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…

Background: Youth violence, victimization, and bullying are pervasive in schools across the United States and are detrimental for learning and healthy development. K-12 school safety is an increasingly urgent issue to research and understand from multiple perspectives. Physical and psychological safety in school is linked to better student and…

Background: Many schools implement well-intentioned food allergy policies; however, may not ease parents'/children's worry and concern. The purpose of this study was to (1) explore children's and parents' perceptions their school's food allergy policy and (2) compare these perceptions to the documented school policy. Methods: Children ages 8 to 18…

Background: Ongoing masking of K-12 children has not been universally accepted despite recommendation from public health authorities. In states without universal mask mandates for schools, district administrators are forced to make masking decisions under significant local political pressures. There is a call for endpoints to masking to allow…

BACKGROUND: Lockdown drills are mandated within many educational settings in the US; they may contribute to adverse mental health and there is little to suggest their effectiveness. We describe factors associated with post-drill anxiety and perceived effectiveness of drills. METHODS: We surveyed youth-caregiver dyads presenting to the pediatric…

Background: School shooting events and lockdowns have increased in the United States, raising concerns about their impact on youth mental health. Method: This study assessed the association between school lockdowns and changes in youth mental health in 10,049 children who participated in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study. The…

Background: Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) are at high risk for adverse health outcomes. Safer schools decrease this risk. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 6 practices that can make schools safer for SGMY, yet few US schools implement them all. We apply a structural competency framework to elucidate factors…

Background: Although less than 2% of all homicides among young people are school-associated, since 1970 1373 K-12 school gun violence incidents have injured 1403 people and killed another 728. These incidents have changed the education landscape. Informed stakeholders must work together to prevent school gun violence. Methods: We reviewed the…

Background: School recess offers students a break from the rigors and immobility of academic learning, and a chance for social interaction, play, and physical activity. The recess literature is based on elementary schools, with little attention to older students. Early adolescents also need school breaks, and this study offers some of the first…

Background: Case investigation and contact tracing (CI/CT) are important public health tools to interrupt COVID-19 transmission. Our study aims to understand how parents and school staff perceive COVID-19 CI/CT. Methods: Using a mixed methods approach, we distributed a community survey and conducted 15 focus group discussions (FGDs) in English and…

Background: "Test-to-stay" (TTS) is an effective approach for keeping students in school post-exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To prepare for school-based SARS-CoV-2 testing, we implemented formative research to gather perspectives on school-based testing among school personnel, as well as…

Background: Being bullied online is associated with being bullied in school. However, links between online bullying and violence-related experiences are minimally understood. We evaluated potential disparities in these associations to illuminate opportunities to reduce school-based violence. Methods: We used five cohorts of Youth Risk Behavior…

Background: Disparities in school attendance exist for children with medical complexity (CMC) due to COVID-19. Longitudinal changes in family-reported school safety perceptions and predictors of full-time, in-person school attendance are unknown. Methods: This was a prospective, longitudinal cohort study with 3 survey waves (June 2021-June 2022)…

Background: Test-to-stay (TTS) is a strategy to limit school exclusion following an exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We evaluated the use of TTS within universally masked kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) school settings following household SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Methods: Three hundred twenty-two…

Background: Unhealthy weight control and disordered eating behaviors are prevalent among adolescents who identify as a gender and/or sexual minority (SGM). The current study examined how perceptions of school safety contribute to reduced negative weight control and eating behaviors across adolescents with diverse sexual and gender identities.…