Incorporating School Violence Into Your Emergency Response

1. Incorporating School Violence Into Your Emergency Response Dr. Amy L. Klinger Assistant Professor of Educational Administration Ashland University Executive Director, The Prae Group

2. Introduction and Credentials

3. What we’ll examine today • Lockdown alternatives/enhancements • Threat assessment management • Strategic supervision strategies

4. Why should YOU be concerned about crisis planning and school safety? • You will have a crisis in your school in the next three years (Adams & Kritsonis, 2006; Decker, 1997; Hull, 2000; VanPatten & Siegrist, 2000). How confident are you that your district is adequately prepared?

5. The importance of crisis prevention and response • School safety and security is the most significant issue for parents. • Dealing with the consequences of a crisis often consumes more resources than preventing one. • The real or perceived threat of violence impacts student achievement. • Significant legal ramifications – liability and negligence. • Quality of life issue. • At the most extreme: a matter of life and death

6. What do we know about school violence?

7. The Worst Case Scenario • An active shooter is often considered a worst case scenario. • The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines an active shooter as: “An individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. In most cases, active shooters use firearms(s) and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.”

8. Safe School Initiative Empirical Research U.S. Secret Service and Department of Education Studied 37 school shootings involving 41 attackers in the U.S. from 1974 to 2000 Research addressed two key questions: • Could people have known the attacks were planned? • How could the attacks have been prevented? (Reports accessible at www.ed.gov or www.secretservice.gov)

9. A violent intruder is a criminal, not educational event.

10. Problems with traditional lockdown

11. Required lockdown drills… Be careful how and what you practice, you might get very good at the wrong thing.

12. Lockdown alternatives • Alert • Lockdown • Inform • Counter and/or • Evacuate • Hide out • Get out • Fight your way out DHS 3 OutsProgram ALICE

13. Who supports lockdown alternatives? • DHS booklet: Active Shooter: How to Respond - first recommendation is to evacuate, then hide out, then “take action against the active shooter” (counter-strategies). • Department of Justice, International Chiefs of Police: Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence. Section 5- school needs to decide a course of action: evacuation or lockdown • NYPD Active Shooter: Recommendations and Analysis for Risk Mitigation • DHS recommendations: “Infrastructure resource allocation should address movement and escape because preventing entry of the determined attacker is unlikely.”

14. What we’ll examine today • Lockdown alternatives/enhancements • Threat assessment management • Strategic supervision strategies

15. Vulnerability Assessment • Focuses on the organization’s facility, procedures, and practices. • Conducted on a routine, scheduled basis. • Examines things not people. • Focuses on a given individual(s) as a potential threat. • Conducted as the need arises. • Examines people not things. The differences between Threat Assessment

16. The importance of vulnerability assessments • Prevent and prepare for crisis events • Reduce risks and liabilities • Improve public relations through a demonstrated commitment to school safety before a crisis occurs. (Trump, 1999)

17. The importance of vulnerability assessments • Target hardening - Potential perpetrators will: • Choose an easier target • Be deterred, delayed, or diminished in pursuing their objectives • An organization will only respond at the level of its preparedness.

18. Types of Threats

19. Man-made Threats • Intruders • Arson • Burglary • Vandalism • Theft • Bomb threats • Violent acts by students or staff • Violent acts by outsiders

20. Accidents • Medical emergencies and injuries • Accidental fires • Industrial accidents • Accidental deaths • Utility or facility malfunctions

21. Threats from Nature Tornado Earthquake Flood Hurricanes Severe weather

22. Considerations in Threat Assessment Management

23. Ryan – A Case Study • Threat assessment can be complicated if there is not a mechanism in place to share relevant information. • Let’s look at Ryan – a hypothetical 15 year old sophomore at Anywhere High School. Based on the information given – is Ryan a potential threat?

24. What we’ll examine today • Lockdown alternatives/enhancements • Threat assessment management • Strategic supervision strategies

25. Strategic Supervision “Adult supervision is still the foundation of any safe school plan, and strategic supervision will have the greatest positive impact on school safety.” (Brunner & Lewis, 2005, p. 65)

26. Free Trainings and Resources AWR-148 “Crisis Management for School Based Incidents” (www.ruraltraining.org)

27. www.praegroup.com Email: amy@praegroup.com @DrAmyKlinger