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School Shootings
School shootings are a major concern and pose a terrifying threat to students and their parents. There were more than 30 school-related violent deaths during the 2006-2007 school year, including suicides, stabbings, shootings, and assaults.
Some of the incidents were gang related, while others involved adult men targeting their spouses or going on shooting rampages with unidentified motives. The school shooting involving 10 Amish female students occurred in October 2006, in which five of the
students died.
How to prevent school shootings
There is no way to prevent school shootings entirely. However, experts suggest that hiring security guards and installing metal detectors in high-risk school can help prevent some incidents. Also, installing security cameras, training teachers on how to protect themselves and their students, and designing schools with places to hide instead of square rooms with no shelter can help reduce deaths.
Most school shooting incidents that are thwarted by police are usually brought to their attention by alert students who have overheard a plan or seen weapons being brought into a school.
How to protect your children
Talk to your children about:
- Being alert and reporting any unusual activities they see or hear about.
- Finding a place to hide or escape if they hear shooting.
- Carrying a cell phone and dialing 911 if there is trouble.
- Avoiding all gang related activity and gang-infested areas.
- Taking a self-defense class.
Many parents also forget to talk about the fear, anxiety, and depression that being in or hearing about a school shooting can create. Students who are victims of a shooting or students who are displaying excessive anxiety or depression after hearing about a shooting should be evaluated by a therapist.
It’s also important to consider whether your child might be at risk of becoming a shooter, as difficult as that might be. Students involved in school shootings often make plans for months, store weapons, and work with another student. They usually suffer from depression or mental illness, and are often very reclusive.
Tags: anxiety, depression, gun injury, gunshot, gunshot wound, school shooting, self defense, shooting, student shooting, suicide