Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Over the past decade, we have witnessed a striking increase in instances of school shootings (Riedman et al., 2019). Most legislation tackling the issue has been focused on gun control; however, policy initiatives in this realm have become a point of contention between major political parties, with no foreseeable resolve. Additionally, proposals to target and conduct interventions with individuals "at risk" of becoming school shooters may prove to be ineffective as school shootings encompass perpetrators with various backgrounds, ages, and motives (Langman, 2008). Thus, it is impossible to determine, with certainty, who will commit crimes of this nature in the future. Implementing strategies for early mental health intervention in schools (e.g., a reduced counselor-to-student ratio, and social-emotional training programs that emphasize skills in empathy, anger management, impulse control, & problem solving; Espelage et al., 2013) for ALL students will result in an increase in overall well-being (Fazel et al., 2014), and a reduction in aggression, which in turn may lead to lower rates of school shootings. Our research utilizes the Center for Homeland Defense and Security's K-12 School Shooting Database to explore the severity of the school shooting crisis (Riedman et al., 2019). We also examine the effectiveness of various programs within the nation devoted to social-emotional training in schools (e.g., Second Step Program, Seattle Social Development Project, & Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways Program; Espelage et al., 2013; Hawkins et al., 2007; Farrell et al., 2001). This leads us to urge specific policy initiatives centered around mental health interventions and social-emotional well-being training in schools to reduce the number of incidents in California, the state with the highest rate of school shootings in the nation.