CARTOON ANALYSIS

9
C

Wendy Ma
 National School Safety and Security Services receives a number of inquiries about
metal detectors and school safety, especially after high-profile school shootings or
other incidents of school violence involving weapons.

The majority of schools in the United States do NOT use metal detectors on a day-to-
day basis. While there are no credible statistics on the exact number of schools using
metal detectors, stationary metal detectors used on a daily basis are typically limited to
large urban school districts

Schools using metal detectors on a day-to-day basis are the exception, not the rule.
 100,000 NYC School Children go through the metal detectors everyday

The metal detectors were first installed in the early 1990s when crime rates were much
higher and have stayed in place even as crime in the public schools has fallen 48
percent over the past 10 years.

Among the 126 possible weapons seized at schools that scan daily some found
hidden on school grounds, others by scanners were an unloaded handgun, 73
knives, 21 box cutters, 3 BB guns and an assortment of loose bullets and razor blades.
FACTS from the National Center for
Education Statistics
Violent Deaths at School

Between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, there were a total of 45 school-associated violent
deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the United States. Of the 45 student, staff,
and nonstudent school-associated violent deaths occurring during this time span, there
were 26 homicides, 14 suicides, and 5 legal interventions.

Nonfatal Student VictimizationStudent Reports

For students ages 1218, the rate of violent victimization in 2013 was higher at school than
away from school. The 2013 violent victimization rates were 37 per 1,000 students at school
and 15 per 1,000 students away from school. This difference was driven primarily by higher
rates of simple assault at school.
 Teachers Threatened with InjuryTeacher Reports

During the 201112 school year, 9 percent of school teachers reported being
threatened with injury by a student from their school. The percentage of teachers
reporting that they had been physically attacked by a student from their school in
201112 (5 percent) was higher than in any previous survey year (ranging from 3 to 4
percent).
References

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=49
https://www.propublica.org/article/nyc-school-children-face-airport-style-security-
screening-every-day
http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/school-metal-detectors/