Resources about Violence in Schools

• As of May 27, 2022, more than 311,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since the shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. In 2021, there were 42 school shootings; so far, in 2022, there have been at least 24 acts of gun violence on K-12 campuses during the school day (source: Washington Post).
• Seven out of 10 school shooters are under the age of 18 (including a 6-year-old boy).
• The Department of Homeland Defense and Security website houses a K-12 school shooting database, that documents shootings on school grounds dating back to 1970.

How to help children and families cope in the aftermath of a school shooting:

• Talking to Children about Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers (from the National Association of School Psychologists)
• APA Resources for Coping with Mass Shootings, Understanding Gun Violence (from the American Psychological Association)
• Helping Youth Cope After a Mass Shooting (from Youth.gov)
• Resources for Educators and Families to Discuss School Shootings (from the San Diego County Office of Education)
• School Shooting Resources (from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
• Helping Youth After a Recent Shooting (from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
• Talking to Children When Scary Things Happen (from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
• Talking to Teens When Violence Happens (from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
• Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event (from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network)

How to help children understand lockdown drills:

• Talking about Lockdown Drills (for young children; from Sesame Street in Communities)

How to prevent school shootings:

• Preventing School Shootings (from the Center for Violence Prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
• Keeping Our Schools Safe (from Everytown for Gun Safety)
• Letter to Congress (signed by the American Psychological Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and others)

• Can Researchers Show That Threat Assessment Stops Mass Shootings?

Highlighting the need for mental health services in schools:

• Uvalde School Shooting Underscores Urgent Need for Mental Health Resources (from the National Education Association)
• Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium was building a program to find trouble students and prevent school shootings (from the Texas Tribune)

The effect of gun violence on mental health

• What Gun Violence Does to Our Mental Health

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