– Protecting Our Students
– Alarming Rise in Gun Violence at High School Football Games: Key Insights and Solutions. Gun violence at high school football games is becoming an alarming trend across the United States, with incidents occurring almost weekly. As someone committed to school safety, I find this trend profoundly concerning and worth analyzing to understand the patterns and potential solutions.
In a recent article titled “Gunfire Continues at High School Football Games Across the Country,” David Riedman, the founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, comprehensively analyzes these troubling occurrences. Riedman’s research highlights that gunfire during high school football games has become a familiar and distressing reality.
Critical Insights from Riedman’s Analysis
- Frequency and Locations of Shootings: According to Riedman, every week of the high school football season since 2022 has seen gunfire disrupting games, causing panic, and sometimes leading to tragic outcomes. These shootings often occur before, during, or after games, and the K-12 School Shooting Database tracks such incidents in detail.
- Recent Incidents and Statistics: The article provides recent examples of gun violence at football games, including a shooting at Passaic County Technical Institute in New Jersey and a tragic event near Euclid High School in Cleveland. Data from the database shows that there were at least 16 shootings during the current football season, resulting in two deaths and 13 injuries.
- Rising Trends in Gun Violence: Riedman discusses the alarming increase in such incidents, noting that shootings at sporting events are often unplanned disputes that escalate due to the presence of firearms. This trend mirrors similar patterns seen during school-day shootings, where conflicts among teenagers lead to gun violence.
- Recommendations for Schools: The article stresses the importance of having comprehensive emergency action plans for sporting events beyond just deploying metal detectors and officers. Schools need to be prepared for these types of incidents just as they would for potential school-day shootings.
How SITE|SAFETYNET℠ Can Help Schools Prepare and Prevent Such Incidents
As the founder of SITE|SAFETYNET℠, a comprehensive safety assessment platform designed to protect K-12 schools, I see the insights from Riedman’s research as a call to action for schools to take a more proactive approach to safety. Our Integrated 6-Tier Safety Assessment and Reassessment Program℠ (ARP) is designed to identify potential vulnerabilities and implement safety protocols that can help prevent such incidents.
Our platform includes:
- Dynamic Safety Score (DSS) for continuous monitoring and improvement.
- Threat Assessment System℠ (TAS) and Mental Health Guidance℠ (MHG) are used to address potential threats and support students proactively.
- SafetyNet|REPORT℠ to deliver actionable safety insights to school administrators and stakeholders.
Read the Full Article by David Riedman
To delve deeper into the alarming trend of gun violence at high school football games and learn more about the statistics and recommendations presented by David Riedman, I encourage you to read his full article: “Gunfire Continues at High School Football Games Across the Country” on the K-12 School Shooting Database website. HERE
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