Over 352,000 students have experienced a school shooting since Columbine in 1999 (Cox et al., 2023). School shootings have also been on the rise in the U.S. in recent years, with 46 just in 2022 alone. This is the highest number in the history of the U.S., however, shootings in the first three months of 2023 significantly outpaced those in 2022 within the same time frame (Modan, 2023). While school shootings are mainly carried out by white male gunmen, students of color are most affected by this violence (Cox et al., 2023). Post data (2023) found that Hispanic and Black students were over two and three times more likely to experience gun violence at school respectively. One significant case study of this trend is the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, Texas in 2022.
On May 24, 2022, a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX and killed 21 people, and left 17 more injured (Méndez, 2023). Demographics of this school demonstrated that out of the 538 students there, nearly 90% are Hispanic/Latino, and 81% of students are economically disadvantaged (U.S. News, 2022). This event sent shockwaves through the tight-knit rural community, as students and their families battled to come to terms with what had occurred and planned their next steps to rebuild (Méndez, 2023). One year later, the trauma of this event still lingers over the community, so as the Creative Director for ResilientU, I propose that a multi-level resilience-building intervention be implemented in this community.
Utilizing the CDC’s social ecological model (SEM) as a structural framework, this intervention will involve several branches, each one addressing a different level of the SEM. For the individual level, I propose that therapy dogs and mental health counselors be integrated into the school to help deal with the long-term trauma ramifications of this event. While acute assistance is usually available immediately after shootings, less often are resources still available more than a year afterward (Iancu et al., 2019). Therapy dogs and on-site counselors have proven to be acutely effective, so I propose the re-integration of these services to help students work through the trauma this event has left them with a year later (Iancu et al., 2019).
At the interpersonal level, I also propose that support and counseling groups also be started within the school to help students, staff, and families support each other through their recoveries. Events like these can be very isolating, so allowing those affected to feel supported by people who have experienced the same event could be helpful.
At the community level, I propose that educational workshops be held with members of the community to teach them about the warning signs of individuals who are at risk of becoming violent. Many articles cited that the Uvalde gunman had exhibited numerous warning signs for violence, but they were never addressed (Condon, 2022). Changing the community context and educating them on how to spot these signs and take action could help them feel more in control of preventing these tragic events.
Finally, at the societal level, this intervention will use all of its findings to advocate for gun control legislation at the state and national levels.
The program as a whole will be advertised to both students and community members. Students will hear a school announcement that will tell them about the program and why they should join. They will also take home an infographic about the program so they can talk about it at home with their parents and decide if they want to get involved. Infographics will also be posted throughout the community and given to key community influencers to help promote the program as well.
References
Condon, B. (2022, July 19). Uvalde school shooter left trail of warning signs ahead of attack. PBS NewsHour. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/n...igns-ahead-of-attack
Cox, J. W., Rich, S., Chong, L., Trevor, L., Muyskens, J., & Ulmanu, M. (2023). There have been 380 school shootings since Columbine. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com...-shootings-database/
Iancu, A., Jaycox, L., Acosta, J. D., Straub, F. G., Iovan, S., Nelson, C., & Abir, M. (2019). After school shootings, children and communities struggle to heal. Health Affairs Forefront. https://doi.org/10.1377/forefront.20190717.855810
Méndez, M. (2023, May 24). Uvalde school shooting: What we know one year later. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2...ooting-what-to-know/
Modan, N. (2023, April 4). Will school shootings in 2023 outpace last year’s record high? K-12 Dive. https://www.k12dive.com/news/w...-record-high/646765/
U.S. News. (2022). Robb Elementary. U.S. News and World Report. https://www.usnews.com/educati...bb-elementary-278634
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