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Why is school violence a

public health problem?

School violence is youth violence that occurs on

school property, on the way to or rom school

or school-sponsored events, or during a school-

sponsored event. A young person can be a victim, a

perpetrator, or a witness o school violence.

Youth violence includes various behaviors. Some

violent actssuch as bullying, slapping, or hitting

can cause more emotional harm than physical harm.

Other orms o violence, such as gang violence and

assault (with or without weapons), can lead to seriousinjury or even death.

To learn more about school violence and youth violence,

please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention.

School associated violent deaths are rare.1

17homicidesofschool-ageyouthages5to18yearsoccurred at school during the 2009-2010 school year.

Ofallyouthhomicides,lessthan2%occuratschool,

and this percentage has been stable or the past

decade.

In2010,therewereabout828,000nonfatal

victimizationsatschoolamongstudents12to18years

o age.1

Approximately7%ofteachersreportthattheyhave

been threatened with injury or physically attacked by a

student rom their school.1

In2009,about20%ofstudentsages1218reported

that gangs were present at their school during the

school year.1

In a 2011 nationally representative sample o youth in

grades 9-12:2

12%reportedbeinginaphysicalghtonschool

property in the 12 months beore the survey.

5.9%reportedthattheydidnotgotoschoolon

one or more days in the 30 days beore the survey

because they elt unsae at school or on their way to

or rom school.

5.4%reportedcarryingaweapon(gun,knifeorclub)

on school property on one or more days in the 30

days beore the survey.

7.4%reportedbeingthreatenedorinjuredwitha

weapon on school property one or more times in the

12 months beore the survey.

20%reportedbeingbulliedonschoolpropertyand

16%reportedbeingbulliedelectronicallyduringthe

12 months beore the survey.

Fact Sheet 2013

Understanding School Violence

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Division of Violence Prevention

How does school violence

aect health?

Deaths resulting rom school violence are only part o

the problem. Many young people experience nonatal

injuries. Some o these injuries are relatively minor and

include cuts, bruises, and broken bones. Other injuries,

like gunshot wounds and head trauma, are more serious

and can lead to permanent disability.

Not all injuries are visible. Exposure to youth violence

and school violence can lead to a wide array o negative

health behaviors and outcomes, including alcohol anddrug use and suicide. Depression, anxiety, and many

other psychological problems, including ear, can result

rom school violence.

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Who is at risk or

school violence?

A number o actors can increase the risk o a youthengaging in violence at school. However, the presence o

these actors does not always mean that a young person

will become an oender.

Risk actors or school and youth violence include:

Priorhistoryofviolence

Drug,alcohol,ortobaccouse

Associationwithdelinquentpeers

Poorfamilyfunctioning

Poorgradesinschool

Povertyinthecommunity

Note: This is only some information about risk. To learn

more, go to www.cdc.gov/injury/violenceprevention.

How can we prevent

school violence?

The goal is to stop school violence rom happening in

therstplace.Severalpreventionstrategieshavebeen

identied.

Universal,school-basedpreventionprogramscan

signicantlylowerratesofaggressionandviolent

behavior.3 These programs are delivered to all students

in a school or grade level. They teach about various

topics and develop skills, such as emotional sel-

awareness and control, positive social skills, problem

solving, confict resolution, and teamwork.

Parent-andfamily-basedprogramscanimprovefamily

relations and lower the risk or violence by children

especially when the programs are started early.4 These

programs provide parents with education about childdevelopment and teach skills to communicate and

solve problems in nonviolent ways.

Mentoringprogramscansignicantlyreduceyouth

violence.4 These programs pair a young person with an

adult who can serve as a positive role model and help

guide the young persons behavior.

Understanding School Violence

2

How does CDC approach

prevention?

CDC uses a our-step approach to address public healthproblems like school violence:

Step 1: Defne the problem

Beore we can prevent school violence, we need to know

how big the problem is, where it is, and who it aects. CDC

learns about a problem by gathering and studying data.

These data are critical because they help us know where

prevention is most needed.

Step 2: Identiy risk and protective actors

It is not enough to know that school violence aects

certain students in certain areas. We also need to knowwhy. CDC conducts and supports research to answer this

question.Wecanthendevelopprogramstoreduceor

get rid o risk actors and to increase protective actors.

Step 3: Develop and test prevention strategies

Usinginformationgatheredinresearch,CDCdevelops

and evaluates strategies to prevent school violence.

Step 4: Ensure widespread adoption

Inthisnalstep,CDCsharesthebestpreventionstrate-

gies. CDC may also provide unding or technical help so

communities can adopt these strategies.

What does CDC do to

prevent school violence?

The CDC leads many activities that help us to understand

and eectively prevent school violence. Some o these

activities include:

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS).

The YRBSS monitors health-risk behaviors among

youth,includingphysicalghting,bullying,weaponcarrying, and suicide. Data are collected every

two years and provide nationally representative

inormation about youth in grades 9-12.

www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs

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Reerences

1. Robers S, Zhang J, Truman J, Synder TD. Indicators o School Crime and

Safety,2011.NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,U.S.Department

ofEducation,andBureauofJusticeStatistics,OceofJusticePrograms,

U.S.DepartmentofJustice.Washington,DC;2010.Availablefromhttp://

nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012002.pdf.

2. CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.Youthriskbehaviorsurveil-

lanceUnitedStates,2011.MMWR,SurveillanceSummaries2012;61(no.

SS-4).Availablefromwww.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss6104.pdf.

3. CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.Theeectivenessofuniversa

school-based programs or the prevention o violent and aggressive

behavior: a report on recommendations o the Task Force on Community

PreventiveServices.MMWR2007;56(RR-7):1-12.Availablefromwww.cdc

gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5607.pdf.

4. CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.Bestpracticesofyouthvio-

lence prevention: a sourcebook or community action (rev). Atlanta (GA):

CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,NationalCenterforInjury

PreventionandControl;2002.Availablefromwww.cdc.gov/violencepre-

vention/pub/YV_bestpractices.html.

Understanding School Violence

1-800-CDC-INFO(232-4636)cdcinfo@cdc.govwww.cdc.gov/violenceprevention

Where can I learn more?

CDC Division o Violence Prevention

www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention

CDC Division o Adolescent and School Health

www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/index.htm

STRYVE

www.vetoviolence.org/stryve/home.html

Stop Bullying

www.stopbullying.gov

Surgeon Generals Report on Youth Violence

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44294

School-Associated Violent Death Study. CDC leads a

collaboration with the Departments o Education and

Justice to monitor school-associated violent deaths at

the national level.

www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/SAVD.html

School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS).

TheSHPPSisanationalsurveythatassessespolicies

and practices at the state, district, school, and

classroom levels. Eight elements o school health

are assessed, including approaches to keep a school

environment sae and to prevent violence.

www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/shpps

Health Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT). The HECAT

contains guidance, appraisal tools, and resources tohelp schools conduct an analysis o health education

curricula based on the National Health Education

Standards and CDCs Characteristics o an Eective

Health Education Curriculum. The results can help

schools select or develop curricula to address a

number o topics, including violence prevention.

www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/hecat

School Health Index (SHI). The SHI is a sel-

assessment and planning tool that schools can use to

improve their health and saety policies and programs.

Five topics are covered, including violence.www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/shi

Academic Centers or Excellence on Youth Violence

Prevention (ACEs). Through collaborations between

researchers and local organizations (including the

local health department), the ACEs work with high-risk

communities to carry out and evaluate a multiaceted,

science-based approach or reducing youth violence.

www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/ACE

Guide to Community Preventive Services.

The Community Guide is a resource or systematic

reviews o research and recommendations about whatworks to improve public health. Examination o youth

violencepreventionstrategieshaveincludedrearm

laws, therapeutic oster care, universal school-based

violence prevention programs, and transer o juveniles

to adult courts.

www.thecommunityguide.org

Striving To Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere

(STRYVE).CDCsnationalSTRYVEinitiativeprovides

inormation, training, and tools to help increase

public health leadership in preventing youth violence,

promote the widespread use o evidence-basedprevention strategies, and reduce national rates o

youth violence.

www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/STRYVE

For a complete list and descriptions of CDC activities, see

PreventingYouthViolence:ProgramActivitiesGuide

(www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/preventingyv.html).