In one-party States, the dominant State party (or ideology) can be infiltrated by elements who would be out of place in the national party. Plaintiffs’ lawyers are well-represented in the Republican Parties of Mississippi and Alabama. Some of our most thoughtful Public pension reforms have been carried out in Democratic Rhode Island, and education reforms in Democratic Massachusetts.

Robert,
” but not telling the truth about the extent of the problem doesn’t serve anyone.”

There’s a lot of people who stand to benefit from not telling the truth.
The new “School Resource Officers” who will probably be dues paying members of the Police unions.
The security companies who get hired to turn schools into fortresses.
The companies who do the background checks that are needed before you are allowed anywhere near a school. (My background check to be allowed to work with nuclear weapons was only slightly less intrusive than the one I had to have to be able to coach my great niece’s basketball team.)
The manufacturers of “bullet proof backpacks” and other related items.
The media, whose ratings get a spike anytime there’s an incident anywhere near a school.
I can go on and on about who the lie serves.