Dive Brief:

• Findings from a Fishbowl survey of 1,067 teachers show an overwhelming majority (87%) believe lawmakers are not doing enough to prevent school shootings.
• Only 3.84% of those surveyed said they believe lawmakers are doing enough, while 7.5% were unsure. 
• Of states with at least 50 teacher responses, Michigan had the highest percentage of teachers (98.4%) saying lawmakers weren't doing enough, while Texas had the lowest portion at 80.39%. 

Dive Insight:

These findings come shortly after a report from The Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, released last week, suggesting many incidents of school violence could be prevented. The report stated while "prevention is key" and schools should establish prevention programs to identify students of concern, there is no one typical profile of a student attacker, and attackers usually have access to firearms at home. 

In response to the uptick in shootings, the most recent occurring in a California high school Thursday, schools are putting in place increased security measures including cameras, bulletproof glass and random searches.

While these measures often harden buildings in case of an active shooter, schools are also taking preventative approaches that include monitoring student climate and stressing mental health through increased awareness and access to services. 

However, the survey suggests schools can only do so much in lieu of legislative action. Also supporting these findings, a 2018 Gallup poll suggested most U.S. teachers favor gun control measures over putting in place security measures that harden school buildings. In that same poll, one-third of teachers named gun control or stricter laws, the most popular response, as something that could be done to prevent school shootings. The second-most popular response was a ban on guns. 

Educator organizations including the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association have also advocated for legislative change.