ViolenceNCT05552716
Nationwide Study of Firearm Violence Prevention Tactics and Policies in K-12 Schools
An observational study of Violence, run by Columbia University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This observational study will collect data and address the following three specific aims. Aim 1: To determine if the total number and specific types of safety tactics and policies are associated with the occurrence of intentional shootings in a sample of 650+ K-12 public schools. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Violence
- What is being tested?
- School safety tactics and policies
- How many people
- 648 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 11 May 2023to 20 Jan 2025
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: The large majority of data collected in this proposed study does not involve human subjects. Nearly all (if not all) data collected in this study will be publicly available. In the case that a school's safety plan for a specific academic year of interest is not available online, the MPIs will email the principal of the school directly to inquire if they would be willing to provide a copy of the safety plan for the purpose of this research study. As a result, the principal of every participating school in this proposed work will be eligible for participation.
Who may be able to join
- The incident must have taken place on the school property.
- The gun must have been shot during school hours.
Who cannot join
- The shot was accidental.
- If it was a suicide/attempted suicide and there was no attempt to shoot another person. (Murder-suicides will be included.)
- The shot was fired on the school bus on its way to or from the school or another school-sanctioned event.
- The school was not in session for any reason.
- The school event was taking place at a location where school security measures were ineffective.
- The shot originated from outside the school and no person or property was hit in the school.
- Inclusion criteria for control school: Matches the case school on the following criteria- geographic state, urban/non-urban, and elementary/middle/high school status.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
New York, New York, 10032
About this study
This observational study will collect data and address the following three specific aims.
Aim 1: To determine if the total number and specific types of safety tactics and policies are associated with the occurrence of intentional shootings in a sample of 650+ K-12 public schools.
Read more
Primary Aim 1 hypothesis -- The total number of cumulative safety tactics and policies will be significantly associated with intentional school shootings.
Secondary Aim 1 hypothesis -- When organized into three domains (physical target hardening, emergency response and technologies, and school security), the total number of safety tactics and policies within each domain will be significantly associated with intentional school shootings.
Aim 2: To determine if the total number and specific types of safety tactics and policies are associated with suspension and expulsion rates in a sample of 650+ K-12 public schools.
Primary Aim 2 hypothesis -- The total number of cumulative safety tactics and policies will be significantly associated with student discipline outcomes.
Secondary Aim 2 hypothesis -- When organized into three domains (physical target hardening, emergency response and technologies, and school security), the total number of safety tactics and policies within each domain will be significantly associated with student discipline outcomes.
Aim 3: To identify if urban/non-urban, economic, and racial disparities prior to and following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic exist in effect modification analyses of the relationships between the implementation of safety tactics and policies, suspensions and expulsions, and intentional shootings in K-12 public schools.
Aim 3 Hypothesis: Significant urban/non-urban, economic, and racial disparities prior to and following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic will exist in effect modification analyses of the relationships between the implementation of safety tactics and policies, suspensions and expulsions, and intentional shootings in K-12 public schools.
Read the detailed description
Firearm violence in K-12 schools is a persistent public health threat in the US. The negative impact of these tragedies on children and school staff is significant. School-wide efforts (e.g. metal detectors, active shooter drills, armed school personnel, and two dozen others) to improve safety and assuage fears are being widely implemented in public K-12 schools across the US. Yet, the effectiveness of most of these strategies at deterring school shootings has never been scientifically tested. Moreover, school districts may differentially use these strategies based on factors unrelated to school safety, including as a means to discipline students. These gaps in evidence are particularly significant, as the U.S. K-12 public school system currently serves an estimated 51 million children. The proposed research team has conducted pilot and preliminary research demonstrating the feasibility of the larger study proposed here.
This will be accomplished through a nationally representative, population-based, case-control study comparing hundreds of case schools that have experienced a school shooting and randomly selected control schools that have not experienced such an event using epidemiological incidence density sampling. Case data will be ascertained primarily via the FEMA-funded Naval Postgraduate School K-12 School Shooting database. Additional databases that record and publicly report school shooting incidents will be linked and harmonized. One control school will be randomly selected from a national database of public K-12 schools at the National Center for Education Statistics and matched to each case school based on state, urban/nonurban, and elementary/middle/high school status. Both case and control schools will have a list of school safety tactics and policies that were in place, or not in the case school at the time of shooting and the control schools during same time period.
Publicly accessible school safety plans and multiple publicly available secondary sources of data will be used to determine the safety strategies in place at both case and control schools during the school year before each case school's shooting event. These data will be linked to data on school suspensions and expulsions, obtained from the national Civil Rights Data Collection effort. Results will newly inform school policies and practices to reduce gun violence and promote healthy experiences for children across disparate school communities.
- Conditions
- Violence
- Being tested
- School safety tactics and policies
- Keywords
- Gun violence, Child health, School safety, Firearm violence prevention tactics and policies
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
School safety tactics and policiesOther
A list of school safety tactics and policies (such as metal detectors, armed security guards, active shooter drills) that were in place at the school at the time of shooting.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Case Schools | All Schools identified with all incidents in which a gun is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, day of the week. Receives: Other: School safety tactics and policies | |
| Control Schools | A random sample of schools that have not experienced any incidents in which a gun is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, day of the week matched with a case school based on geographic state, urban/non-urban status, and elementary/middle/high school status. Receives: Other: School safety tactics and policies |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Occurrence of School Shooting
School shooting is described as a gun being discharged on the school premises during the school hours.
Measured: Up to 9 years (January, 01, 2015 to December 31, 2023)
Secondary outcomes (1)
Occurrence of Student Discipline
Student discipline is defined as the number of suspensions, and number of expulsions.
Measured: Up to 9 years (January, 01, 2015 to December 31, 2023)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Sep 2022
- Study start11 May 2023
- Primary completion20 Jan 2025
- Study completion20 Jan 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for ViolenceStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Columbia UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Enrolment
- 648 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Columbia University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Charles Branas, Columbia University
- Investigators
- Charles Branas, PhD, Principal investigator, Mailman School of Public Health
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05552716
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- AAAT9087
- Other IDs
- 1R01HD108027-01
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 21 Sep 2022
- Last updated
- 28 Jan 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Jan 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Nationwide Study of Firearm Violence Prevention Tactics and Policies in K-12 Schools
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05552716
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AAAT9087
- Conditions
- Violence
- Keywords
- Gun violence, Child health, School safety, Firearm violence prevention tactics and policies
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 648 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Columbia UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Study start
- 11 May 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 20 Jan 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 20 Jan 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 23 Sep 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This observational study will collect data and address the following three specific aims.
Aim 1: To determine if the total number and specific types of safety tactics and policies are associated with the occurrence of intentional shootings in a sample of 650+ K-12 public schools.
Primary Aim 1 hypothesis -- The total number of cumulative safety tactics and policies will be significantly associated with intentional school shootings.
Secondary Aim 1 hypothesis -- When organized into three domains (physical target hardening, emergency response and technologies, and school security), the total number of safety tactics and policies within each domain will be significantly associated with intentional school shootings.
Aim 2: To determine if the total number and specific types of safety tactics and policies are associated with suspension and expulsion rates in a sample of 650+ K-12 public schools.
Primary Aim 2 hypothesis -- The total number of cumulative safety tactics and policies will be significantly associated with student discipline outcomes.
Secondary Aim 2 hypothesis -- When organized into three domains (physical target hardening, emergency response and technologies, and school security), the total number of safety tactics and policies within each domain will be significantly associated with student discipline outcomes.
Aim 3: To identify if urban/non-urban, economic, and racial disparities prior to and following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic exist in effect modification analyses of the relationships between the implementation of safety tactics and policies, suspensions and expulsions, and intentional shootings in K-12 public schools.
Aim 3 Hypothesis: Significant urban/non-urban, economic, and racial disparities prior to and following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic will exist in effect modification analyses of the relationships between the implementation of safety tactics and policies, suspensions and expulsions, and intentional shootings in K-12 public schools.
Detailed description
Firearm violence in K-12 schools is a persistent public health threat in the US. The negative impact of these tragedies on children and school staff is significant. School-wide efforts (e.g. metal detectors, active shooter drills, armed school personnel, and two dozen others) to improve safety and assuage fears are being widely implemented in public K-12 schools across the US. Yet, the effectiveness of most of these strategies at deterring school shootings has never been scientifically tested. Moreover, school districts may differentially use these strategies based on factors unrelated to school safety, including as a means to discipline students. These gaps in evidence are particularly significant, as the U.S. K-12 public school system currently serves an estimated 51 million children. The proposed research team has conducted pilot and preliminary research demonstrating the feasibility of the larger study proposed here.
This will be accomplished through a nationally representative, population-based, case-control study comparing hundreds of case schools that have experienced a school shooting and randomly selected control schools that have not experienced such an event using epidemiological incidence density sampling. Case data will be ascertained primarily via the FEMA-funded Naval Postgraduate School K-12 School Shooting database. Additional databases that record and publicly report school shooting incidents will be linked and harmonized. One control school will be randomly selected from a national database of public K-12 schools at the National Center for Education Statistics and matched to each case school based on state, urban/nonurban, and elementary/middle/high school status. Both case and control schools will have a list of school safety tactics and policies that were in place, or not in the case school at the time of shooting and the control schools during same time period.
Publicly accessible school safety plans and multiple publicly available secondary sources of data will be used to determine the safety strategies in place at both case and control schools during the school year before each case school's shooting event. These data will be linked to data on school suspensions and expulsions, obtained from the national Civil Rights Data Collection effort. Results will newly inform school policies and practices to reduce gun violence and promote healthy experiences for children across disparate school communities.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Case Schools | – | Other: School safety tactics and policiesAll Schools identified with all incidents in which a gun is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, day of the week. |
| Control Schools | – | Other: School safety tactics and policiesA random sample of schools that have not experienced any incidents in which a gun is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, day of the week matched with a case school based on geographic state, urban/non-urban status, and elementary/middle/high school status. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The large majority of data collected in this proposed study does not involve human subjects. Nearly all (if not all) data collected in this study will be publicly available. In the case that a school's safety plan for a specific academic year of interest is not available online, the MPIs will email the principal of the school directly to inquire if they would be willing to provide a copy of the safety plan for the purpose of this research study. As a result, the principal of every participating school in this proposed work will be eligible for participation.
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- The incident must have taken place on the school property.
- The gun must have been shot during school hours.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- The shot was accidental.
- If it was a suicide/attempted suicide and there was no attempt to shoot another person. (Murder-suicides will be included.)
- The shot was fired on the school bus on its way to or from the school or another school-sanctioned event.
- The school was not in session for any reason.
- The school event was taking place at a location where school security measures were ineffective.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| School safety tactics and policiesA list of school safety tactics and policies (such as metal detectors, armed security guards, active shooter drills) that were in place at the school at the time of shooting. | Other | Case Schools, Control Schools |
Primary outcome
Occurrence of School Shooting
Time frame: Up to 9 years (January, 01, 2015 to December 31, 2023)
School shooting is described as a gun being discharged on the school premises during the school hours.
1 secondary outcome
Occurrence of Student Discipline
Time frame: Up to 9 years (January, 01, 2015 to December 31, 2023)
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Jan 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Charles Branas, PhD principal investigator
Mailman School of Public Health
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Violence, run by Columbia University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Occurrence of School Shooting (time frame: Up to 9 years (January, 01, 2015 to December 31, 2023)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 28 Jan 2026.