Laureen Ricks, the spokeswoman for Duval County Public Schools, released this statement regarding the trend:
Numbers released by the Duval County School Police tell a pretty positive story, though.
During the 2015-2016 school year, there were 9 incidents where guns were fired on campus.
The downward trends in the high school data are encouraging. We won’t be fully satisfied until we get to zero in these categories.
There are a number of initiatives that could be working together to improve these results in our high schools. Most recently the emphasis on “see something – say something is notable.
Our school resource officers have done a great job building relationships with students, and students know that a random administrative screening of backpacks or lockers is always a possibility.
Looking forward, we are very optimistic about expansion of mental health services for students and the impact that will have on school climate, behavior and academic achievement.