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Center for Injury Research and Prevention

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Comprehensive strategies are required to prevent school shootings. The good news is there are proven strategies and approaches ready to be implemented by schools and communities.

School shootings typically involve a mix of suicidal thoughts, despair and anger-- plus access to guns. Schools are the right place to identify students at risk and who are in despair. Often there are signs of distress from the perpetrator that, when ignored, may pave the way to an extreme act of violence.

Begin with School Climate

Building a cohesive and supportive school environment is key to preventing school shootings and traumatic events like other types of mass shootings. In this environment:

1. Students feel safe to talk to each other and to staff

2. There is mutual trust and respect among students and school staff

3. There is on-going dialogue and relationships with family and community members that interact with the school.

4. There is adequate support, training and resources for school staff (See " Recommended Reading " for examples of programs and resources)

Health Care Settings

Health care providers can also help in preventing school shootings. They are positioned to identify young patients at risk. At CHOP, primary care and emergency care providers can utilize behavioral health screening tools to identify, assess and refer patients for mental health services to prevent mental illness from being left untreated or ignored. Medical professionals can partner with specific, local mental health providers to establish clear communication, consultation, and referral pathways for at-risk patients.

Addressing Risk of Violence with Programs and Policy

To reduce the risk for individuals with emotional and behavioral challenges to become violent, programs and policies should have the following aims:

Reduce the day-to-day aggression and the many forms it takes (e.g., physical, social, cyber) within schools and communities. Experts feel that this type of toxic school and community stress, combined with the vulnerabilities of youth, can lead youth with emotional and behavioral problems to be more at risk for future violence, delinquency, and even depression and suicidal acts. Many programs exist. One school-based program developed at CHOP is called PRAISE, which promotes positive school climate in elementary schools.

Decrease the isolation these children and youth often feel by actively integrating them into peer activities. Schools promoting an inclusive climate in which at-risk youth are also learning better problem-solving and conflict resolution skills are more likely to provide a safe and productive atmosphere.

Close gaps in mental health services for children with emotional and behavioral problems and to provide a broader continuum of mental health care, including exceptions to privacy protection policies to allow for better communication about the mental health needs of students.

For information on preventing school shootings, click here for sensible policy recommendations to reduce access to guns for youth, especially youth with mental illness.

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Comprehensive strategies are required to prevent school shootings. The good news is there are proven strategies and approaches ready to be implemented by schools and communities. School shootings typically involve a mix of suicidal thoughts, despair and anger-- plus access to guns. Schools are the right place to identify students at risk and who are in despair.

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1. Do not wait for an FBI response alone. Find ways to better listen to students and teachers who are aware of threats

Student and teacher awareness of weapons and threats is a potentially powerful way to prevent future tragedies. These voices are much closer to the ground than anonymous calls to an FBI tip line.

Findings from the California Healthy Kids biannual survey consistently suggest that over the past seven years about 20% to 30% of secondary school students, depending on the year, grade level and school type, reported having seen a weapon on school grounds.

In California alone, based on the total number of secondary school students, this could be more than half a million students. Listening to these students, we learn that there are many weapons on school grounds and students know about them.

The students' knowledge of weapons in their school is the rumbling before the earthquake. We cannot expect national anti-terrorist experts to effectively screen this information. We need to use this local knowledge at the school level more effectively and wisely. We also need support for the students who are in fear of weapons at school, but are still obligated to attend school each day.
2. Pay attention to obsessions with firearms
Many shooters in mass school shootings are obsessed with firearm arsenals. Obsession with prior school shootings, mass murders and methods used to kill many people are warning signs of a potential threat.

Often, discussions about the Second Amendment focus only on the right of citizens to possess firearms. But those who openly express obsessions with arsenals of firearms and profess the desire to kill others should be seen by law enforcement and school professionals not as citizens expressing a constitutional right, but citizens who are dangerous to others.

Policy allowing officials greater latitude to act when these factors jointly appear is important even if the weapons are obtained legally. Schools and local authorities need guidance to better flag situations where both the obsession with arsenals and expressed desire to harm occur. We need laws, procedures and policies that specifically allow authorities to act when threats are coupled with ownership of firearm arsenals.
3. Implement a national public health strategy focused on reducing weapons on school grounds
There are illegal weapons already on campuses. Identifying the schools that face the largest threats due to the number of weapons on campus is critical. This data is available through state-level school climate surveys and we should undertake a public health campaign aimed at reducing weapons at these schools.

A significant number of students bring, are aware of, or have seen weapons on school grounds. Publicly available biannually collected California student survey data suggests that between 2011 and 2015, approximately 7% to 10% of California secondary school students reported that they had brought a weapon other than a gun to school grounds. Approximately 3% to 5% specifically reported carrying a gun in school.

Given that there are more than 2.5 million students in California's middle and high schools, this conservatively could represent more than 75,000 guns brought to school grounds during this period. It could be further estimated that more than 175,000 knives or other weapons were brought on school grounds.

Additionally, approximately 5% to 9% of secondary students said they were threatened or injured by a weapon on school grounds. This translates to more than 125,000 students reporting that they were threatened, at least once, in the state of California alone during this time frame.
4. Articulate what to do when someone tells the world, their friends, family members or co-workers they want to kill others
At each social level -- friends, teachers, principals, parents, neighbors and law enforcement -- there needs to be a response when an individual tells others of a plan to kill or harm, shows weapons, makes threats, has a method or has a target in mind.

More students are calling hotlines, neighbors are more frequently calling police, and schools are expelling or suspending dangerous students from schools. But we still need to educate the public on the specific procedures for reporting a potential threat. The more articulation, the better.
5. Disentangle discussions about mental health from cases of individuals who threaten harm, have a method and access to weapons
These threats should also not be treated as a freedom of speech issue.

Policies and procedures should be focused on when and how to intervene when someone declares a desire to harm themselves, others or both. This harm declaration could happen verbally, on social media, through writing or video. Sometimes the threat is specific; sometimes it's not.

Obviously, the more specific the target group, the location, the time and method, the higher the risk of harm. This would be true for someone with or without a mental health issue.
6. Expulsion from school should be the beginning -- not the end -- of the response when there are threats of weapons
What happens to students after they are expelled for bringing weapons to schools or threatening to harm others? Do we take this potentially dangerous person and offer them no support or monitoring in society - and withhold their education? Who is responsible for monitoring the ongoing threat when the student is not in school?

Many of these students are either referred to an alternative school, drop out or eventually get caught up in the juvenile justice or welfare system. There is a Grand Canyon-size gap in the transitions and pipelines between these systems.

We need regional and state educational authorities to take more responsibility for this small group of students after they are expelled for threatening others with weapons. They should not be left unmonitored and unsupported.

Alternative schools need to be supported to provide mental health services to these students, to monitor their progress and rehabilitation, and coordinate between the school, the local community, and the justice system to prevent these students from falling between the cracks of our system.
7. Separate arguments about the Second Amendment from efforts to limit weapons that kill many people in a few minutes on school grounds.
This is the elephant in the room, but it must be addressed. None of our founders, if they were alive today, would accept the logic used to allow military assault weapons for all.

There is no question that we need to severely curtail access to assault military-style firearms or institute stringent background checks and strong regulations for anyone with a violent criminal record or mental health issues who threatens others with firearms.

All the research, data, and frankly, common sense, point to this as a way to prevent injury and loss of life. Even staunch Second Amendment advocates have a hard time justifying why military-style weapons should be easier to get than a driver's license. The number of people harmed by these weapons in just a short time far outnumbers the damage caused by any other firearms.

Policymakers can act on each of these points starting tomorrow. Let's move beyond the stale talking points toward preventing pain, suffering and saving young people's lives.

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7 ways to help prevent school shootings (opinion)  - cnn

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1. Do not wait for an FBI response alone. Find ways to better listen to students and teachers who are aware of threats Student and teacher awareness of weapons and threats is a potentially powerful way to prevent future tragedies. These voices are much closer to the ground than anonymous calls to an FBI tip line.

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A young woman writes a message on one of the 10 white crosses, each representing a victim of the Sante Fe High School shooting.

The stories are familiar by now. A disturbed student gets access to a gun, takes it to school and turns it on his peers. The question is, where do you stop it: with the kid, with the gun or with the school?

It's a question lawmakers across the nation are grappling with following the latest tragedy, where a student with a shotgun and a .38 revolver killed 10 people and wounded 10 more in the Houston suburb of Sante Fe last Friday.

In Texas, as in many states, the proposals for the most part do not involve guns. More than a million Texans are licensed to carry handguns in public, and gun ownership is deeply embedded in the state's culture. Unlike the students in Parkland, Florida, those at Sante Fe High School aren't blaming guns for last week's shooting.

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"I cannot tell you how much safer I feel in public with my father having a gun on him," Grace Johnson, a Santa Fe senior, said at a roundtable discussion in Austin on Thursday.

"In NO way could this have been stopped by a gun reform or a gun ban," another Sante Fe senior . "This is a parenting issue and a mental issue, stop talking guns and let's talk CHANGE."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has focused his response on mental health. In particular Abbott has latched onto a at Texas Tech University that aims to get troubled students into treatment before they lash out. The project, referred to by its acronym , has found some success since its implementation in 10 school districts near the university's campus in Lubbock in 2014.

The project uses fellow students, parents and teachers to help identify troubled students and refer them to the project's licensed professional counselors.

"These kids usually are pretty well known by kids and teachers. They have a history," says Bill Philips, the executive vice president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, which runs the project.

"Once we get a referral the counselor will sit down and talk to that kid and they'll basically tell their story," he says.

"If we see a situation that's of concern for that particular student where they might be an imminent threat we'll hook up a telemedicine link with a child psychiatrist," Philips says. "From that point we'll know better what the next step will be: sometimes it looks like hospitalization sometimes it looks like medication management, sometimes it looks like a mental health facility, and sometimes it looks like an arrest."

Since 2014, 215 students out of the tens of thousands of students included in the program have been triaged by the university's psychiatry department and 25 removed from school. If Abbott has his way, the project would be used across Texas.

Other states have focused on physical safety improvements to help solve the school shooting problem. Lawmakers in North Carolina and Michigan have allocated millions for physical safety upgrades and technology like cameras and expanded confidential tip lines.

The idea of arming teachers, backed at times by President Donald Trump, has taken hold in some states too. At least 15 states already have laws on the books allowing for teachers to bring guns to schools under varying conditions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and lawmakers in Oklahoma and Tennessee are considering bills that would do the same.

States are turning to an increased law enforcement presence in schools as well. North Carolina lawmakers have penciled in $12 million for more school resource officers, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed a bill last month to put police or school resource officers in every public school in the state.

Though the use of school resource officers - who are by definition professionally-trained police officers, unlike security guards - has met some opposition, they are a crucial "boots on the ground" law enforcement presence in schools, says Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers and a former school resource officer himself.

"Every school in America could benefit from a carefully-selected, specifically trained school resource officer," Canady says. "School resource officers gain valuable intelligence, that's information they can use and have used to stop an incident before it ever occurs."

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But even advocates agree there should be a standardized training for school resource officers nationwide, as opposed to the patchwork standards currently set at the local level.

"We can't just willy-nilly put officers in schools without making sure they're properly trained," Canady says.

Several state legislatures have proposed or taken action on such training standards, and a similar bill is working its way through Congress, which thus far has not enacted any legislation on school safety, though a bill to improve anonymous reporting systems and increase security personnel passed the House in March.

There's also the Federal Commission on School Safety, a coalition of education stakeholders appointed by the White House following the Parkland shooting and chaired by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. But groups involved with the commission say it's done little in the two-plus months since it was created.

"The Sante Fe shooting illuminated the lack of progress that the commission has publicly shared on this issue," says Jacki Ball, director of government affairs for the National Parent Teacher Association.

"We've been told they'll hold listening sessions across the country and there will be site visits," she says, but there's "been no specific details about when and how those listening sessions will happen."

But advocates say promises aren't enough.

"We're tired of hearing 'soon,'" Ball says. "Our patience has run out - people are saying enough is enough, people want to engage, they want to share their thoughts and ideas on how to make schools safer."

Seth Cline, Staff Writer

Seth Cline is a producer at U.S. News & World Report. You can follow him on Seth Cline is a producer at U.S. News & World Report. You can follow him on Twitter or reach hi... Read more Twitter or reach him at scline@usnews.com.

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States Look for Ways to Stop School Shootings

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A young woman writes a message on one of the 10 white crosses, each representing a victim of the Sante Fe High School shooting. The stories are familiar by now. A disturbed student gets access to a gun, takes it to school and turns it on his peers.

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This week another senseless, avoidable tragedy occurred where all children should be safe: in their elementary school classroom. Two teachers and 19 children were killed by a young man wearing a protective vest and armed with a handgun and an AR-style rifle at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX. This horrific violence has become all too common at schools across the U.S. With each school shooting, we watch the news in shock, but the truth is, this senseless violence keeps happening. So far in 2022, there have been 27 school shootings, according to NPR with data from EdWeek. In 2021 there were 34, In 2020 and 2019, there were 10 and 24, respectively, with a dip in 2020 when schools were closed due to the pandemic.

Sadly, school shootings are an American anomaly. No other country in the world experiences anywhere near as many school shootings as the United States, as this global map shows. These heartbreaking acts of violence are taking place on school campuses in every state across the nation and have been taking place since the first documented school shooting in 1853.

In the wake of another school shooting, the debate about gun safety is once again in the news. Research suggests that a majority of Americans share similar concerns about unregulated guns in our society. According to data from the Pew Research Center, "there is broad partisan agreement on some gun policy proposals," including background checks to restrict people with mental health issues from purchasing guns (85 percent of Republicans and 90 percent of Democrats) and subjecting private gun sales and gun show sales to background checks (70 percent of Republicans and 92 percent of Democrats). What's more, majorities in both parties support legislation to hold irresponsible gun dealers accountable and laws to enable families and law enforcement to remove guns from those behaving violently.

Guns are now the leading cause of death for kids and teens

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, data shows that in 2020, guns surpassed car accidents as the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 19. Despite a dip in school shootings due to school closures, the study authors write, "the increasing firearm-related mortality reflects a longer-term trend and shows that we continue to fail to protect our youth from a preventable cause of death."

How are kids accessing guns? According to nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise, an estimated 4.6 million U.S. kids live in a home where at least one gun is kept loaded and unlocked - and the guns used in 68% of school shootings were acquired at home or a friend or relative's house. How can that be? Partially, they report, "​​Nearly half of all parents with a weapon in the home wrongly believe their children don't know where a gun is stored."

Schools are still the safest places for children

After a school shooting, it's understandable if you or your child feel that schools are unsafe. However, statistically, children are much safer in school than they are beyond school walls. "Children are far more likely to be shot in a residence, store, street, parking lot, shopping center, or a restaurant than a school," says Dewey Cornell, professor of education at the University of Virginia and director of the Virginia Youth Violence Project. "We cannot let the painful feelings of a tragedy distort our perception of schools."

Cornell notes that violent threats to children's safety are a nationwide issue. "National Vital Statistics show that we have more than 300 shootings every day in the U.S. where someone is killed or wounded," Cornell says. "Far less than 1 percent of shootings occur in schools. We have a gun violence problem, not a school violence problem."

What schools are doing to protect students

In 2012, schools responded to the deadly elementary school shooting in Newtown, CT with an emphasis on school security. Schools have also focused on preparedness in case of a shooting or other violent event. At last count, in the 2017-2018 school year, the U.S. School Survey on Crime and Safety found that 92 percent of public schools had plans if an active shooter were on campus, and 91 percent had plans to deal with bomb threats or similar incidents.

In addition, 42 percent of all public schools (and 68 percent of public high schools) employ school resource officers (SROs), who are sworn law enforcement officers. The use of SROs has come under fire, after schools delegated everyday disciplinary measures to the police, leading to criminal charges for students' commonplace misbehavior. According to the University of Connecticut Center for Education Policy Analysis, "research overwhelmingly suggests that SROs have no positive impact on students' safety and may in fact make students less safe."

Along similar lines, in response to school shootings, some have called for increased gun presence in schools in order to bolster security. Cornell cautions strongly against that approach. "Arming our teachers is unreasonable, impractical, and dangerous," he says. "We should place more emphasis on preventing shootings rather than preparing for them," he says. "Prevention must start before a gunman shows up at school."

Elizabeth Englander, director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center and professor of psychology at Bridgewater State University, agrees. "During school shootings, even when we're able to keep children from being harmed physically, the psychological harm is enormous," she says. "Once violence happens, the damage is done.

The best strategy is prevention

Unfortunately, says Cornell, school shootings elicit copycat threats. "There will be a wave of students making threats in the coming weeks that will raise many false alarms," he wrote in an email. "These students may be seeking attention, trying to pull a prank, or angry about something. What schools should do is use threat assessment to avoid overreacting ... and focus attention on the small number of serious threats which indicate a need for mental health support and social-emotional learning."

He's referring to Virginia's threat assessment program, which was mandated statewide in 2013 to proactively resolve student threats before violent acts occur. Threat assessment programs aim to keep schools safe while addressing underlying issues and helping troubled students. In Utah, a state-wide crisis tipline that's accessible through an app provides students access to crisis counselors and a confidential means of reporting bullying, violence, and threats. Across the country, educational experts are encouraging schools to teach social and emotional skills and provide access to in-school counseling and support.

Englander says that while many schools do a good job of prevention, their efforts are bound by limited resources. "We need to sink more money into preventing violence in schools, by staffing schools adequately with mental health support staff and by offering training to all educators in violence prevention and social-emotional learning," she says.

Cornell agrees. Threat assessment, which is designed to help distressed students before their problems escalate to the point of violence, means having trained staff in our schools who can prevent bullying and help students deal with depression, trauma, and other mental health needs. "We have too few counselors, psychologists, and social workers to deal with the flood of troubled students," Cornell wrote in an email. "We need more staff. Many of our students are resilient and will make it to graduation, but a few will leave school with a growing potential for violence that will be triggered by a grievance or disappointment. We must help them now rather than wait until it is too late."

How parents and students can play a role in keeping schools safe

Parents can powerfully impact the safety of their children's schools by voting for gun safety laws and ensuring that they and their children contribute to the wellness of the school community.

"Parents should advocate that their schools do a better job of helping troubled youth, stopping bullying and harassment, and using threat assessment to evaluate students who threaten violence," Cornell says.

But parents' biggest impact may be in how they prepare their children to speak up if they have a safety concern about another student. Students are often the first ones to see signs of a classmate's troubled mind, either through words, actions, or digital output. But students first need to understand the difference between reporting and "snitching," says Susan Fitzell, author of Snitching vs. Reporting. Schools, she says, need to educate students about the difference between reporting serious, disturbing behavior, and mere snitching about a minor matter to get someone in trouble.

However, even when they do understand the difference, ratting out another student can be dangerous for students, so Fitzell emphasizes that the school must make a safe space for students to raise serious concerns about another student's potentially dangerous behavior. Telling a trusted adult in the school is best. But when that's not possible, an anonymous tip box can be a way to alert the school that something bad is going on with a student's classmate. "The school has to use due diligence with this, but you can get information that you'd never get otherwise."

In her early teaching career, Fiitzell once asked a group of fifth graders whether they would tell anyone if they knew that a classmate had a gun in his backpack. "Only half the kids raised their hands," she says. "And I don't think it would be any different now, even with older kids." She attributes that to the decreasing emphasis in the past generation on social skills - peer mediation and bullying education, for instance - and a rising emphasis on testing and pure academics. "We're not teaching kids as much as we need to about taking care of each other," she says. "We're missing the boat."

Components of safe schools

According to the U.S. Department of Education report Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide, a safe school will have three major components:

A school-wide foundation for the well-being and success of all students.

A system for identifying students with acute behavior problems.

A system for providing interventions and therapies for at-risk students.

Early warning signs

Below are some of the warning signs that a student may pose a threat to the school. If you observe any of these indicators in a student, report your concerns to school staff. A potentially violent student usually exhibits more than one of the following behaviors:

Difficulty eating or sleeping

Abuse of animals

Unusual attraction to violent entertainment

Withdrawal from social interaction

Feelings of rejection and/or persecution

Unusually intense or frequent violent content in personal writings or artwork

A pattern of bullying

Intolerance or prejudice against certain groups of people

Drug or alcohol abuse

Membership in a gang

Threats of serious violence

Imminent warning signs

Imminent warning signs require immediate intervention and may include:

Physical fighting with others

Destruction of property

Intense anger for minor reasons

Detailed threats of violence

Possession of weapons

Threats of suicide

As with any concern about a student, it is important not to judge or oversimplify. Helping the child, and the entire school community, should be the paramount concern.

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This week another senseless, avoidable tragedy occurred where all children should be safe: in their elementary school classroom. Two teachers and 19 children were killed by a young man wearing a protective vest and armed with a handgun and an AR-style rifle at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX.

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I feel in this one it shows the most logical ideas that could prevent and possibly end school shootings

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10 ways to put brakes on mass shootings in schools - cnn

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10 ways to put brakes on mass shootings in schools - CNN

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A shooting Friday in a Connecticut elementary school was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. What can be done now?

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Middle and high school students have been sharing their thoughts on gun violence with the NewsHour since the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. One thing all students agree on: Change is possible and action must be taken.

We should not have to beg the U.S. to stop letting our friends die

by Carly Novell, 12th grade, Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School, Parkland, Florida

On average, there are about 13,000 deaths in the United States resulting from gun violence each year. Seventeen of those deaths were people I attended school with. People I passed in the halls everyday.

Not many realize how much the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students are grieving. We are traumatized. We are scared. But we are ignoring all of that because we are trying to make a difference. We haven't had a minute to process or grieve. We are just trying to make sure that this does not happen again. We, as high school students who just went through something traumatic, are forced to beg and plead for change.

We will not be silenced by the media, by the government, by the president, by the NRA or by anyone for that matter.

Something needs to be done to get semi-automatic guns out of the hands of civilians. Something needs to be done to get firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill. It should not be so easy to obtain a gun. We should not have to beg the U.S. to stop letting our friends die. The NRA has silenced our government for too long. We will not be silenced by the media, by the government, by the president, by the NRA or by anyone for that matter.
RELATED: Opinion: A student's obituary should never say 'gunned down while studying for chemistry'
I have had enough of sitting around while adults do nothing
by Eden, 12th grade, Iowa City, Iowa
When I was 10, one of my friends and classmates was murdered. His father beat him, his three siblings, and their mother to death with a bat. Afterwards, Seth's father called the police to report the deaths and fled the home. At the time, there was a great deal of confusion. No one knew where he was. No one knew if he was armed. No one knew what he might do. Fearing that he might come to the school, Longfellow Elementary went into lockdown. In Mrs. Dillard's second-grade class, we sat in silence. The teachers said nothing. They didn't know what to say. How can you explain something like this to a child? We knew nothing. And so we sat in our corner, in the dark and in the silence.

I have had enough silence.

The adults have proven that they are unwilling to move beyond thoughts and prayers. We must force them into action.

I have had enough of being in the dark. I have had enough of sitting around while adults do nothing. I am not content with being in the corner anymore.

Change will not come on its own. We have to make it for ourselves. The adults have proven that they are unwilling to move beyond thoughts and prayers. We must force them into action.

That includes my own senators: Joni Ernst, who has accepted millions of dollars from the NRA, and Chuck Grassley, who has accepted hundreds of thousands. Is this how much our lives are worth?

We may not have the power, the resources, or even the ability to vote, but we do have our voices. In America, there is no weapon more powerful.

Teenagers' brains are not yet fully developed. Why can they buy guns?
by Cecilia, 11th grade, New Orleans, Louisiana
After listening to a story on NPR, I encountered a fact by a neuroscientist about brain development for the average 18-year-old. The prefrontal cortex of teenagers is not yet fully developed. This is the part of the brain that helps you to control impulses and make smart decisions in times of stress.

If 18 is the legal age to buy a gun, then I see a huge problem with this. I believe we should adjust the legal age requirement for someone to own a gun. These are steps Congress needs to take so that other high school students like me don't have to worry about experiencing another terrifying and tragic attack.

Students need a designated time to center themselves for school
by Nathan, 12th grade, Chicago, Illinois
One solution is social-emotional learning. Before school, after school and during lunch period, there should be chill-spaces for students to de-stress, talk to a counselor and get themselves ready for the day.

Students have lives outside of school filled with experiences that are either traumatic, mentally exhausting or triggering. A designated time to center themselves for the school day would help. While this solution does not solve the problem of guns in the streets, it does help provide outlets for students who have mental health issues.

I have had my hunting license since I was in fifth grade. We need to make it harder to buy firearms.
by Morgan, 12th grade, Anderson, Indiana
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people having guns. I have grown up in a house full of firearms and hunting bows. I have had my hunting license since I was in fifth grade. However, many people my age struggle with mental health. Some take it to extreme levels, like taking guns from their home to school and shooting innocent people.

As a country, we need to make it harder to buy firearms. Only certain guns should allowed to be sold to the average joe. Not only should we add more regulations, but we should add a tax when buying a firearm, like we do for cigarettes and alcohol - items that may bring harm to ourselves or others.
PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs react to gun violence: Armed with social media, young people across America are actively researching both sides of the gun debate and deciding where they stand.
Don't turn schools into prisons
by Ashunti, 12th grade, Chicago, Illinois
Some individuals favor solutions that place armed guards in a defense perimeter around schools. Others want to arm teachers. And yet the idea of a "good guy with a gun" makes me more fearful of school shootings in our future.

Teachers aren't always 100 percent the good guys. There are many accounts of teachers who aren't trustworthy enough to be around kids. Arming them all would endanger more kids than "protecting." These solutions seem to want to turn schools from safe environments into prisons.

We already have gun control. We do need to do something to help the mentally ill.
by Katie, 11th grade, Parker, Colorado
The media in general provides a liberal stance on the gun debate. Weapons come in many different forms, and a common misconception in our country is that we would be safer without guns. Even though improvements to gun policy could prove to be beneficial, they will never end the violence that has come to play a part in our education system.
RELATED: Students who support gun rights say schools safer when 'good guys' are armed
However, we do need to do something to help the mentally ill instead of arbitrarily restricting already existing gun regulations. Nikolas Cruz had a well-known history of firearm obsession. Cruz was even evaluated by behavioral health experts, yet he was not hospitalized or detained. We could have helped him before this tragedy unfolded in front of our eyes.

The government isn't messing with the Second Amendment
by Noah, 12th grade, Anderson, Indiana
Just because you make it harder to get guns doesn't mean your Second Amendment is being taken away. The person buying the gun should have to go through mental health screenings to see if they're stable enough to handle guns. He/she should then be required to go every six months to retake mental health exams. It should be harder to get guns or certain attachments. They should be required to take a class to make sure they know how to handle guns.
For many teens, witnessing the mobilization of student activists against gun violence in the wake of the Parkland shooting has been inspiring, but others remain skeptical.
People complain that the government is trying to mess with the Second Amendment, which it really isn't. People just need to grow up and deal with the fact that some folks may not be stable or knowledgeable enough to own a gun. The world is safer that way.

We have allowed greed to overpower our humanity
by Ashley, 12th grade, Palo Alto, California
I was 12 years old at the time of the Sandy Hook shooting. Hopelessly idealistic and a little naive, I believed that the government, who had to be equally sickened and shocked as I was at the massacre of elementary school children, would immediately scramble to prevent such tragedies from reoccurring.

But nothing changed. And then, another school shooting happened. Then another. Then 200 more. And here we are now, a nation reeling from the deaths of 17 more students and teachers in Florida, wondering what went wrong again.

Effective gun control and the Second Amendment truly can coexist.
RELATED: Opinion: I've asked hundreds of students if they would feel safer if I was armed. Not one has said yes
Our inaction as a nation is - and was - inexcusable. Thoughts and prayers won't save the hundreds of kids whose blood has been spilled while simply pursuing their education, and they won't create a safer America for future generations. There is no blanket solution to this incredibly nuanced issue, but we cannot continue to dodge and delay at the expense of children's lives.

When the National Rifle Association has donated millions to our representatives, it is no wonder that the many attempts to pass gun safety legislation have been repeatedly blocked. We have allowed greed to overpower our humanity; we cannot have the people who represent us value profit over lives.

When politics have become increasingly polarized, it is no wonder that we have not had effective dialogue regarding gun control. Progress cannot be made without communication and compromise; effective gun control and the Second Amendment truly can coexist.

Guns have changed, shouldn't our laws change with them?
by Tacey, 11th grade, Traverse City, Michigan
After the Florida school shooting my friends and I were having a conversation at our lunch table. We were saying how if four shooters came in at that moment, blocking all exits, what would we do. Run. Hide. Hug your friends and call parents because you know it's all over. These should not be the thoughts running through 17-year old girls' heads. We should be more concerned with a pop quiz in history than a mass murderer popping through the doors.

Yes, we have the Second Amendment, the "right to bear arms." This was passed in 1789, when loading a gun took a lot longer between rounds than it does now. An AR-15 can fire dozens of rounds a minute. A legally converted AR-15 can fire 700 a minute. Guns have changed, shouldn't our laws change with them?
by Morgan, 12th grade, Charlotte, North Carolina
In November, we will vote.
These submissions came from NewsHour Extra's Student Voice blog and the videos, featuring a compilation of interviews, were gathered by the NewsHour Student Reporting Labs. For more student voices, see the full version of the story here.
Parkland is different. My generation has grown up living through nonstop violence, and now many of us are of voting age. However, it won't begin with voting. We will organize school walkouts and speak to our administration. We will work with school boards and lobby local leaders. We will challenge the National Rifle Association and our elected officials. And in November, we will vote.

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How teens want to solve America's school shooting problem

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Middle and high school students have been sharing their thoughts on gun violence with the NewsHour since the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. One thing all students agree on: Change is possible and action must be taken. We should not have to beg the U.S.

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While politicians debate control, local communities can act now to keep kids safer at school. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

After a shooter killed 17 people at a Florida high school, many have expressed frustration at the political hand-wringing over gun control and calls for prayer.

As a parent, I understand the desire for practical responses to school shootings. I also absolutely believe the government should do more to prevent such incidents. But the gun control debate has proven so divisive and ineffective that I am weary of waiting for politicians to act.

I study the kind of aggressive childhood behavior that often predates school shootings. That research suggests what communities and families can start doing today to better protect children. Here are 10 actions we can all take while the federal government drags its heels.

What schools can do

Because educators observe students' emotional and behavioral development daily, they are best positioned to detect troubled behaviors and intervene. In Los Angeles, for example, schools have successfully used outreach and training to identify potentially violent students before problems occur.

1. Teach social and emotional skills

Children learn social skills from everyday interactions with each other. Playtime teaches young people how to control their emotions, recognize others' feelings and to negotiate. Neighborhood "kick the can" games, for example, require cooperation to have fun - all without adult supervision.

Today, frequent social media use and a decrease in free play time has reduced children's opportunities to learn these basic social skills.

But social and emotional skills can - and should - be taught in school as a way to prevent student violence. Students with more fluent social skills connect better with others and may be more able to recognize troubled peers who need help.

2. Hire more counselors and school resource officers

Due to budget cuts, many schools have few or no trained school psychologists, social workers or adjustment counselors on staff. These mental health professionals are society's first line of defense against troubled students - especially with the current increase in adolescent depression and anxiety.

In my opinion, school resource officers - trained police officers who work with children - are also helpful for students. While untrained officers may pose a threat to students, well-trained school resource officers can connect with kids who have few other relationships, acting as a support system. They are also on hand to respond quickly if crime or violence erupts.

Putting trained school resource officers and counselors in every school will cost money, but I believe it will save lives.
3. Use technology to identify troubled students
Technology may challenge kids' social development, but it can also be harnessed for good. Anonymous reporting systems - perhaps text-message based - can make it easier for parents and students to alert law enforcement and school counselors to kids who seem disconnected or disturbed. That enables early intervention.

In Steamboat Springs, Colorado, one such tip appeared to prevent extreme violence in May 2017. Police took a young man who'd threatened to harm his peers into protective custody before he could act on his words.

What communities can do

Communities also help raise children. With many eyes and ears, they can detect often smaller problems before young people grow into violence.

4. Doctors should conduct standard mental health screenings

Extreme violence is almost always preceded by certain behavioral problems. These typically include a propensity toward aggression, a marked lack of social connectedness, indications of serious mental illness and a fascination with violence and guns.

Doctors could detect these problems early on with a standardized screening at health checkups. If concerns arise, referrals to counseling or other mental health professionals might follow.

Myfuture.com, CC BY-ND

5. Enlist social media companies in the effort to detect threats
Most young people today use social media to express their feelings and aspirations. In the case of school shooters, these posts are often violent. A single violent post is hardly a guarantee of homicidal acts, of course. But evidence strongly indicates that repeated expressions of this nature can be a sign of trouble.

I would like to see companies like Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat create algorithms that identify repeated online threats and automatically alert local law enforcement.

What parents can do

Parents and guardians are often the first to detect their child's emotional struggles. Here are some tips for monitoring and promoting healthy emotional development at home.
6. Think critically about your child's social media use
From virtual war games to cruel trolls, the internet is full of violence. The relationship between violent content and aggression hasn't been consistent in research: Some studies see no relationship at all, while others find some correlation between violent video games and violent behavior.

This mixed evidence suggests that online content affects children differently, so parents must assess how well their child handles it. If your daughter likes "Assassin's Creed" but is gentle, socially successful and happy, the onscreen violence may not be strongly impacting her.

But if your child is drawn to violent games and tends to be aggressive or troubled, discuss the situation with your pediatrician or school counselor.
7. Consider what your child is missing out on
Is your child sleeping properly? Do your kids socialize with other young people? These two behaviors are linked to mental health in children, and excessive screen time can reduce or diminish the quality of both.

Make sure digital devices aren't disrupting your kids' sleep, and schedule play dates if your kids don't make plans on their own.
8. Assess your child's relationships
Like adults, children need confidants to feel invested in and connected with their community. The trusted person can be parent, a family member or a friend - just make sure someone's playing that role.

For children who struggle to make friends and build relationships, there are programs that can help them learn how.

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

9. Fret productively about screen time
Research shows that excessive screen time can damage kids' brains. That's alarming in part because parents can't realistically keep kids entirely off devices.

So rather than just fret over screen time, focus instead on how children can benefit from a variety of activities. Evidence shows that children who experience different pursuits over the course of their day - from sports and music to an after-school job - are happier and healthier for it.

10. Talk with your child

This is both the easiest and hardest way to make sure your kids are doing OK. Children, especially teenagers, don't always want to talk about how life is going. Ask anyway.

My research shows that simply asking children about their friends, their technology use and their day is an important way to show you care. Even if they don't respond, your interest demonstrates that you're there for them.

Try this one now. Ask your children what they're thinking about the shooting in Florida and how they like their friends and school. Then listen.

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10 ways schools, parents and communities can prevent school shootings now

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After a shooter killed 17 people at a Florida high school, many have expressed frustration at the political hand-wringing over gun control and calls for prayer. As a parent, I understand the desire for practical responses to school shootings. I also absolutely believe the government should do more to prevent such incidents.

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Two questions asked students what they would do if they heard a student talking about shooting someone at school, and a third, open-ended question asked what they thought teachers and other school staff could do to prevent a school shooting.
If they heard a student talking about shooting someone at school, only about half the students would tell an adult.
Fifty-four percent of the respondents said they would tell an adult, but there were some variations in the likelihood they would report such an incident:

Younger students are more significantly more likely to tell someone than older students.

African-American, Hispanic and other minority students are less likely to tell than white students.

61 percent of those who get mostly A's would tell, compared only 42 percent of those who get mostly D's and F's.

Students with a high quality of life index are more likely to tell an adult than those with a low quality of life index (63 percent cf. 46 percent).

Media usage seems to have somewhat of an impact; 59 percent of those whose media usage is low would tell, but only 51 percent of those whose media usage is high would.

65 percent of those with a low alienation index would report to an adult, compared to only 42 percent of those with a high alienation index.

Those who perceive their schools to be extremely safe or very safe are far more likely to confide in an adult than those who believe their schools are not safe.

* Negligible response

Younger students are most likely to tell a teacher; 87 percent of seventh and eighth graders said they would tell a teacher, compared to 75 percent of 9th and 10th graders and 81 percent of 11th and 12th graders.

African-American students are more likely to tell a teacher than white, Hispanic or minority students.

Rural and suburban students are more likely to confide in a teacher than urban students.

Students who spend the least amount of time using media are more likely to tell a teacher.

Students who have a low alienation index are also more apt (83 percent) to confide in a teacher than those who have a high or medium alienation index.

Students who perceive their schools as being unsafe are less likely to tell a teacher than those who perceive their schools to be extremely or very safe.

When asked, "What do you think teachers and other school staff can do to stop school shootings from happening?" nearly a quarter said teachers need to care more about their students.
Students responded to an open-ended question about how they thought their schools could prevent school violence. The vast majority of responses (85 percent) can be divided among eight major categories. The ninth most popular response (4 percent) was to leave the question blank.

Teacher should care more about the students.

23

There's nothing that can be done to stop school shootings.

13

Teachers should intervene, take a more active role in their students' lives, in the classroom and out.

12

Educate students about the issue of school violence.

11

Don't know how to stop it.

5

Teachers should treat all students equally.

4

The 12 percent of respondents who are most inclined toward violence were twice as likely to say there is nothing that teachers or school staff can do to stop the shootings.
The students whose responses identified them as having a high propensity toward violence (Section 3, page 10) followed a similar pattern of responses, except that they were more than twice as likely (27 percent cf. 13 percent) as the general population to say that nothing can be done.

20 percent of these students responded that teachers should care more, compared to 23 percent of the general population.

12 percent thought teachers should listen to their students.

9 percent called for more security measures.

8 percent suggested that teachers and school staff should intervene if they see problems developing with students.

The 53 students determined to be most dangerous, i.e., they have both means (guns) and an inclination for violence, represent too small a base for their responses to be valid statistically. It is interesting to note, however, that 21 (40 percent) responded that there is nothing schools can do to stop them. Another 15 percent said that teachers should care about them more, and 8 percent felt that teachers should treat everyone equally. The remaining categories had no more than two respondents each from this group of students.

What the students told us about how to stop school violence:

Care
The most popular response (23 percent) was that students wanted their teachers to care about them and become emotionally involved in their lives. They want teachers and staff to support them and be positive role models for them in their treatment of other people. They want teachers to be their friends, advisors and confidants.

Examples of responses:

Nothing
The second most popular response was that there is nothing schools can do to prevent violence (13 percent). Students cite everything from the determination of the potential shooter to fate as the rationale behind their answers.

Examples of responses:

Intervention
Twelve percent of respondents said that they wanted teachers and staff to take a more active part in their lives, and not just in the classroom. They are requesting intervention, whether it takes the form of reporting potential problems to the proper authorities (school officials, police, etc.) or stopping kids from bullying and teasing other students.

If a student said "Teachers should stop bullies" as his or her primary solution to school shootings, then the response was included in the intervention category, but we counted a number of students - 190 (9 percent) - who included putting a halt to bullying as part of their response, although they may have listed something else first.

Examples of responses:

Listen
Many students (12 percent) were very adamant about teachers paying more attention to them. They think that teachers don't have to go to great lengths to find the potential problems - they just need to be more in tune with their classes. Teachers don't need to befriend their students, just be aware of them.

Examples of responses:

Pay attention to kids' behavior and what they say to other kids.

Learn to read the kids reactions to incidences (sic) at school, and observe their overall view of life.

Open their eyes, it's not like it's a thing out of nowhere. It may not be TOTALLY easy or anything, but if they tried they would realize that kids are disturbed, having a bad day, etc...

Listen to what the students are saying. Not just by hearing, but by actions, and written things.

Security
Safety precautions are another popular student suggestion, with 11 percent listing increased security measures as their main concern. Many believed that metal detectors or other checks as students enter the building would help decrease school shootings. Responses ranged in severity from instituting lock downs to simply having an evacuation plan.

Examples of responses:

Be more on the lookout and install safety equipment in classrooms and/or entrances to schools. Police and guards would help too. Make it like a medium security prison.

Install metal detectors in schools and close off some of the entrances that are being used regularly.

Have different drills and just be totally prepared for whatever could happen.

Education
Another suggestion was to address the issue of school violence in schools more openly (5 percent). Students believe that being better informed about gun safety and the consequences of violence (both legally and emotionally) will help prevent school violence.

Examples of responses:

Talk about the shootings that have happened and what happened to the shooters afterward.

Teachers and school staff could organize more speakers to come to the school and inform kids how serious these shootings and the consequences are. I don't think kids my age really know the real consequences of some of their actions.

Teach the kids more about gun control and more about learning to take their tempers out on other things like punching a pillow or something that has nothing to do with hurting another person.

Don't Know
Five percent of the students say they don't know what to do.

Examples of responses:

If I knew I would have told someone.

I really don't know. I wish I did. I also hope that by the time I become a teacher, I will know something to do that may stop school shootings.

I'm not sure what to say because I love my privacy and don't want metal detectors or anything in my school.

Equality
Respondents also felt that all students are not treated equally at school (4%). They cite many different reasons for this treatment, including race, athletic ability, popularity, social cliques, academic performance and socio-economic status. Students believe that if teachers stop favoring one group or another there will be less cause for resentment among students, which translates to fewer instances of violence.

Examples of responses:

Make sure that all of their pupils are equally given attention. I know some teachers that value other students more because they are their 'pets' no matter what I do. I tend to feel frustrated and left out too.

Stop favoring kids who are athletic and smart and pretty, but favor all kids.

Teachers can stop being bias, racist, prejudice and judgmental (sic). They can encourage creativity and differences rather than discouraging them.

Other noteworthy responses

There are kids at my school who I think might shoot someone.

37

I know kids who could bring a gun to school if they wanted to.

61

I have heard another kid talking about shooting somebody at school.

20

I heard about someone who has made a plan to shoot someone at school.

19

In examining the school and community characteristics for those students who appear to come from the more dangerous schools, we looked at geographic location, urban city and students' rating of the crime in their neighborhood, comparing the estimated marginal means of their responses.

Based on those comparisons, we found:

Schools in neighborhoods students perceive as unsafe probably are.

Schools in small towns/rural areas were generally rated as more dangerous by their students than were urban and suburban schools. Urban schools were rated more dangerous than suburban schools.

There are differences in ratings of school safety by region of the country, but those ratings also interacted with the urban city of the school.

For students who live in the East, suburban schools were rated as less dangerous than rural and urban schools.

For students who live in the South, the urban city of the school made little difference, although rural schools were rated more dangerous than suburban schools, and urban schools were considered the least dangerous.

For students in the Midwest, rural and urban schools were rated as more dangerous than suburban schools.

For students in the West, rural schools were rated as more dangerous than urban or suburban schools.

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Can We Prevent School Shootings? | Alfred University

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Fifty-four percent of the respondents said they would tell an adult, but there were some variations in the likelihood they would report such an incident.

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