ABSTRACT
Injury and violence prevention are important concerns for researchers and practitioners who are interested in promoting children’s and adolescents’ health. Homicide and suicide are among the leading causes of death for children and adolescents (Anderson, 2002). Schools are one potential site for youth violence to occur. More than 30% of high school seniors reported having committed a violent act in the past year, with half of those acts resulting in injuries (Johnston,
2000, as cited in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Although violence at schools is tragic and highly publicized, deadly violence on school grounds is actually quite rare (Anderson et al., 2001). Extreme violence is also rare in that only 10% of schools report one or more serious violent crimes (National Center for Education Statistics, 1998).
