The guidance comes amid ongoing safety concerns for area schools. Indian Community School in Franklin closed for two days in September after a man pointed a handgun at a staff member. Milwaukee-area schools also conduct safety drills to prepare students for possible threats.

Bianca Tocci, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a pediatric trauma psychologist at Children’s Wisconsin, said adults should inform children without overwhelming them. How they approach the subject should depend on a child’s development, experiences and ability to understand what is being discussed.

Tocci and national school and educator organizations recommend four approaches:

**Ask what children already know.** Children may have heard about guns from classmates, drills, social media or events in their neighborhoods. Starting with questions can reveal misunderstandings and help adults respond without introducing unnecessary or graphic details.

The National Education Association advises letting children’s questions guide how much information adults share. Younger elementary students may need short explanations and reassurance, including simple examples such as locked school doors. Older children may have more detailed questions about safety measures at school and in the community.

**Stay calm.** Tocci said adults should speak truthfully and evenly because children can pick up on their emotions. Trish Kilpin, director of the Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of School Safety, said safety drills should also be explained in a way children can manage.

“For a kindergartner, maybe the ‘school safety drill’ is about the following directions of your teacher,” Kilpin said. “Anxiety and learning doesn’t work.”

John McKenna, executive director of the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, said the experience of a drill can vary substantially by age. Being told to hide for 30 minutes, he said, is different for a 5-year-old than for a college sophomore.

**Make clear that adults are responsible for safety.** Tocci recommends naming trusted adults children can turn to, such as caregivers, teachers and first responders, and explaining the protections already in place. The National Association of School Psychologists similarly advises reassuring younger children that adults are there to protect them. Older students can be helped to understand ways they can support their own safety and the safety of others.

**Keep talking and stay connected.** A single conversation may not resolve every concern. Tocci said supportive relationships with caregivers and other community members can help children exposed to violence. Regular shared activities and opportunities to talk with trusted adults can create more support for healing, she said.

The goal, experts say, is not to give every child the same explanation, but to answer their questions with care, offer reassurance suited to their age and keep trusted adults accessible as concerns arise.