Spring requires extra vigilance when it comes to identifying warning signs of trouble in our students. There are many rites of passage that occur during the spring months – prom, graduation, senior skip days, and the ending of the school year. All of these events carry the potential for misuse of substances, compromised driving skills, and the sense of freedom that is often accompanied by risk-taking in teens. But, what I’m talking about here is the increase in suicide numbers that tend to peak during the months of May and June. During an average month, 700 persons die by suicide. During the ..read more

Restorative justice practices were put into place in many of our nation’s schools a number of years ago. These programs focus on alternatives to exclusionary discipline practices such as suspension and expulsion. They include conflict resolution, relationship-building, and fostering empathy, forgiveness, and self-reflection. But, do they help create safer schools and a more positive school climate? Chicago Public Schools adopted the program during the 2013-14 school year. Researchers at the University of Chicago Education Lab gathered and analyzed data from before the practices were implemente ..read more

Those of us who have worked with individuals with autism know that some of the behaviors we’ve seen, mesh with some of the warning signs of violence. It’s important that we learn to separate these two things to get a clearer picture of what is attributable to autism and doesn’t carry a risk of violence, and what may be a warning sign that needs attention. Isolation, challenges with social interactions and emotional regulation, low frustration tolerance, intense interests/fixation, depression, anxiety and inflexibility can be signs of autism. They can also be warning signs that something is not ..read more

The times they are a-changin’ The past several years have brought tremendous change, and we are all affected by it. Weather patterns have shifted and extremes are becoming the norm. The political climate continues to be contentious. Our news provides a daily dose of war and atrocity. People remark that there is an increased air of hostility and entitlement in our society. AI has become a gift and a challenge. Student mental health needs have skyrocketed. And, school violence continues to plague us. A few years ago, I decided to work in the schools again. While I have worked very hard to acqui ..read more

As we watch the news and hear of school violence taking place across the country, many of us have wondered, “can school violence be prevented?” I know this is a busy time of year for educators, and while I hate to add something to your workload, this is really important. We may not be able to prevent every act of school violence, but being informed and having the right practices in place can go a long way toward preventing the unthinkable. If your staff hasn’t had training in the warning signs of suicide and violence in over a year, it’s time to revisit that training. To make this easi ..read more

Those of you who have followed me over the years know that I have always been a strong proponent of preventing school violence, rather than focusing solely on after-the-fact actions and active shooter training. I firmly believe that a great deal of violence can be prevented by knowing what to watch for and having a process in place for reporting and assessing concerning words and behaviors. Of course, I also believe that we need to be prepared overall, for all possible crises and emergencies. This includes knowing how to respond to fires, intruders, chemical leaks and many other hazards. So ..read more

The Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) released its 2021 report on Averted Targeted School Violence today. I urge you to download and read this report now as it has strong implications for the return to in-person learning for many students. The report summarizes the findings of a detailed study of 67 averted school attacks. A comparison of home life factors, behaviors and stressors of “plotters” of averted attacks with those who completed attacks, reveals many similarities and a few critical differences. The primary difference that leapt out at me today is that the highest ..read more

Many schools are still operating remotely and need to have a plan for conducting threat assessments virtually when someone has concerns about a student’s behavior, words or threats. To begin, revisit your existing threat assessment team and members. These are the very same people you will want to have on your virtual threat assessment team. The work is nearly the same, with the exception that it must be done via a videoconferencing platform. If you don’t currently have a threat assessment team, click here for details on who needs to be a part of it. The next step is to pull your team together ..read more

Will high levels of stress translate into high rates of violence? As schools begin to reopen on either a full-scale or hybrid plan, there are questions about how students, who have been under unusual stress while learning from home, might react. Experts have concerns about the likelihood that stressors experienced while confined to home may exacerbate already existing mental health issues, anger, and behavioral concerns. The 2019 US Secret Service Report on Targeted School Violence lists the top stressors experienced by students who have perpetrated violent attacks on their schools in the pas ..read more

There is a lot of fear among students, parents and school staff regarding the start of the 2020-2021 school year. The concerns are the same regardless of our location or demographics. We are all dealing with the same set of unknowns. Parents want to know what to do, and they want to know now. How will they return to work? Do they have to be home to help with remote learning? What will the schedule look like when the students start to return to school? Will they be safe? Will they wear masks? Will they social distance? Will the school staff be consistent in enforcing guidelines? What will the ..read more