More than 4.1 million U.S. school students experienced lockdowns during the 2017-2018 school year, with at least 16 campuses locked down on a typical school day, according to an analysis on school safety by The Washington Post.
The Post said of 6,200-plus lockdowns, 61 percent were due to firearms and 15 to bomb threats. The news outlet reviewed 20,000 news stories and data from school districts in 31 of the country's largest cities.
Of the 4.1 million students, at least 220,000 were in kindergarten or prekindergarten.
Steven Schlozman, a child psychiatrist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, called the data "staggering" and said children who experience the lockdowns could experience lasting psychological damage.
"We have very good data that children in proximity to frightening circumstances, such as those that trigger school lockdowns, are at risk for lasting symptoms," he said. "These include everything from worsening academic and social progression to depression, anxiety, poor sleep, post-traumatic symptomatology, and substance abuse. Given the potential scope of the problem, we are in dire need of more information. How do we protect children from these issues?"
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.