Fact Check: Was March 2020 the first March without a school shooting since 2002 in the US?

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the governments all across the world making the decision of placing a lockdown all across the country. Schools and colleges in the US as well have been closed and students are getting their education through online lectures. This seems to have brought forward a collateral benefit that the month of March 2020 became the first one to go without a single school shooting in the US since the year 2002, as reported by a journalist on Twitter.

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Claim:

A journalist named Robert Klemko tweeted that March 2020 was the first March that went without a single school shooting incident reported across the United States since the year 2002. He also revealed that the incident in March 2002 was a close call. The 13-year-old student who had the gun was subdued and taken into custody.

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This news was shared by many people on not only Twitter but also on Facebook and other social media portals. Instagram also saw a post by a 'Facts' account with Klemko's post written on a picture of a police-patrolled school. While there were people who talked about how it was a sad truth that a pandemic was the only way to stop that, there were others who questioned whether it was true or not.

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Rating: Partially True

The fundamental issue with this claim is the definition of what is supposed to be considered as a 'school shooting'. Various government agencies and organisations have different takes of what kind of incidents can be termed as a 'school shooting'. Thus, looking at some databases of the US that focus on the amount of damage or victims of the shooting, the claim is partially true as the years 2006 and 2010 do not have a case of a school shooting but had reports of stabbing and violence.

It is important to understand what comes under the definition of 'school shooting'

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Origin:

As Robert Klemko posted his tweet about how March 2020 did not see any school shooting after 2002, people were confused about whether this claim was true or false. People looked for the numbers themselves and showed Robert how Wikipedia shows opposite results and that there was no shooting in March from the years 2002 to 2019 as well. Robert further shared three sources from which he had collected the data.

The list given under the National School Safety Center 2010 shows that there have been shootings in every month from 2002 to 2010, except 2006 and 2010. The 2006 incident, as per National School Safety and Security Services' archives, show a case of a young boy being beaten to death, but no weapon was used. There no incidents from March whatsoever in 2010. The Everytown for Gun Safety Research gives evidence that there have been incidences of a school shooting from 2013 to 2019 in March as well. 

On the flip side of the coin, The Everytown for Gun Safety statistics takes into consideration every single gun incident that has happened on the school grounds. Thus these statistics records seven shooting in the K-12 schools (schools have grades from kindergarten to 12th) for March 2020. But, as per news sources, they do not come under some definitions of 'school shooting' as four were classified as unintentional, one took place between adults on a high school field and two occurred on the campus but were not done by the students. 

Thus, it can be summarized that the claim given by the reporter on Twitter is based on the shootings which included the students, teachers, or staff as the victims or the perpetrators. Incidents like accidental discharges and shootings on school properties were not considered. Even then, following his claim, 2006 and 2010 do not have any records of 'school shootings' in March. 

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