Background: Mass school shootings have created fear in the American public. The results of this fear have been the hardening of schools, lockdowns, and active shooter drills, yet the mass shootings have not ended. The goal of this study was to analyze the mental health awareness of K-12 public schools teachers in Texas with a goal to identify the…

Immigration disparities are associated with strict school climates and juvenile justice. Place also matters concerning school strictness and disproportionate minority contact for minority youth. What remains unknown is the relationship between school strictness, immigration, and punishment along the Texas-Mexico border. Drawing from the Texas…

Research supports bullying as a precursor of school violence and establishes this form of campus aggression as a public health issue. The literature that complements safe campus environments also aligns with school climate, suggesting that organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) mitigates student bullying. Employing data from 108 public…

The Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235) provides $75 million for the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI). This Initiative, originally launched and funded at the same amount in FY 2014, is overseen by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of…

This qualitative phenomenological research study used narrative inquiry to explore the perceptions of safety of rural Texas high school teachers as it related to a campus intruder or active shooter. The investigator utilized Creswell's (2012) six steps in analyzing and interpreting the qualitative data. The results of the study showed that…

Unsupported fears of youth violence in schools has led to an expansion of school-based policing and zero tolerance discipline. The historical reality is that America's public schools are very safe, even when located in high crime neighborhoods. Yet, school discipline is becoming increasingly punitive, moving from the schoolhouse to the courthouse.…

This report arose from a legislative directive that crime on public school campuses be studied. The study describes criminal behavior occurring on public school campuses in Texas. Data collection was limited to selected behaviors happening on school campuses in 50 districts from September through November 1994. Crimes committed by students or…

This study examined the incidences of bullying behaviors among male and female 9th and 10th graders in rural Nebraska and suburban Texas schools. Nebraska students were predominantly Caucasion, and Texas students were African American, Hispanic American, and Caucasion. Student surveys examined such issues as how often bullying occurred, where it…

Describes the characteristics of a multifaceted approach to violence prevention, Students for Peace, which was introduced in four, urban middle schools in Texas. Components consist of modification of the school environment, introduction of a violence-prevention curriculum, use of peer resources, and parent education. Barriers to implementation are…

This theme issue focuses on programs and strategies aimed at developing crime-free, nonviolent, drug-free schools. "Alternative Education Programs: Resolution or Exclusion?" (Albert Cortez) describes alternative education programs mandated by Texas state legislation for serious student offenders, and related issues of assessment, due…

While violence in Texas schools is unacceptably frequent, some types of school violence have declined in recent years--most likely because of programs designed to improve safety in schools and in the community. This report examines data on juvenile violent crime in Texas as well as the incidence of violence in the schools over recent years.…

This article presents data obtained from a survey of high school students in Brownsville, Texas. Almost half of the students reported having seen other students carry knives at school, roughly 1 in 10 reported having seen other students carry guns at school, and more than 1 in 5 reported being fearful of weapon-associated victimization at school.…