Should adults simply tell children that school violence won happen in their community?
That’s probably not an appropriate message to convey. We’ve seen that school violence can happen virtually anywhere, even in schools that may seem extremely safe. Unfortunately, a message like this can also give children a false sense of security, and they may not be as vigilant about unsafe situations as they should be. And many children do worry that a shooting or other violent event may happen in their school, so you should validate and acknowledge their feelings. Blanket statements that it won’t happen risk minimizing their fears and shutting down conversation.
