Weapons at School: Examining the Significance of Place

Abstract

ABSTRACTAs demonstrated in extant research, there are significant distinctions across urban, suburban, and rural communities both in the experience of school violence and in the resources allocated toward safeguarding schools from violence. What remains unknown is how the relationship between weapons at school (i.e., possession of a weapon and attacks with a weapon) and school safety policies and practices (i.e., policy against weapons, punishment practices specifically for weapons, and teacher training) differs across school locales. This study draws from the nationally representative 2015–2016 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) to address two questions about the relationship between weapons at school and school safety policies and practices across different school locales. First, do rates of weapons at school and school safety policies and practices vary across school locales? Second, if there are distinctions, how is the relationship between weapons at school and school safety policies and practices moderated by place?