Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Parents So Concerned About School Safety They are Willing to Pay for it Themselves

  • 09/04/18

As parents across the country head out to purchase No. 2 pencils, composition notebooks and a flurry of other back-to-school supplies, there’s one more item parents are prepared to pay for out of their own pockets: improved school security. 

According to a new survey, 81 percent of students and 89 percent of parents expressed anxiety over school shootings with the start of the school year, and a majority of parents (75 percent) are willing to pay out of their own pockets to do something about it.

And while teens and parents are known to universally butt heads when it comes to agreeing on things, when asked about prioritizing funding, both parent and student survey respondents ranked improved school security as the top priority for additional funding over academics, arts and athletics.

The online survey was commissioned by Raptor Technologies, the leader in integrated school safety technologies, and Safe and Sound Schools, a nonprofit founded by Sandy Hook parents focused on improving school safety. The survey interviewed 501 U.S. parents with K-12 kids, and 501 students ages 13-18.

“As a community concerned with school safety, we need to better address both prevention of school violence as well as preparation for such incidents,” said Eileen Shihadeh, senior vice president, Raptor Technologies. “Businesses, organizations, and schools need to come together to improve preventative measures such as identification and assessment of threatening or tell-tale behaviors, and emergency planning such as practicing regular lockdown drills and making sure schools have effective incident management tools in place.”

Michele Gay, a Sandy Hook parent who lost her daughter in the 2012 shooting and co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools added, “The fact that you’re seeing parents willing to spend their own money on school security measures speaks volumes. It’s a sign of the times that we now live in a world where parents and students feel security upgrades are outranking the need for academic or athletic priorities. This all underscores the need across the board for better solutions to help ensure a safe school year.”

Additional Survey Highlights

  • The majority of parents (54 percent) felt school safety and security deserved the most additional school funding.

o    Thirty-two percent felt it should go towards academics, 6 percent towards sports and 6 percent towards art.

  • In regard to school safety risks, active shooter topped students’ “very worried” list (32 percent).

o    Nineteen percent are “very worried” about sexual assault, bullying (18 percent), physical assault (15 percent), and weather-related emergencies (7 percent).

  • On the other hand, parents are “very worried” about bullying (49 percent), followed by an active shooter (44 percent), physical assault (30 percent), sexual assault (29 percent) and weather-related emergencies (23 percent).
  • Seventy-nine percent of parents said they plan to talk to their children about school safety.
  • Seventy-one percent of students said they will pay more attention to signs of depression or violence in a classmate.

For more information on the survey, visit raptortech.com/study/

Featured

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.