School shootings are tragic events where individuals, often students, use firearms to attack others within educational institutions. This resource provides information on the significance and impact of school shootings in the United States. School shootings are defined as incidents where a student shoots and injures or kills others on school grounds, often involving multiple deaths. These events are significant in the U.S. due to their frequency and the national debates they spark on gun violence and school safety measures. The Columbine shooting was a pivotal moment that intensified discussions about gun violence and led to increased security measures in schools. The article also explores how factors like bullying, social rejection, and challenges to masculinity contribute to school shootings, with many shooters having experienced extreme social rejection and bullying without adequate support from parents or school staff.

The physical characteristics of the estimated 98,000 public, and 33,000 private schools in the Homeland create a complex environment for emergency personnel responding to calls for service in the event of a terrorist attack. Internal and external security measures and rapid and comprehensive emergency response plans must take into account a variety of factors, such as the institution?s student body, faculty and staff, physical characteristics and layout, institutional guidance, policies and procedures, and the local government?s laws and ordinances.