Responding To School Violence

Why do so many school antiviolence programs backfire? And why do policymakers keep making the same mistakes? The authors of Responding to School Violence examine the pervasive rise of school security measures since the Columbine shootings, highlighting the unintended consequences of policymaking too often shaped by fear and sensationalism. Probing an array of now ubiquitous tactics and programs¿metal detectors, police patrols, zero tolerance policies, and more¿the authors show how increasingly punitive schoolhouse dynamics negatively affect student safety and even educational experiences. They also share lessons from past mistakes and identify workable, comprehensive approaches for addressing a recurrent social problem.

Guidelines for Responding to Student Threats of Violence Book

This guide presents strategies and approaches for members of school communities to consider when creating safer learning environments. Violence prevention programs work best when they incorporate multiple strategies and address the full range of possible acts of violence in schools. Most of the interventions presented here have the potential to yield benefits beyond just reducing hazards associated with school shootings; lowering rates of delinquency, disruptive behaviors, harassment, bullying, suicide, etc.; increasing the likelihood troubled youth will be identified and receive treatment; improving the learning environment; preparing communities for responding to all human-made and natural disasters. Chapters: prevention; threat assessment; crisis planning and preparation; during a major crisis; after a crisis; legal considerations; working with the media; resources. This is a print on demand report.

This timely and comprehensive guide is designed to meet the security response needs of both educators and law enforcement personnel by detailing how an effective response plan can be developed to deal with the issue of school violence. By implementing the guidelines detailed in this book, those in responsible positions can help prevent the incalculable costs of death, facility destruction, disruption of operations, negative public perception, and the resulting embarrassment that these acts cause. The information presented will help reduce the amount of collateral damage to the threat area and adjacent areas. It is designed to expand the effectiveness and performance of special response police forces, fire department personnel, medical aid personnel and ancillary support personnel, as well as provide a comprehensive guide to school administrators and other educators who are concerned with school safety issues. The main idea behind this book is the principle of 'saving lives when all other proactive means have failed.' It focuses on the elements of rapid containment, area control, and the re-securing of the affected area. The author emphasizes that time is an essential factor: the longer the perpetrators remain active, the higher the likelihood that additional people will be killed. In addition, the book is designed to generate a detailed analysis of possible contingency plans for respective emergency responders. An analysis is also included that is site specific and which will help to streamline the planning efforts of all emergency responders, thus heightening personnel survivability and mission success. It is a must-read for those who are responsible for school safety and security.

Is your school prepared to deal with a crisis, whether it’s a hurricane, an earthquake, an explosion at a nearby chemical facility, an active shooter, or one of many other possibilities? Does your school have an up-to-date plan to deal with hazards of all sorts? Do teachers and other staff members know what to do in emergency situations to protect their students and themselves from harm? In this informative and comprehensive guide, school safety experts Amy Klinger and Amanda Klinger offer significant--and sometimes surprising--statistics on school safety, dispel common misunderstandings, and provide preK–12 school leaders with the specific information they need to prepare for and effectively respond to natural disasters, accidents, or violent events. Readers will learn how and why it is important to • Realistically assess threats and vulnerabilities. • Create and implement an emergency operations plan that follows government guidelines and best practices. • Decentralize authority and responsibility for crisis response. • Distinguish between three levels of “lockdown.” • Plan for short- and long-term recovery following an incident. • Make school safety an everyday component of school operations. At a time when schools at every level and in every community face the possibility of a crisis event, Keeping Students Safe Every Day equips leaders with the knowledge they need to give their students, staff members, parents, and the broader community confidence that their school knows what to do and makes safety a top priority.

This timely book presents a data-driven approach to preventing and responding to school violence. As school violence receives increasing attention across the nation, the application of scientific knowledge is critical. For maximum effectiveness, transdisciplinary teams should use school data, logic models, and theories of change to design, implement, and evaluate interventions. Collaboration among key stakeholders is also necessary to address both structural and systemic barriers to success with violence prevention. With concrete methods for promoting safety in primary and secondary educational settings, this book will engage and enable school faculty, counselors, administrators, and other partners to better understand areas of common interest and learn how to work together more effectively.