Can’t Buy Me Love: Examining Whether American K-12 Private Schools Are Safer Than Public Schools

• In Event: EHC-WG Panel 3. Historical Perspectives to International and Modern Problems

Abstract

On March 27, 2023, a mass school shooting occurred at The Covenant School, a private parochial elementary school, in Nashville, Tennessee. Aiden Hale, a transgender man and former student of the school, killed three nineyearold children and three adults before being shot and killed by two Metropolitan Nashville Police Department officers. This event was the first documented K-12 school shooting by a transgender person and one of the few which occur at or against private schools in the United States. This incident has also generated renewed discussions as to whether private schools are safer than public schools. There is no simple answer to whether private schools are safer than public schools, as it depends on a variety of factors. In terms of physical safety, private schools often have smaller class sizes and tighter security measures, which may make them less vulnerable to violent incidents. When it comes to emotional and social safety, the dynamics may be different. Private schools may have more homogeneous student populations, which can create a sense of community and belonging, but it can also lead to exclusion and prejudice towards those who do not fit in. Public schools, on the other hand, may have more diversity and inclusivity in their student body, but this can also lead to conflicts and misunderstandings. The purpose of this presentation is to examine this question through an analysis of all documented American K-12 school violence incidents between 1764 and 2020. This will be facilitated by an author developed database of 727 incidents. This analysis will offer an answer to this question in an historical context. A detailed list of differences and similarities between public and private school violence will also be presented. It is hoped that such an analysis will offer new areas to consider in dealing with school safety.

Authors

• Catherine E. Burton, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

• Gordon A Crews, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley