Nationwide Study of Firearm Violence Prevention Tactics and Policies in K-12 Schools

NCT05552716 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: AAAT90871R01HD108027-01
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 648
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This observational study will collect data and address the following three specific aims. Aim 1: To determine if the total number and specific types of safety tactics and policies are associated with the occurrence of intentional shootings in a sample of 650+ K-12 public schools. Primary Aim 1 hypothesis -- The total number of cumulative safety tactics and policies will be significantly associated with intentional school shootings. Secondary Aim 1 hypothesis -- When organized into three domains (physical target hardening, emergency response and technologies, and school security), the total number of safety tactics and policies within each domain will be significantly associated with intentional school shootings. Aim 2: To determine if the total number and specific types of safety tactics and policies are associated with suspension and expulsion rates in a sample of 650+ K-12 public schools. Primary Aim 2 hypothesis -- The total number of cumulative safety tactics and policies will be significantly associated with student discipline outcomes. Secondary Aim 2 hypothesis -- When organized into three domains (physical target hardening, emergency response and technologies, and school security), the total number of safety tactics and policies within each domain will be significantly associated with student discipline outcomes. Aim 3: To identify if urban/non-urban, economic, and racial disparities prior to and following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic exist in effect modification analyses of the relationships between the implementation of safety tactics and policies, suspensions and expulsions, and intentional shootings in K-12 public schools. Aim 3 Hypothesis: Significant urban/non-urban, economic, and racial disparities prior to and following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic will exist in effect modification analyses of the relationships between the implementation of safety tactics and policies, suspensions and expulsions, and intentional shootings in K-12 public schools.

Conditions

Violence

Keywords

Gun violence; Child health; School safety; Firearm violence prevention tactics and policies

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Occurrence of School Shooting

  School shooting is described as a gun being discharged on the school premises during the school hours.

  Up to 9 years (January, 01, 2015 to December 31, 2023)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Occurrence of Student Discipline

  Up to 9 years (January, 01, 2015 to December 31, 2023)

Study Arms (2)

Case Schools

All Schools identified with all incidents in which a gun is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, day of the week.

Other: School safety tactics and policies

Control Schools

A random sample of schools that have not experienced any incidents in which a gun is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, day of the week matched with a case school based on geographic state, urban/non-urban status, and elementary/middle/high school status.

Other: School safety tactics and policies

Interventions

School safety tactics and policies OTHER

A list of school safety tactics and policies (such as metal detectors, armed security guards, active shooter drills) that were in place at the school at the time of shooting.

Case Schools; Control Schools

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The large majority of data collected in this proposed study does not involve human subjects. Nearly all (if not all) data collected in this study will be publicly available. In the case that a school's safety plan for a specific academic year of interest is not available online, the MPIs will email the principal of the school directly to inquire if they would be willing to provide a copy of the safety plan for the purpose of this research study. As a result, the principal of every participating school in this proposed work will be eligible for participation.

You may qualify if:

• The incident must have taken place on the school property.
• The gun must have been shot during school hours.

You may not qualify if:

• The shot was accidental.
• If it was a suicide/attempted suicide and there was no attempt to shoot another person. (Murder-suicides will be included.)
• The shot was fired on the school bus on its way to or from the school or another school-sanctioned event.
• The school was not in session for any reason.
• The school event was taking place at a location where school security measures were ineffective.
• The shot originated from outside the school and no person or property was hit in the school.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): collaborator
• Columbia University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

New York, New York, 10032, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Policy

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Health Care Economics and Organizations

Study Officials

• Charles Branas, PhD

  Mailman School of Public Health

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: RETROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Gelman Professor of Epidemiology, Chair, Department of Epidemiology

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 21, 2022
• First Posted: September 23, 2022
• Study Start: May 11, 2023
• Primary Completion: January 20, 2025
• Study Completion: January 20, 2025
• Last Updated: January 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)