NCJ Number
191646
Journal
Journal of the American Medical Association Volume: 286 Issue: 10 Dated: September 12, 2001 Pages: 1168-1169
Date Published
September 2001
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article presented results of an evaluation on the risk of school associated student homicides and suicides during various times of the school year.
Abstract
Since the 1992-1993 school year in response to increasing concern over children's safety while in school, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Justice began tracking school associated violent deaths. The study period was from 1992 to 1999. Violent deaths were defined as either a homicide or suicide of a student. Results indicated that student homicide rates were typically highest at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters and suicide rates were highest during the spring semester. The findings suggested significant temporal variations in school-related student homicides and suicides. Study findings were subject to two limitations: homicide and suicide events were identified only from news media reports and the suicide trend analysis was based only on a small number of reported suicide events. The results of this study provide valuable information to school administrators in the planning of violence prevention programs.