There have been 14 shootings at K-12 schools since students returned to class in August

There have been 14 shootings at K-12 schools since students returned to class in August, according to data from Education Week.

Yesterday's shooting at a high school in Arlington, Texas was the 14th such incident to take place at a K-12 school in the last couple of months.

In 2021 as a whole, there have been 22 school shootings, which have resulted in gunshot wounds - some fatal. Five school shootings occurred in the last week.

An 18-year-old student is in police custody after he allegedly wounded four people when he began shooting following a physical fight at Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas.

Education Week's stats show that Covid-19 halted the rising school shootings as many students began learning from home.

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Dewey Cornell, a professor of education at the University of Virginia and a school threat assessment expert, told Insider that while it may appear that there has been a surge in shootings on school campuses specifically - in actual fact, there has been an overall spike in gun violence.

Comparing the situation to a "flood" that covers every building in a particular area, Cornell highlighted that murders had risen by 30% in the US last year, which marks the most substantial increase since 1960.

"The water is going to go everywhere in a flood zone," Cornell said. "Every building, indiscriminately, but schools are somewhat protected."

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Shopping centers, commercial buildings, and parking lots will usually see more extreme rates of shootings compared to schools, Cornell said.

Where school shootings are concerned, Cornell explained: "Some of it just happens to be in a school parking lot or a bus stop, or somebody coming on to school grounds because that's where their adversary is or where they have a grievance with somebody."

Cornell emphasized the importance of having a threat assessment team in schools that students and members of staff can go to report concerning or threatening statements. He argued that this was the most effective way to prevent shootings on school grounds.

"The public isn't generally aware of this, but there are threat assessment teams in over half of our schools in the United States and they're real busy right now," Cornell added.

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