Is this totally out of control or just a sign of the times?

My friend’s son is in the first grade and since the Sandy Hook grade school shooting, his class has been practicing a “code red” alert. This consists of the school calling a code red meaning a stranger has entered the building and all the kids have to cram into the bathroom and practice not talking or crying. Her son is now afraid to go to bed until his mother looks in the closet and bathroom for a stranger.
Is this going too far, or is it now the norm?