Kan. Some violent attacks in U.S. schools have raised concerns for many parents, teachers and community leaders about their children's safety. But schools are still safe and violent attacks are still rare, according to a Kansas State University human development and prevention specialist.
Schools are still safe.
The awareness of these violent acts has increased, due partly to the magnitude and new locations of these attacks. Violence in schools is not a new phenomenon, but what has garnered attention lately is that more and more of these attacks seem to affect mostly white students or students who attended suburban or rural schools, Johannes said. However, according to a 2001 report by U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, youth at greatest risk of being killed in school-associated violence are from a racial or ethnic minority, senior high schools and urban school districts. Attorney General Satcher also said in the 2001 report that risk factors do not operate in isolation. The more risk factors a child or young person is exposed to, the greater the likelihood that he or she will become violent.