Page 16 - Campus Security & Life Safety, March/April 2019

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Threat Assessments
Threat assessments are absolutely critical in preventing targeted school violence.7 Historically, violent attackers have exhibited similar behavioral patterns that telegraph their intent. Every school should have counselors and administrators familiar with the threat assess- ment process and have a close working relationship with local law enforcement (Behavioral Assessment Teams). To take things one step further, every staff member should be aware of the behavioral warn- ing signs of violent attackers. There are many free resources that pro- vide brief descriptions of these behaviors, but there are far more com- prehensive, educator-focused professional development courses available in every state.
A Healthy School Climate
The majority of students who were violent attackers experienced a series of negative institutional and social interactions in their school.
1 Vossekuil, B. (2002). The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Secret Service: U.S. Dept. of Education
2 Lambert, R. (2013). Violence in U.S. K-12 Schools, 1974-2013: Patterns in Deadly Incidents and Mass Threat. Washington, D.C.: Rural School and Community Trust
3 Gagnon, S., Wagner, A. (2016). Acute Stress and Episodic Memory Retrieval: Neurobio- logical Mechanisms and Behavioral Consequences. YEAR IN COGNITIVE NEUROSCI- ENCE Book Series: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Vol. 1369, Pages 55-75.
4 Silver, J., Simons, A., Craun, S. (2018). A Study of the Pre-attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2000 and 2013. Washington, D.C. U.S. Depart- ment of Justice: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Accordingly, schools should strive to support a positive climate and encourage personal, authentic relationships that make students and staff feel valued. Schools with positive climates espouse empathy and kindness and provide students with focused, meaningful guidance. Essentially, healthy school cultures consider the social-emotional wellbeing of students and staff.8 No grievance, no attack.
By incorporating the aforementioned building blocks of safety into our schools and considering newer social-emotional approaches, we can prevent, prepare for, and mitigate violence. Until we identify and resolve the issues causing an increase in targeted school violence, we must work together as safety and security professionals, educators, and students to create a safer learning environment for everyone—we can’t afford not to.
Scott Coleman is the Vice President and Co-founder of Safe Kids Inc. 5 Schwabe, L., & Wolf, O. T. (2010). Learning Under Stress Impairs Memory Forma-
tion. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. Vol. 93, 183–188.
6 Coleman, S. (2018). Safe Kids Inc.: H.E.R.O. Curriculum: Grades K-8: Efficacy Findings in: Prominent Afterschool Program, Public School District, and Private School: Pilot Study Report. www.safekidsinc.com/resources
7 O’Toole, M. (1999). The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective. Critical Incident Response Group. National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. Quan- tico, VA. U.S. Department of Justice: Federal Bureau of Investigation
8 Lambert, R. (2013). Violence in U.S. K-12 Schools, 1974-2013: Patterns in Deadly Incidents and Mass Threat. Washington, D.C.: Rural School and Community Trust
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