Can Anonymous Reporting Systems Prevent School Violence?

With 76 school shootings reported across the United States this year alone, the upward trend of the past decade is troubling. More than half of these incidents occurred on K-12 school grounds, resulting in 36 deaths and 103 injuries. To date, efforts to prevent school shootings have primarily focused on "target hardening"—such as active shooter drills, metal detectors, and increased police presence—especially in schools serving predominantly low-income and minority students. However, high-profile tragedies like the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting have raised serious questions about the effectiveness of such measures. Another approach, anonymous reporting systems (ARSs), has gained traction across the country. These systems allow individuals—whether parents, teachers, or students—to report potential threats or safety concerns without revealing their identity and have shown promise in some areas.

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