Child Gun Injury Risk Spikes When Children Leave School for the Day.
Child Gun Injury Risk Spikes When Children Leave School for the Day
New studies underscore the critical need for community-level interventions that provide equitable access to safe spaces for youth after school and during the summer.
In the United States, child firearm violence prevention focuses largely on school shootings, even though the majority of child gun injuries occur outside of schools. A new study led by School of Public Health researchers provides additional insight into this gun violence threat, showing that children’s risk of being shot rises as soon as the school day ends.
The risk of child firearm injuries was 45 percent higher during the 2-6 pm afterschool period on school days, compared to non-school days, according to the study, which focused on students at public schools in New York City. This risk nearly tripled in the immediate period at the end of the school day, typically about 2 pm, as students left school grounds and commuted home or to other destinations within their communities. The findings were published in AJPM Focus, the journal of the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research and the American College of Preventive Medicine.
As child firearm violence continues to rise, despite declines in overall gun violence in the US, the study underscores the need for child gun violence prevention programs and policies to expand beyond school-focused strategies and include community-level interventions.
“School shootings are tragic and traumatic, but they are a rare form of the problem,” says study senior author Jonathan Jay, associate professor of community health sciences. “Our findings show that the context where children have the greatest risk of being shot is the community, not school. There was no comparable afternoon effect on non-school days, suggesting that this is really about kids leaving school and needing to navigate community spaces to get to home or work or spend time with friends.”
For the study, Jay, along with lead author Emma Gause, research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health, and colleagues examined data on NYC firearm assaults in NYC and NYC school calendars from 2006-2023, using the 2 pm threshold as the afterschool transition time.
On school days, there were approximately 5.1 child gun injuries during each hour of the 2-6 pm afterschool threshold, compared to only 0.9 child gun injuries in each hour of the school day, and the highest risk occurred in the first 15 minutes after school dismissal. This peak period during the school-to-afterschool transition could represent spillover conflicts that began during school hours, but it more likely represents the non-school-related violence that children are exposed to in their surrounding communities as they leave school grounds. Previous research shows that adults commit the vast majority of child shootings, and that children are most often unintended targets.
Safe Passage programs, or school-based programs which position staff or volunteers to walk with students on designated routes to and from school, are one step that cities can take to reduce community violence after (and before) school.
“The adults in these programs should be community members who are unarmed—their job is to keep an eye on what’s happening on the block and help prevent conflicts from escalating,” says Jay. “Thinking about kids’ school commutes is important because we want walking to be a safe option for every child.”
Concerted efforts should be made to understand the types of community-level resources that children would want to utilize, he says. “Kids need safe places to go, and we haven’t done a good enough job providing safe places where they actually want to spend time. Young people have a range of interests, and just because an adult thinks kids would be interested in a program, doesn’t mean they will be.”
The researchers also emphasize the persistent racial and ethnic disparities in child firearm exposure. In their study, more than 97 percent of the child shooting victims on school days were Black and/or Latinx.
“Gun violence is a daily concern for young people in disinvested neighborhoods that are chronically exposed to this threat,” Jay says. “This is a racial justice issue as much as it is a public health issue.”
Youth employment is another valuable intervention that provides a safe space for teens after school, as well as economic and educational opportunities, all of which can directly combat the racial and ethnic disparities in youth violence victimization that so often occurs in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Jay authored another new study, led by Patrece Joseph, assistant professor of community health sciences, which examined the benefits of summer youth employment programs (SYEPs) and provided insight that could be applicable to similar programs offered during the school year. Published in Prevention Science, the study found that SYEPs not only reduce youth involvement in crime and violence, but also improve youth educational outcomes, social connections, and community engagement—all of which are critical to ensuring young people thrive, says Joseph.
“SYEPs provide opportunities for youth with little to no work experience to earn money while gaining important skills like communication, teamwork and time management,” Joseph says. “Universal programs are critical because they reduce barriers, such as stigma or documentation of low-income status, for youth who may not otherwise participate. Cities should consider expanding opportunities for youth employment during the school year to not only reduce risks for youth-involved firearm violence, but as a way to address limited economic opportunities for youth, which is ultimately a root cause of firearm violence.”
Boston’s SYEP, which includes summer and school-year jobs geared toward all Boston youth ages 14-24, is “a great example of how cities can ensure that these programs are accessible to all children,” she says, adding that there is no income requirement and the application process is designed to reduce barriers for young people applying to jobs. Other cities have also worked to expand the number of jobs offered to youth through partnerships with private funders and local universities.
“These three strategies—broadening eligibility criteria, streamlining and supporting youth in the application process, and strategic partnerships that expand the number of jobs available to youth—are practical steps cities can take to ensure SYEPs are accessible to all youth,” says Joseph.