Recent statistics point toward declines in violence, weapons, and other crimes at schools.
However, high profile school shootings and copycat threats over the last two academic years have left many communities shaken, alarmed, and uneasy. While this fear is understandable, it is not based on fact. The Report on School Safety indicates that youth are more likely to fall victim to violent crime at home or in the community rather than at school. Nationwide, during roughly the same time period, more than 7,300 children ages 5 to 19 were murdered in and out of school. Preliminary data indicate that school-associated violent deaths have decreased in the past two years.