According to Everytown, an estimated 3 million children in the US are exposed to school shootings per year. California currently holds the record for the state with the highest number of school shootings at 206. Additionally, the majority of school shooters are students or others associated with the school. In 77% of school shootings, at least one person, most often a peer, knew of the shooter’s plan. Despite these alarming statistics, California is one of the states that does not require in-school threat assessment teams. 

School threat assessment programs help identify students at risk of committing violence and get them the help they need. These programs typically rely on multidisciplinary teams trained to intervene at the earliest warning signs, and are unanimously recommended by school safety experts. It is vital that California requires these programs within its schools, especially given that in 100 percent of incidents of targeted school violence, there were warning signs that caused others to be concerned. 

The goal of this petition is to bring this matter to the attention of the California State Legislature so that school threat assessment programs may become mandated by law. Our schools should provide all students with a safe and nurturing environment in which they can best learn and grow. By mandating school threat assessment programs, they will feel supported by adults with whom they feel comfortable asking for help or reporting concerning behavior.

Source: https://everytownresearch.org/