TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR CHICAGO'S PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS.

AND WHILE SUMMER BREAK, IS IT TIME TO REBOOT AND REFRESH?

THAT'S ALSO WHEN VIOLENCE TYPICALLY SPIKES IN THE CITY.

A NEW STUDY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SAYS CPS STUDENTS WHO LIVE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A HOMICIDE OFTEN SUFFER IN THE CLASSROOM.

AFTERWARDS.

BUT THE STUDY ALSO EXAMINES WAYS SCHOOLS CAN MITIGATE THE IMPACT THAT VIOLENCE HAS ON KIDS.

WDW NEWS REPORTER MATT MASTERSON JOINS US NOW WITH MORE.

MATT, WHAT DID THE STUDY FIND ABOUT HOW MANY STUDENTS THIS IS IMPACTING?

YES.

SO THE STUDY LOOKED AT THE SCHOOL YEARS BETWEEN 2010, 11 2018, 19.

AND IT FOUND THAT DURING THAT TIME ABOUT ONE IN 5 CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO LIVED WITHIN 0.2 MILES OR ABOUT 2 BLOCKS OF A HOMICIDE DURING THAT TIME FRAME.

>> 6% OF STUDENTS DURING THAT TIME ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE HOMICIDES WITHIN A SINGLE YEAR.

IT WAS STUDENTS WHO LIVED IN THE LOWEST ECONOMIC AREAS OF THE CITY WHO ARE MOST LIKELY TO LIVE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A HOMICIDE.

REPORT ALSO FOUND THAT WAS BLACK STUDENTS WERE MORE LIKELY THAN THEIR PEERS TO LIVE WITHIN THAT SHORT DISTANCE OF A OF A SHOOTING OR HOMES HAVE 6% EXPERIENCING MULTIPLE HOMICIDES IN A SINGLE WHAT WAS THE IMPACT IN THE CLASSROOM FOUND THAT STUDENTS WHO DID LIVE WITHIN THAT VERY TIGHT PROXIMITY ON AVERAGE.

LOWER ATTENDANCE RATES.

STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES AND LOWER GPA AFTER THAT HOMICIDE COMPARED TO HOW THEY WERE DOING IN SCHOOL BEFORE HAND.

IT ALSO BECAME MORE LIKELY THAT THESE PARTICULAR STUDENTS, WE HAVE SOME SORT OF BEHAVIORAL ISSUES SCHOOL LIKE A SUSPENSION OR EXPULSION FOLLOWING A HOMICIDE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.

BUT THIS TO HAPPEN TO EVERYONE AND STUDENTS WHO DID LIVE WITH BEEN THIS CLOSE PROXIMITY.

THEY DID EXPERIENCE THE EXACT WAY AND THAT'S WHERE THIS SCHOOL COMES INTO EFFECT.

THAT'S WHAT THE REPORT FOUND THAT THE SCHOOL HAD MORE OF AN IMPACT HELPING SOME STUDENTS AND THAT OTHERS BASED ON WHAT THEY'RE DOING THERE AND WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO TO ADDRESS WAS ACTUALLY SEVERAL THINGS STUDENTS ATTENDING SCHOOLS THAT HAD STRONGER CLIMATES, STRONGER CULTURES WERE LESS LIKELY TO SEE THESE NEGATIVE OUTCOMES BUILDING TRUST AMONG STUDENTS AMONG THEMSELVES AND AMONG STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS AND STAFF AT THE SCHOOL ALSO LEAD TO BETTER OUTCOMES.

I SPOKE WITH ONE OF THE STUDY AUTHORS DAVID JOHNSON, WHO TOLD ME THAT THERE'S NO SILVER BULLET STRATEGY TO FIXING ALL THIS, BUT SCHOOLS THAT HAD WELL COORDINATED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, THE HEAD THINGS LIKE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TEAMS WERE LESS LIKELY TO SEE NEGATIVE INCOME IN NEGATIVE IMPACTS AFTER SHOOTING CPS, OF COURSE, IS IN THE PROCESS OF REWRITING IT HOLDS SCHOOL SAFETY PLANS THIS SUMMER.

FOCUSING ON A MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH, CENTERED ON THINGS LIKE EMOTIONAL SAFETY AND RELATIONAL TRUST BETWEEN STUDENTS AND STAFF.

JOHNSON TOLD ME HE BELIEVES THAT THIS STUDY THAT THE JUST PUBLISHED THIS WEEK HELP SUPPORT DISTRICT'S APPROACH IN REGARDS.

MATT MASTERSON, THANKS SO MUCH.

THANKS, FRIENDS.