The poll has a margin of error of 7.5 percentage points. Poll participant Tom Miller said he feels secure about the safety of Johnston's schools. You hate to look at it and say, 'Not my community' . . . He has a daughter in third grade and a son in kindergarten. Local school officials say the Des Moines area has a good student safety record, and parents may be unaware of the security measures that schools have taken.
Educators say parents' perceptions are colored by reports of school shootings in other states.
With the randomness of these acts, we have to work very hard to protect ourselves. Des Moines school officials say serious incidents have been a rarity in recent years. The district has seen a total of 61 student expulsions for weapons or physical violence since the 1994-95 school year. Three Des Moines students have been expelled this year for incidents involving violence but none involving a gun. No students were seriously injured.