It won't happen here. Not at your school. These are the kinds of reassurances that parents want to give their children when something as horrific as a school shooting happens. But here's the problem in the United States: It could happen.

School shootings have risen sharply in recent years, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics . According to an analysis from CNN , there have been 44 school shootings this year. The Washington Post has collected data showing more than 400 school shootings since the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado in 1999.

And every time a school shooting happens, like in Minneapolis on Wednesday, parents and teachers struggle to calm children's anxieties. So what should you say to children when a shooting happens?

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