News of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Connecticut, in which children and school staff were killed,
might make you think that school violence is on the rise. But as
terrible and frightening as incidents like these are, they are
rare. Although it may not seem that way, the rate of crime
involving physical harm has been declining at U.S. schools since
the early 1990s. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), fewer than 1% of all homicides among
school-age children happen on school grounds or on the way to
and from school. The vast majority of students will never
experience violence at school or in college. Still, it's natural
for kids and teens to worry about whether something like what
happened in Connecticut may someday happen to them. How can you
help them deal with these fears? Talking with kids about these
tragedies, and what they watch or hear about them, can put
frightening information into context. Talking to Your Kids It's
important for kids to feel like they