Safe Schools, Thriving Students: What We Know about Creating Safe and Supportive Schools

A rise in the number of school shootings over time has driven increasing attention to school safety. However, school shootings are not the only physical safety threat students may encounter at school. Other types of violence include sexual assault, robbery, physical attack or fights, and threats of physical attack (with or without a weapon). In addition to immediate physical harms, school violence can have long-lasting effects that undermine students' engagement and mental health. It can also increase drug use and risk of suicide. Although there is widespread agreement that all children and youth deserve a safe and healthy school environment, there is significant debate about how best to promote student safety. As states, districts, and schools consider policies and practices that will promote school safety, they can look to existing research to understand more about the effectiveness of proposed strategies and the potential risk of unintended consequences. This report summarizes what is known about the prevalence and effectiveness of strategies to improve student safety in schools. The authors acknowledge that schools are not the only place where young people experience violence, and there is much to be done to ensure safety in all homes and social spaces.