The years surrounding the tragic Sandy Hook Massacre prompted schools around the nation to beef up their security measures with additional safety drills and improved parent notification systems. This was during a time that included a 4 year span of an overall decrease in violent crime being reported by schools, unless it was a high-profile incident.

The National Center for Education Statistics released their findings from the 2013-14 school year. The survey found that:

• 88% of public schools had a written plan of how to respond to an active shooter;
• 7 out of 10 schools had drills to practice their active shooter plan;
• ¾ of the schools reported using security cameras; and
• 43% of the schools reported to using security personnel at least once per week.

Overall, the survey found that 65% of public schools reported one violent incident, down from 74% in the 2009-10 school year.

As far as school security is concerned, the survey found that:

• 8 in 10 schools have an automatic parent notification system; and
• 47% have a system to report crimes anonymously.