Violence in Schools

School shootings garner a great deal of media attention. Yet, school-associated violent deaths account for less than 1% of homicides among school-aged children and youth. The issue, however, is broader than these statistics show. Youth violence, as a whole, is the central concern.

School violence effects teachers as well as students.

• 10% of secondary school teachers are threatened with injury by a student
• 8% of elementary school teachers are threatened with injury by a student
• 2% of secondary school teachers are physically attacked by students
• 6% of elementary school teachers are physically attacked by students

Public school teachers were more likely than private school teachers to be victimized by students in school

• 10% of public school teachers had been threatened with injury, compared with 4% of private school teachers.
• Teachers in central city schools are four times more likely to be threatened with injury than their colleagues at private schools

In a 2004 CDC nationwide survey of high school students:

• 33% of students reported being in a physical fight one or more times in the twelve months preceding the survey.
• 17% of students reported carrying a weapon (e.g., gun, knife, or club) on one or more of the thirty days preceding the survey.

Peer and school risk factors that lead to violence include:

• Association with delinquent peers
• Involvement in gangs
• Social rejection by peers
• Lack of involvement in conventional activities
• Poor academic performance
• Low commitment to school and school failure

A program which addresses the full scope of this issue will be available in 2008. Some questions to be addressed include:

• How can teachers protect themselves?
• How can school administrators make their schools safe?

Please bookmark this page and check it frequently for program availability.