• Posted November 19, 2025

Focusing on Struggling Students Best for Improving School Safety, Parents Say

Metal detectors and active shooter drills have become hallmarks of school safety, but many parents think educators should focus on children’s mental health, a new poll reports.

Nearly 60% of parents of elementary and middle schoolers say teacher training to identify and support students with emotional or behavioral problems would make schools safer, according to results from the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

By comparison, only 35% think onsite police officers are an effective way to improve school safety, and 28% think active shooter drills help.

“Many people equate school safety with preventing tragic shootings,” Mott Poll Co-Director Sarah Clark said in a news release.

“But our report suggests parents view safety more broadly,” Clark said. “They see it as protecting children from the everyday harm caused by bullying, exclusion and emotional distress.”

About 1 in 6 parents are extremely or very concerned about their child’s safety at home, according to results from the nationally representative survey of 1,000 U.S. parents of kids 6 to 12 years old.

Specifically, they prioritize responding to student’s emotional and social needs as effective strategies. Results show:

• 59% want teachers trained to recognize and respond appropriately when a child is struggling.

• 48% want more school counselors.

• 45% want a confidential reporting system in schools

• 42% want schools to expand friendship and inclusion efforts.

“Teachers see kids every day and are often the first to notice when something’s wrong,” Clark said. “With the right training, teachers may be able to step in early and help a student in distress before problems escalate.”

All these received dramatically more support than blunt force school safety measures like onsite police officers (35%), active shooter drills (28%) building security changes (24%) and monitoring students’ social media (24%).

“While high-profile threats are often what grab headlines, many parents seem to agree that real safety starts with relationships, belonging and early mental health support,” she said.

Parents said that the top contributors to safety problems at school include lack of parental supervision, student access to weapons, insufficient services for struggling children, mental health issues among students, inadequate security and inconsistent or ineffective discipline.

About 1 in 4 parents said their child’s school does too little to hold parents accountable for safety problems caused by their children.

“Accountability can be a tough balance,” Clark said. “Schools want to keep families engaged and participating in counseling or behavior plans, but parents also expect clear consequences for ongoing issues.”

More information

The U.S. Department of Education has more on school safety and security.

SOURCES: University of Michigan, news release, Nov. 12, 2025; Mott Poll, report, Nov. 17, 2025