School Safety

Schools are becoming less and less safe.

A Florida teacher’s aide was assaulted by a student over a video game. A 15-year-old student brutally beat a Georgia high school teacher. A mob of students attacked an assistant principal at a Texas high school. In Las Vegas, one high school student was beaten to death by his peers after he stood up for a friend. All these incidents occurred this year. But it’s not a new problem.

School boards and administrators across the country have relaxed disciplinary policies, leading to an outpour of bullying, harassment, and even violence. Many students feel even less safe, and struggle to avoid the psychological impact of those environments.

A study published by the National Center for Education Statistics in June 2022 found that 84 percent of public schools agreed or strongly agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively impacted students’ behavioral development. Classroom disruptions and disrespect toward teachers and staff, among other things, were worse in 2021 than in 2019.

Ensuring kids, staff, classrooms, and campuses are safe and secure is paramount to better learning outcomes. To that end, we support a comprehensive approach toward school safety.