Peterson co-authors article on school safety policy

Jillian Peterson, professor of criminology and criminal justice and executive director of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center, co-authored an article in the Journal of School Violence titled "Public Support for Active Shooter drills, arming teachers, and target hardening: Evidence from a National Experiment."

The researchers surveyed 10,000 U.S. adults to examine public support for three debated school safety measures: active shooter drills, physical security and arming teachers.

The study found support was highest for physical security, with 85 percent of respondents in support; followed by active shooter drills, with support ranging between 73 percent to 83 percent, depending on school level; and lowest for arming teachers, with support ranging from 36 percent to 41 percent.

Information about student anxiety, attackers bypassing security or school-climate harms reduced support for drills and hardening, whereas opinions on arming teachers were largely unmoved. 

The research was covered by Security Management Magazine. Peterson’s co-authors are James Densley, deputy director of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center, and David Pyrooz, professor in the sociology department at the University of Colorado-Boulder.