Safety at Games and After-School Events: What Administrators Need to Know

When students return to the classroom and after-school events begin again, they should be able to safely focus on trying new things, building important skills, and making friends. However, the increasing threat of violence at school events cannot be ignored.

As the school year kicks off, this is what school administrators need to know.

What School Administrators Need to Know

1. There have been 342 shootings at school sports events in the past 6 decades. (Source: K-12 School Shooting Database)

2. Between 2018 and 2023, reported incidents of violence at high school sporting events increased by 33%. (Source: NCES) 

3. Experts are concerned. "It's been sad to watch," said Karissa Niehoff, executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, in an interview with NBC News. "Horrific. It's definitely the worst I can remember in 35 years as a teacher, coach, leader in sports."

4. “It’s almost always a dispute that escalates into violence because somebody has a gun,” said David Riedman, a criminologist and founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, in an interview with NBC News.

5. “It’s also very hit-or-miss with security screenings. In Choctaw, they had screenings at the start of the game but that was it. So, somebody could have left the stadium and come back with a gun,” he told NBC News.

6. Over 96% of school administrators expressed concern about the potential for violence at after-school events, citing it as a top safety priority. (Source: NCES)

7. 38% of K-12 parents report concerns about their child's safety at school, among the highest levels since the early 2000s. (Source: Gallup)

How Schools Can Manage Events Safely

Improved security policies, increased event safety training, and holistic event management software solutions are among the tools administrators should consider.

The Kokomo24/7® platform enables schools to pre-screen, control access, and track all event attendees, with the flexibility to do even more.

The Kokomo24/7® platform helps schools manage safety at high school sports events by:

• Managing check-ins for students, families, vendors, and the public using one system
• Managing access control, including restricting suspended students or banned individuals
• Offering pre-registration and event ticketing
• Screening attendees for security against sex offender registry
• Sending configurable SMS and email alerts 

About Kokomo24/7®

Since 2018, Kokomo24/7®’s unique configuration-based platform has helped more than 120 leading national and global organizations respond quickly to complex business and operational challenges. The Kokomo24/7® platform continues to evolve to efficiently meet the unique needs of every organization in the areas of health and safety, wellness, communications, compliance, accountability, and incident management.

Request a demo to see the holistic Kokomo24/7® platform for yourself!