The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) analyzed 41 incidents of targeted K-12 school violence that occurred from 2008-2017. The biggest takeaway – most of the school shootings that occurred were preventable. “These are not sudden, impulsive acts where a student suddenly gets disgruntled. The majority of these incidents are preventable,” said NTAC Chief Lina Alathari. Furthermore, the NTAC found that many of these tragedies “could have been avoided if the school systems had implemented prevention measures to identify students of concern and assess their potential risk for engaging in violence or other harmful activities.” Most of the attacks were over before law enforcement had the opportunity to intervene so schools should set the threshold for intervention low and “identify students in distress before their behavior escalates to the level of eliciting concerns about safety.”

Other Key Findings from the School Violence Report

• 91% of attackers struggled with a mental illness. Of those, 69% exhibited psychological symptoms, 57% behavioral, and 20% developmental.
• All attackers exhibited behaviors that were concerning and 80% elicited concern from others.
• 66% of attackers communicated their intent to attack.
• 80% of attackers were bullying victims, and the bullying was often witnessed by others.
• 50% of attackers showed interest in violent topics.
• Social stressors, like relationships with peers and/or romantic problems, were present for all attackers.
• There is no set profile of an attacker or the type of targeted school.
• 63% of attackers had more than one motive, usually involving grievances with classmates.
• 61% of attackers used firearms. 76% of those attackers acquired the firearm from a parent or relative.
• 94% of attackers experienced a negative home life.
• 71% of attackers had previous school disciplinary issues. 49% had previous contact with law enforcement.

The NTAC hopes that this report will help schools better train their staff, specifically law enforcement personnel, security officers, and guidance counselors, on how to better identify and stop potential attackers.

How SafeSchools Can Help Better Prepare Schools to Prevent School Violence

Training Management System

Our SafeSchools Online Training System completely automates your staff and student training, so you can give everyone the essential knowledge they need to be better prepared and protected at school. Access high quality courses on important safety topics by leading experts, all in one convenient online system.

Relevant courses for employees include:

• Active Shooter
• Bullying: Recognition & Response
• Conflict Management: Student-to-Student
• Crime Prevention Through Physical Security
• Safety Basics for Security Staff
• School Violence: Identifying & Addressing
• Student Mental Health
• Visual Weapons Screening
• For Students, we offer a Bullying & Cyberbullying course.

Anonymous Tip Reporting

With SafeSchools Alert, students, staff, and parents can confidentially report tips and safety concerns, including bullying, harassment, mental health concerns, weapons, and threats of violence to administration 24/7 via mobile app, phone, text, email, and website. Staff are immediately notified of tips and can immediately follow up, bring in law enforcement if necessary, and manage incidents to resolution.

To learn more about any of our K-12 safety solutions to help you prevent school violence in 2020, please contact us at 1-800-434-0154, or request a free trial online.

Corpus Christi ISD employees have until the end of March to complete an online course on active shooter training, Corpus Christi ISD chief of police Kirby Warnke said.

The training covers facts about school shootings, understanding how to reduce the likelihood of active shooter situations, learning evidence-based methods to improve the odds of survival during an active shooter event, and a list actions to take in the event of an active shooter situation.

Warnke said the training, which is part of the SafeSchools Training program suite created by Vector Solutions, is supplementary to a manual for staff and classroom curriculum on crises at schools. The manual was issued after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.

The Corpus Christi ISD police department has undergone active shooter training for more than a decade. The district is among the about 150 school districts in the state that has a police department.

One of the reasons the district recently took on SafeSchools Training is to provide employees with factual data on active shooter situations in school settings, Warnke said.

“We’re firm believers in training,” he said. “(The SafeSchools training) helps dispel some myths about school shootings.”

Homicide is the second leading cause of youth ages 5 to18, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s School-Associated Violent Death Study of deaths between 1992 and 2010.

Data from the study indicates that between 1 percent and 2 percent of these deaths happen on school grounds or on the way to or from school.

The leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 are accidents, or unintentional injuries, according to data published by the CDC. The second leading cause of death for youth ages 15-19 is suicide, according to data published by the CDC.

A 2014 study conducted by the Department of Justice indicates there were 160 active shooter incidents in the U.S. between 2000 and 2013. Thirty-nine of those active shooter incidents, or 24 percent of them, took place in an educational environment, according to the study.

Twenty-seven of the 160 active shooter incidents took place at pre-K to12 schools, including two school board meetings.

Warnke said the district is compliant with recommendations issued to school districts by Gov. Greg Abbott but is hoping to “exceed state requirements.”

For example, schools are required to conduct three emergency response drills per school year.

“We’re doubling it next year to six drills,” Warnke said.

Abbott’s order was issued in response to the massacre at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

It states school safety audits required by state law must be completed and confirmation of thee audits’ completion must also be filed with the Texas School Safety Center.

Abbott ordered the Texas Education Agency to publish a list of school districts that have not completed their audits.

Warnke said Corpus Christi ISD will not be one of them.