School Safety: Home

Longlisted for the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction * Winner of the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice Based on the acclaimed series--a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize--an intimate account of the devastating effects of gun violence on our nation's children, and a call to action for a new way forward In 2017, seven-year-old Ava in South Carolina wrote a letter to Tyshaun, an eight-year-old boy from Washington, DC. She asked him to be her pen pal; Ava thought they could help each other. The kids had a tragic connection--both were traumatized by gun violence. Ava's best friend had been killed in a campus shooting at her elementary school, and Tyshaun's father had been shot to death outside of the boy's elementary school. Ava's and Tyshaun's stories are extraordinary, but not unique. In the past decade, 15,000 children have been killed from gunfire, though that number does not account for the kids who weren't shot and aren't considered victims but have nevertheless been irreparably harmed by gun violence. In Children Under Fire, John Woodrow Cox investigates the effectiveness of gun safety reforms as well as efforts to manage children's trauma in the wake of neighborhood shootings and campus massacres, from Columbine to Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Through deep reporting, Cox addresses how we can effect change now, and help children like Ava and Tyshaun. He explores their stories and more, including a couple in South Carolina whose eleven-year-old son shot himself, a Republican politician fighting for gun safety laws, and the charlatans infiltrating the school safety business. In a moment when the country is desperate to better understand and address gun violence, Children Under Fire offers a way to do just that, weaving wrenching personal stories into a critical call for the United States to embrace practical reforms that would save thousands of young lives.  *A Newsweek Favorite Book of 2021 *An NPR 2021 "Books We Love" selection *A Washington Post Notable Work of Nonfiction *A Kirkus "2021's Best, Most Urgent Books of Current Affairs" selection

This powerful retrospective analysis of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting aftermath considers society's response to the attack, long-term implications of the shooting, and the ways in which research and related policy must continue to move forward. An indispensable resource for anyone interested in learning about the long-term impact of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, Columbine, 20 Years Later and Beyond provides a comprehensive look at how the event unfolded, what has changed since the attack, and how this information can be used to prevent future mass shootings. Authors Jaclyn Schildkraut and Glenn Muschert, both experts on mass shootings, share their broad understanding of this tragedy and its aftermath. Columbine became the measuring stick against which all other mass shootings would be compared, and this book details with great sensitivity the ensuing changes to school security, law enforcement's response to active shooter situations, threat assessment practices, legislative efforts, and media coverage of unfolding situations. With delicacy and tact, Schildkraut and Muschert help to answer the painful question raised by a stone on the wall of the Columbine Memorial: "What have we learned?". Analyzes the broad cultural impact of the Columbine High School shooting Reviews changes in police responses that have developed since the day of the attack Examines warning signs that pre-dated the attack and how threat assessment has advanced to preclude similar tragedies Explores legislative responses in the aftermath and why they were not successful Considers the lessons learned in the 20 years after the shooting and how they can be used to prevent future acts of mass violence

The book aims to discuss the issue of small-scale school violence. While school shootings and safety are of the utmost concern among teachers, students, parents, and the public, many children suffer the effects of everyday violence that affect the learning environment and the sense of safety in schools. Such violence can include bullying, threats, fistfights, theft, weapon-carrying, and more. It offers an overview of aggression and violence, including its theoretical causes and presentations, especially in the context of development and schools. It also outlines the effects of violence on schools and students. The publication is particularly unique in that it will encourage the reader to "slow down the violence" and evaluate it frame-by-frame. This technique, used by the author in consultation, has been effective in preparing school employees to address issues of violence, encouraging them to evaluate their own willingness to intervene, and identifying their own strengths and limitations. By insisting that they have a plan of action, the hope is that they will be better prepared when faced with student conflict, even in the absence of a school plan. Finally, the book discusses basic program design and implementation practices to assist school administrators and professionals to create a tailored program to specifically address their own schools' needs.

Schools across the U.S. look very different today than they did a generation ago. Police officers, drug-sniffing dogs, surveillance cameras, and high suspension rates have become commonplace. The Real School Safety Problem uncovers the unintended but far-reaching effects of harsh school discipline climates. Evidence shows that current school security practices may do more harm than good by broadly affecting the entire family, encouraging less civic participation in adulthood, and garnering future financial costs in the form of high rates of arrests, incarceration, and unemployment. This text presents a blueprint for reform that emphasizes problem-solving and accountability while encouraging the need to implement smarter school policies. 

Across four compelling chapters, readers will evaluate whether schools are safe, whether better gun policies can help, whether security measures make school more safe, and how health care interacts with student safety. Essays are sequenced in a pro versus con format to present readers with divergent views. Essayists include Selwyn Duke, Kristina Chew, Nell Gluckman, Kelly McBride, Cleopatra Andreadis, and Denise Martinez-Ramundo.