School Violence/Crisis:
Lessons From The Front
Lines
Scott Poland, Ed.D.
Nova Southeastern University
National Emergency Assistance Team
spoland@nova.edu
Parents Of U.S. School Violence
Victims Call For
 More
religion
 Reduce gun access to children
 Better parenting and supervision
 Improved mental health services
 Reduced violence in media
My Most Recent Congressional
Testimony
 Strengthening
School Safety and
Prevention of Bullying
 House Education and Labor Joint
Subcommittee on July 8, 2009
 Witnesses
 Politics/Issues
 Focus of my testimony
NASP and AERA Congressional
Testimony 4/20/10
 Serious
school violence in U.S has
declined
 Low level aggression and bullying remain
high
 Difficult to get good data on the problem
 Not a single problem with simple solution
 Need to focus on order and engagement
in schools and emotional well being
FACTS: Probability of death every
year for U.S youth age 5 to 19
 Any
cause: 1 in 3000
 Traffic accident: 1 in 8,000
 Homicide away from school: 1 in 21,000
 Suicide away from school: 1 in 28,000
 Homicide at school: 1 in 1,700,000
 Source Scientific American
More Data: School Violent Deaths
Source www.schoolsecurity.org
 05-06
school year 27 deaths
 06-07 school year 32 deaths
 07-08 school year 16 deaths
 08-09 school year 12 deaths
Non Criminal Incidents
 Bill
Modzeleski the Director of Safe
Schools for U.S. Department of Education
cited 11 million incidents annually in
schools of bullying or harassment
Violence Key Points
 Increase
in violent incidents intended to kill
2 or more people
 Warning signs in violent fantasies and
distorted sense of what is just
 Signs of trouble include aggression,
interest in obtaining guns, collecting
posters of school shooters and being a
social loner
Columbine
Columbine Five Years Later
 Principal
says we will never be the same
 School closes on 4/20 every year
 Enrollment declined and 80 % staff
turnover
 Remodeling and cosmetic changes
 Litany of more losses
 Status of law suits
 PTA problems
Changes in Schools Post
Columbine
 Improved
crisis planning
 Better communication between police and
schools
 Improved assessment of threats
 US Secret Service Study of school
violence
 More police in schools
Columbine by Dave Cullen 2009
Hatchette Book Group
 Based
on 10 years of research and
countless interviews
 Dispels many myths: not trench coat mafia
and result of anger at jocks and popular
students
 Media got it wrong, misinformation and
mythology
 She did not say yes to belief in God
Cullen Continued
 Eric
Harris was a psychopath, “You know
what I hate? Mankind!!! Kill Everything”
 Dylan Klebold was depressed, suicidal
and easily led
 Killings were random and target was entire
school
 Columbine best viewed as a failed
bombing
 Extensive law enforcement cover up
Why Kids Kill by Peter
Langman
Palgrave Macmillan (2009)
 Based
on his study of 10 school shooters
that killed 74 and wounded 92
 Rampage acts best understood as a result
of their personalities and life history
 Hypothesized there are three types of
shooters
Types of Shooters
 Psychopathic—narcissistic
without a
conscience—aspiring to be godlike—
paranoid, sadistic with antisocial
personality traits
 Psychotic—avoidant, schizotypal and
dependent personality traits—paranoid
delusions, auditory hallucinations—
depressed and full of rage
Third Type
 Traumatized
Shooters—suffered
emotional and physical abuse at home—
were sexually abused—lived with ongoing
stress and losses—parents had substance
abuse problems--frequent moves—lost
parent to separation, jail and death—
trauma history resulted in suicidal thoughts
Langman Suggestions to Prevent
School Shootings
 Limit
adolescent privacy
 Don’t lie to protect your child
 Follow through with due process
 Pay attention to what the schools says
 Eliminate easy access to guns
 Take threats seriously
More Suggestions
 Anyone
can stop a school shooting
 Recognize rehearsal and planning of
attacks
 Punishment is not prevention
 Physical security alone is not the answer
 Utilize threat assessment teams
 Good communication and positive culture
important at school
Secret Service Study of School
Violence
 Revenge
was motive
 Events were planned
 Few school shootings were resolved by
police
 Perpetrators talked about their plans
 2/3 perpetrators were victims of bullying
 2/3 perpetrators were suicidal
 There is no profile
Safe School Initiative
 Report
on the Prevention of Targeted
Violence in Schools
 U.S.
Secret Service National Threat
Assessment Center
 Departments
of Education and Justice
 www.treas.gov/usss
Red Lake , MN
School Shooting
2
dead in the community
 8 dead at Red Lake High School
Family/Trauma History of J.
(perpetrator)
 Parents
separated when young
 Lived with mom and her boyfriend
 Severely disciplined (locked in closet)
 Father died by suicide when J. was 8
(standoff with tribal police)
 Mother in car accident suffered brain injury
and in nursing home
 Moved frequently
Recent History
 Bullied
and harassed at school
 Black-garbed loner
 Described as “floating alone”
 Introvert at school
 Outspoken on internet
 Posted often on neo-Nazi web-site
 Created violent animated story on internet
about school shootings and suicide
History, cont.


Posted entries against racial mixing
2003-2004 told other Red Lake students he was
going to shoot up school and was questioned
and released by police
 2004-2005






stopped attending school twice due to depression and
harassment
Expelled for unspecified reasons
Suicide attempt summer-2004
Under psychiatrist’s care
Prozac doubled 2/05
Viewed film “Elephant” frequently in days before
shooting
Red Lake Aftermath





Superintendent leave due to emotional reasons
Principal suffers heart attack
Two students died by suicide in next months
Additional suicides on reservation
Three classmates believed directly involved in
shooting—36 may have had awareness—1 still
in jail
 Hardware measures only being questioned as
high school had cameras, metal detectors, and
security
 School officials were not aware of his internet life
The Emergency Management
Cycle
Decrease the need
for response
Restore the learning
environment; Monitor
and assist the healing
Plan for a rapid, coordinated,
effective response
Execute the plan
Factors in Trauma
 Physical
proximity
 Social proximity
 Individual trauma history
 60----20----20---- Rule
 Traumatized adolescents at risk for
depression, substance abuse and reckless
behavior
 Most assistance is short term
Dimensions of Vulnerability

Geographical Proximity

Population at risk

Psychosocial Proximity
Psychosocial Proximity
Identification with or similarity
to victims
Acquaintance
Near family or close friend
Immediate family
Population at Risk
Oversensitive
Difficult personal or social crisis
Significant loss in the past year
Recent or similar trauma
Geographical Proximity
Outside the disaster area
Within hearing distance
Near the disaster area
Direct exposure
Circles of Vulnerability
Geographical Proximity
Population at Risk
Psychosocial Proximity
Typical Childhood Reactions to a
Crisis
* Fear of the future
* Behavioral regression
* Academic regression
* Nightmares
All adults need information about these
reactions and how to assist children.
“If
a parent is traveling with a
small child in an airplane and
there is a problem with the
oxygen level in the cabin,
whose mouth did the flight
attendant say the mask goes
over first?”
Developmental Reactions to
Traumatic Stress

Preschoolers



Regressive behaviors
Reenacting traumatic
events through play

Sleep disturbances

Anxious attachment
**Importance of caretaker/adult reactions**
Elementary School
Children

Same as preschoolers, plus:

Trouble concentrating

Physical symptoms (e.g.,
stomach aches, headaches,
etc.)

Disruptive behaviors

Withdraw from others
Developmental Reactions to
Traumatic Stress

Adolescents









Regression
Anger
Avoid reminders of traumatic event
Loss of hope
Guilt
Withdrawal
Flashbacks
Eating problems
Sleeping problems (e.g., nightmares)
Scenario
 First
night of Christmas vacation and
tragically a 9th grade boy has just been
pronounced dead at the hospital. He was
the victim of a scooter accident witnessed
by several friends. Large numbers of his
friends have gathered at the hospital and
now have been told to leave the premises.
What do you thing the school principal
should do if anything??
Theoretical Orientation
 Primary
prevention---- activities to prevent
crises
 Secondary intervention---- short term
activities to manage and minimize crisis
 Tertiary intervention---- long term
assistance for those most affected
What are examples of each level
in your school?
 Primary
prevention
 Secondary intervention
 Tertiary intervention
 What are the three leading causes of
death for children?
 Do you have your students involved in
prevention and safety planning?
PROTECTIVE FACTORS
 Family
cohesion and stability
 Coping and problem solving skills
 Positive self worth and impulse
control
 Positive connections to school and
extracurricular participation
 Successful academically
PROTECTIVE FACTORS
 Good
relationships with other youth
 Seeks adult help when needed
 Lack of access to suicidal means
 Access to mental health care
 Religiosity
 School environment that
encourages help seeking and
promotes health
Administrators Role in a Crisis
Get input from crisis team
 Inform central administration
 Activate calling tree but if school is in session
then what? Notify faculty by memo or PA
system
 Conduct a faculty meeting asap (examples)
 Verify the facts and tell the truth
 Be visible and available
 Don’t be afraid to show emotion

Crisis Intervention
Tips for Helping Students

Share information in developmentally
appropriate ways.

No one should be lied to or misled about
the circumstances. Recognize all the
connections around the school system.

Students need to hear sad or tragic news from trusted
adults and should be able to ask questions.

Turn off TVs and gather students in a circle and talk about
the event and their perceptions, safety concerns and
sources of help.

Help everyone identify previous and current sources of
support.
Administrator Continued
 Contact
the family of deceased
 Empower staff and students
 Accept outside help when needed
 Recognize the short and long term impact
 Keep everyone updated
 Manage the media and protect staff and
students
Administrator Continued
 Set
aside other duties and focus on crisis
 Help staff understand the crisis becomes
the curriculum
 Give permission for a range of religious
beliefs
 Examples of effective and non effective
responses
 Death notification examples
Roles for Support Personnel
 Advise
the administrator
 Give permission for a range of emotions
 Help faculty first
 Recognize individual crisis history of each
person
 Follow schedule of deceased
Support Role Continued
 Most
students will get help they need in
classroom
 Don’t hesitate to call parents
 Locate additional help
 Keep records of who was seen and
concerns
 Ensure those most affected receive
ongoing services
Teachers’ Role

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
Put desks in a circle and sit down
Provide factual information
Stop rumors
Model expression of emotions
Give permission for a range of emotions and
religious beliefs
Know students well and their crisis history and
identify students who need counseling help
Provide activities such as writing and drawing
especially for younger students
Teacher Continued
 Provide
activities such as ceremonies
 Help students communicate to victim’s
family
 Emphasize no one is to blame
 Be familiar with developmental stages of
death (Piaget)
 Prepare students for funerals
Teacher Continued
 Listen
to students as each has a story to
tell
 Five T’s: talk, touch, tears, time and take
care of oneself
 Emphasize coping strategies
 Help students to remember positives
about deceased
 Don’t minimize the loss or give advice
New Term Bullicide
 Parents
believe that schools failure to stop
the bullying greatly contributed to the
suicide of their child
 Jasperson vs. Anoka-Hennepin case
 Mrs. Walker’s Congressional testimony
7/8/09
 Founder of International Bullying
Prevention Association Keynote
Key Issues in the Recovery Phase:
School Psychologists as
Crisis Intervention Team Members
1.
How to structure recovery section of
emergency management plan
2.
Opening or closing schools after an event
occurs
3.
Public, staff and student communications
4.
Memorials after a student or staff death
5.
How to handle key dates
Sanford Model
 Developed
by a nurse in LA
 Origins based on CISM from J. Mitchell
 Examples of use at Columbine and
Santana
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
Sanford Model
Purposes:
-Sort out thoughts.
-Identifies what’s needed for safety.
-Everyone is likely to talk.
-Guided discussion…
-Developed to fit a classroom period or faculty
meeting.
-Mental health professional summarizes and
reviews
at session’s end.
Benefits
- Reduces isolation and increases understanding.
- Creates empathetic bonds.
- Provides mental health information.
- Works well with group size of over 30 and
especially with adults and high school students.
- Model should be viewed as a starting point.
- Ideally model recommended first with faculty and
then with students the next day.
Format
- Personnel:
Facilitator leads the session
Timekeeper
Caregivers provide assistance to
anyone who leaves the room.
- Supplies needed: Kleenex
Water
- Groups of 4-8
- Sit in a circle.
- One person chosen to respond first.
Rules
All
comments are confidential.
Each person takes a turn
(clockwise).
One person speaks at a time.
Time is limited.
Cross talking is discouraged.
Group members’ responsibility:
listen
Processing Model Questions:
 “Please
introduce yourself to the
group and discuss where you
were when you first became
aware of the tragedy and
specifically what were your initial
sensory perceptions?”
“
What thoughts or reactions have
you been having since the
tragedy?”
“
What is your biggest concern or
worry about the immediate
future?”
 “What
has helped you cope when
you have had to deal with difficult
things or losses in your life
before? What can you do to help
yourself cope now?”
Psychological First Aid
8 Core Actions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Initiate contact and engagement
Ensure safety and comfort
Stabilization
Gather information on current needs and
concerns
Provide practical assistance
Connect with social supports
Provide information on coping
Link with collaborative services
Source: National Child Traumatic Stress Network and National Center for
PTSD, Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide, September, 2005
Agreement on Concept of
Psychological First Aide
 Short
term, immediate and efficient
 Provides comfort, consolation and physical
protection
 Encourages re-uniting victims with
family/friends
 Involves listening, stress management,
reassurance and normalization
 Provides triage and referral
National Emergency Assistance
Team www.nasponline.org
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More research is needed on processing
Crisis intervention needs to be taught in university
programs
Schools should concentrate on outcomes after
interventions such as attendance/discipline/perceived
support and grades
Processing let’s staff and students know administration
cares and they are not alone and trauma will not be
ignored----homogenous groupings are best
Structure of follow-up services must be planned before
processing
NASP developed PREPaRE curriculum
Litigation and School Crisis

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
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
Choquette vs. Onstedt. Schools: facts of case
Elementary age students on bus view suicide
victim
Parents are called immediately and a group
activity provided next day for all bus riders(18
students 1st to 6th grade) by sch psych and cs
One family does not want their daughter to be
told truth—tell teacher to keep an eye on her!!
1st grade student pulled out of school and
parents sue claiming PTSD
Please discuss merits and issues in this case
School Safety Examples

Create safety task
force and include
students
 Teach students to
deescalate fights
 Use student safety
pledges
 Floor plan exercise
Why don’t students tell adults
about violent threats?
The “Conspiracy of Silence”!
Question….
“My student is fascinated by violent video
games and plays them for hours….should
I be worried?”
Media Influence on Youth Violence
 Lt.
Col. David
Grossman …
www.killology.com
 APA and AMA
research
 Bethel, Alaska
perpetrator quote
Threat Assessment Teams
Recommended by:
 FBI
 Secret
Service
 Colorado Governor’s Report on Columbine
Recommendations as to who
should be on a school threat
assessment team?
 Teacher
 Security/police
 Community
law
enforcement
 Mental health
 Administrator
Once a threat is made, having a fair ,
rational, and standard method of
evaluating and responding is critical!
Steps in Threat Assessment
 Evaluate



by interviewing
Student who made threat
Recipient
Witnesses
 Review
all school records
 Consider circumstances and type of threat
School Example
 Mrs.
Jones a parent calls transportation to
report that her daughter Julie received an
e-mail from Ben a student which stated he
is going to shoot kids on the middle school
bus tomorrow. Mrs. Jones is concerned
about her daughter’s safety. What should
you do as your first step? Who needs to
get involved?
Case example continued
suspected perpetrator a 7th grade boy
is now at school and you are about to
interview him
 What information from his background and
school records might be helpful?
 What approach might you take and what
are the key questions you will ask?
 The
Continued
 The
suspected perpetrator readily admits
that he had intended to shoot everyone on
the bus as he has been the victim of
repeated bullying and in fact had his
thumb broken by another student named
John on the bus last week
 What is your next step and how could you
reduce the stressors for this student?
Parent Interview
 What
approach do you recommend for
approaching the parent?
 What questions do you want to ask?
 What is the goal of the parent interview?
Parent information
 The
father of the suspected perpetrator
indicates that he has a number of guns at
home and they are unlocked and that his
son is experienced with guns---what do
you recommend?
 The father also indicates that his son has
not been the same since his mother died
last spring and that the father has to work
in the evening and his son is unsupervised
Continued
 Rumors
are flying around the school about
the planned violence on the bus
 John’s mother has called as she has
heard that her son was the primary
intended victim
 What steps do you take to control rumors
and what if any information do you provide
to faculty, parents and students?
Elements of Substantial Threat






Expresses continued intent to harm
Repeats over time and shares with others
Threats contain specific details
Physical evidence of planning
Involves using a weapon
What are some examples of substantial threats
received in your schools?
Transient Threats
No lasting intent to harm someone “heat of the
moment”…feelings dissipate
 It’s clear threat is over and includes and
explanation or apology
 Can be quickly and easily resolved
 What are some examples of transient threats
you have seen?

Classify these threats as transient
or substantive
A
student tells other students after school
he/she are going to get another student
and on interview expresses long standing
hatred for the intended victim
 An angry student threatens to kill another
student in class and when interviewed
apologizes
 A student accidentally left a knife in their
backpack
Project S.E.R.V.
 Schools
emergency response to violence
 Money appropriated by Congress
 Short and long term grants
 School have received funds in midst of
suicide clusters
 Contact U.S. Department of
Education/Safe Schools www.ed.gov
School safety is
an inside job that
involves a
commitment from
the student body!
“We must reach out to the
unreachable!”
Craig Scott
Columbine Survivor
Keys to prevention are getting
disillusioned youth involved in
activities, finding a job and
establishing social ties!
spoland@nova.edu
Recent publications :
www.sopriswest.com
Many articles posted at
www.districtadministration.com
www.scottpoland.com