scissors and calculators. When a path seemed clear, they ran away.

According to students, this creepy choreography is performed several times a year in school. Some said it helped them survive the shooting, which killed four teenagers and several others were in critical or serious conditions. The students talked about having a strategy at hand, even in chaos.

"I think the training is very helpful," said Joyeux Times, a 16-year-old junior who was at the school at the time of the shooting. "It has saved many students' lives."

But the nightmare of Oxford High School-where one of the students was accused of murder and terrorism-also reminded people that blocking exercises will not stop gun violence. Before the coronavirus pandemic, more than 95% of American schools adopted this strategy, and in the past few years, criticism of this training has grown and parents and some researchers have questioned its use.

"There is no strong evidence that these exercises are helpful," said Megan Carrollan, vice president of research at the Children's Success Institute.

From kindergarten to grade 12, almost all American public school students participate in lock-in exercises—sometimes several times a year. However, although the headlines following the school shootings in the United States are widely known, the risk to any individual student is still minimal, and the vast majority of violent incidents affecting children and young people occur in families or communities.

Critics worry that the cumulative effect of these exercises will damage the mental health of students, but will not help prevent mass shootings. Some critics say that the strong focus on "strengthening" schools may affect strategies to prevent shootings, such as stricter gun laws, better threat assessments, and more school mental health counseling.

Ms. Caroland said that active shooting training "may be traumatic," especially for young students. She said other ways to reduce the risk of school shootings might include helping children develop "emotional regulation skills, recognize when they feel uncomfortable, and feel comfortable when talking with adults."

But for schools, intensive safety work seems a must. Most states require safety drills. The school security industry is a big business, and many companies sell training courses, metal detectors, and security gadgets to managers and police departments.

Oxford High School uses an active shooting training called ALICE: "Alert, lock, notify, counterattack, and evacuate." Navigate360 has an ALICE training program that provides two-day courses for school staff and police, and then they return to the community for training Teachers and students.

These exercises are different from other exercises in that they attach great importance to the active strategy of avoiding gunmen when they cannot leave the scene.

JP Guilbault, CEO of Navigate360, said that in past shooting incidents, traditional lock-in exercises allowed students to "hide and stay still" and "result in death."

"We teach roadblocks, where to lock, communication and passwords, and how to use noise to distract and create distance," he said. "Counter-attack or fighting is the last resort."

According to reports, some strategies learned by Oxford high school students have a mixed record, said Chris Dorn, a consultant for Safe Havens International, a non-profit organization that helps schools improve safety.

For example, some students arm themselves with items such as scissors, which may make the perpetrators more likely to shoot, he said. Mr. Guilbault said that ALICE training does not allow students to arm themselves with any specific tools, but it does discuss using nearby objects to "distract."

The roadblocks also have critics. Teachers in Oxford used a product called Nightlock, a barrier at the bottom of the door, and some students said they blocked them with furniture. But Mr. Dorn said that evidence of past school shootings shows that roadblocks increase noise and show gunmen where people are hiding.

Professor Jaclyn Schildkraut said that the most important strategies for students and teachers when encountering active shooters are to lock the door, turn off the lights, stay out of sight and ignore any knocks or problems outside the room. State University of New York at Oswego, majoring in criminal justice, research school blockade exercises.

However, the larger issue of active shooting training goes beyond tactics—and overflows to how schools should balance the threat of violence with the mental health of students.

She said that Dr. Schildkraut's research has shown that even relatively mild lock-in exercises "slightly" reduce students' sense of security in school. But she believes these exercises are necessary because the teenagers who participated in the exercises reported that they "feel more prepared and more capable," she said. "It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not own it."

Experts unanimously believe that the younger the drill, the more careful the exercise, the emphasis on overall safety, and the opinions of adults in special circumstances, rather than specific threats of gun violence.

But almost every American child will eventually face the existence of school shootings.

In Chicago, Sara Rezvi, who was a public school teacher and now instructs after-school planning, recalled a ninth-grade girl who asked her during a lockdown exercise: "Ms. Rezvi, if someone had a gun Walk in, will you block the bullet for us?"

Although she is not necessarily opposed to these exercises, Ms. Rezwei said that the school has almost no room for teachers and students to listen to the fear they have caused.

"There were no mental health resources before, during and after," she said. "None of this was signed by any of us, and it is exhausting not to take any measures."

In Oakland County, Michigan, the authorities proudly spoke of the Oxford High School’s lockdown agreement and pointed out that in the shooting, students, staff, and police all acted in accordance with the training they received.

Oakland County Attorney Karen D. McDonald said: “The response was executed perfectly, but four children were killed and many others were injured.” His office is responsible for overseeing criminal cases. "We really can't train ourselves to escape this tragedy."

Giulia Heyward and Mitch Smith contributed reporting to this article.