The devastation of a school shooting reaches further than just those killed or injured. Lifelong effects emerge that alter the rest of their lives. Some say schools are safer than in the past, but safety is not merely the number of casualties in a shooting. Furthermore, treating these tragedies as an insignificant problem discounts the survivors’ stories. Although school shootings are extremely rare, dismissing them by declaring schools safer than ever neglects to acknowledge the prevalence of violence in schools, ignores academic consequences, and diminishes victims’ trauma.
Violence in school, apart from shootings, is a widespread problem affecting thousands of children annually, both physically and mentally. The National Center for Education reports over