School Security.

This article discusses public school security in the United States. The subject of school security has become a hot topic in light of school shootings and a rise in violence in American public schools. Data from the US Department of Education indicates that there were about 170,600 thefts and nonfatal crimes on school grounds among students ages twelve to eighteen in 2021, and 25 school-associated violent deaths between 2019 and 2020 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023). In light of well-publicized school shootings since the late twentieth century, as well as the rise of global terrorism, parents, educators and politicians have sought ways to improve school safety through comprehensive school safety plans. Conflict resolution has been a popular means by which students are taught to resolve their differences through dialogue instead of violence, but emerging research on the positive safety record of public charter schools indicates that reducing school violence may require more grassroots community activism and fewer government regulations.