The following questions and responses are designed to address public inquiries. Any time a school shooting occurs it is a sobering and tragic event that causes public concern. However, school-associated violent deaths are rare. In fact, the number of school-associated homicides has decreased every year since 1992, although the proportion that involve multiple victims has increased. Less than one percent of the murders of children and youth in the United States are school related.
Schools are still one of the safest places for our children.
Effective violence prevention programs can help assure that they remain safe. Within the past year, the Federal Government has developed and shared several new resources to help communities prevent violence. The best way to prevent school and other youth violence is to keep the lines of communication open. Talking to young people about their friends, their activities and their interests keeps parents in the loop and lets teens know they care. Often parents and o thers are aware that a young person is troubled.