By Team ZeroEyes
Although mass shootings are statistically rare, the rise in mass shooting events over the past few years cannot be ignored—not to mention, the effects they have on students and teachers. In fact, safety concerns may contribute to a drop in school enrollment.
Fear of Mass Shootings May Contribute to Decreased Student Enrollment
- 57% of teens are worried about the possibility of a shooting happening at their school.*
- 63% of parents of teenagers are worried about a shooting happening at their child’s school.*
* Data from Pew Research Center
In 2020-2021, there was a 3% drop nationwide in public school enrollments, which equates to 1.5 million students. While a large portion is likely due to COVID, the uptick in school shootings is also a contributing factor.
Research Shows Teachers Do Not Feel Safe At School
According to an EdWeek survey, 6 in 10 teachers say that large-scale school shootings are a key safety concern. And unfortunately, 73% of teachers have said they do not believe their school districts are doing a good job at addressing gun-related violence. Active shooter drills are not enough.
With nearly 55% of educators stating they are ready to leave their profession earlier than planned, it’s clear that lack of safety is a big reason that schools nationwide are experiencing staff shortages and difficulty recruiting teachers.
- 63% of K-12 teachers do not believe their schools are prepared for a mass shooter event, despite student and staff training for an active shooter event.*
- 60% of teachers say they’re worried of a mass shooting happening in their school. †
- 70% of American Federation of Teachers members say the threat of gun violence affects their school’s environment.*
* American Federation of Teachers 2022 Report
†National Education Association Survey
What School Safety Infrastructure Upgrades Make Sense?
When evaluating your school security system, keep in mind that most systems are reactive; alarms go off and people begin running for safety only after a crisis occurs. The best security systems are proactive, preventing or identifying potential threats before danger strikes.
While, cameras, door blocks, hardened vestibules, window screening and buzzer systems are important and should be upgraded and maintained as a part of a multi-layered security approach, ZeroEyes’ A.I. gun detection software is the only solution that detects visible guns and proactively alerts authorities with a threat.
What Should Schools Look for in a Firearm/Weapons Detection Technology Vendor?
- A solution that uses proprietary, real-world and comprehensive datasets to maintain accuracy, privacy, and security.
- A system with a measure to prevent false positives, like human verification.
- A system that specializes in gun detection, rather than offering high-risk facial recognition (which has both political and ethical concerns in K12 institutions) or multiple services of questionable quality.
- A company that provides immediate warnings and ongoing, real-time data to first responders to help them neutralize the threat, along with real-time collaboration with experts in weaponry and emergency response.
Learn more about how ZeroEyes’ A.I. gun detection solution can help you identify the location of an active shooter, improve response time and situational awareness for first responders, and help keep your schools safe. Visit www.ZeroEyes.com to request a demo.