Don't end programmes that support students

On April 15, another school shooting rocked Texas; four students were wounded before the 17-year-old shooter surrendered.

- Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, Tribune News Service

Shockingly, the shooting occurred at the same Dallas high school where a student was shot in the leg by another student a year earlier. According to the K-12 School Shootings Database, 95 school shootings have already occurred so far in 2025, through May 13. While still far too many, this number, representing half a school year, is on trend to be lower than in recent years, which saw more than 250 incidents annually. One factor contributing to this decline might be a law passed by Congress in 2022 in response to the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act invested in school safety, including grants to help schools hire mental health care providers who support student well-being. A 2024 report from the Center for American Progress credited “new gun laws and accountability measures” included in the act as one reason for a decline in the summer surge in gun violence rates.