As school threats become more common across the country, ABC15 asked: How often do they come to fruition? And is the fear overshadowing other issues on campus?
Amanda Klinger with the non-profit Educator's School Safety Network says while the number of threats schools receive is high, the number of actual shootings is slim, making up 6% of the violent incidents reported. That's less than the number of suspicious devices being found and fights on campus.
Yet, Klinger says active shooter drills seem to be one of the most common practices. "When we focus all of our time and attention on responding to this one type of risk or hazard, what are the other things we are not paying attention to?" Klinger said.
While Klinger says there are many, one issue mentioned is currently unfolding in Chandler, where three students in the past few days have been hit by cars after school.
"If you have a student that gets struck by a car on dismissal because we don't have adequate supervision when kids are getting onto buses or in cars, that's a tragedy too," Klinger said.
The network recommends schools have more training for other tragedies, not just shootings. While they say shooting drills are critical, Klinger fears they could have a strong impact on children.
"My prediction is that in 10-15 years when we adequately study this issue we're going to see there was an impact on academic achievement, an impact on mental health," Klinger said. "We'll know anecdotally that those intense drills have an effect on kids."
Klinger says this should not take away from the mentality of if you see something, say something. The network also recommends schools have a plan on how to handle threats and communicate that process to parents at the start of the school year, so there aren't any concerns later on.
To read more about the network's findings, click here.
