(The Center Square) – Four in 10 parents of K-12 students are worried for their children’s safety at school, according to a new Gallup poll.

The poll was collected before the school shooting that took place in Minneapolis on Wednesday, and is part of a multi-year trend showing an uptick in parental concern for school safety.

Gallup has monitored parental concern in this area for nearly three decades since 1998. The latest figure of 41% is higher than the long-term average of 34% and “is consistent with readings from the past three years, ranging from 38% to 44%,” according to Gallup Senior Editor Lydia Saad.

Parental concern reached an all-time high in 1999 at 55% after the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado, where 14 were killed, 21 were wounded and the two shooters also took t

See Full Page