School Shooting Threat in Franklin, OH

School Shooting Threat

A female student at Franklin Senior High School in Franklin, OH, was arrested after allegedly threatening a mass shooting at her school, causing her classmates to panic.  The 15-year old reportedly told several classmates that she wanted to do a mass school shooting and end it with a "suicide by cop".

No weapons were found on campus, and the student is facing charges of inducing panic.  Since it happened on school grounds, it is being treated as a felony.  An audio of the 911 call can be found HERE.

School Shooting Threat Analysis

From 1998 to 2012, there were 22 Active Shooter Incidents in US K12 schools (Satterly, 2014). This is using the DHS definition of an Active Shooter, “An Active Shooter is 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” (DHS, 2013).  This averages out to approximately 1.47 incidents a year.

While these are tragic incidents, we need to maintain a proper perspective.  More incidents are prevented than actually occur.  Thankfully, this is one of those times where the good guys prevented something bad from happening.  In fact, it is a good thing that this young lady may now get the help she needs.

It would seem that Franklin Senior High School has developed the kind of school climate in which students feel comfortable with telling a staff member about a serious situation.  The school appears to have acted swiftly and correctly, and a possible tragedy was averted.

So what do we learn from this?  The cheapest, best way to prevent tragedy is to invest time in developing a rapport with your students, whether you are a principal, teacher, or SRO.  It is through that rapport that trust is built, and from that trust comes the capability for students to come forward with critical information in a timely manner. 

The students who came forward are to be commended, as is the school staff who quickly alerted the police, who then acted quickly to investigate, arresting the student before she could leave school.

This is the goal.  1.47 Active Shooter Incidents a year is 1.47 incidents too much.

Crimes against Children 8-25-14

Spartanburg Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

Reading Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

Former Plainfield Math Teacher Guilty of Child Molestation
 
Middlesex County Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Production, Distribution of Child Sex Abuse Images

Baltimore Man Sentenced to More Than 24 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography and Attempting to Entice a Minor to Have Sex

FBI Seeking Public Assistance in the Investigation of an International Teacher Suspected of Molesting Children Abroad

Toledo Woman Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Involving a Minor

Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography Charges

Former University of Virginia Dean Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

Fishers Man Arrested on Bestiality, Child Exploitation Charges

A School Field Trip Gone Wrong

School Field Trip

A teacher in Cusco, Peru, took her class on a field trip to the Monaco Circus.  While there she volunteered to participate in a lion act, mainly to show her class that the lion was not aggressive.

The act started out well, but suddenly the lion jumped off of a small ladder and bit the teacher around the neck and dragged her around the enclosure.  The lion tamer was able to get the lion to release the teacher, who stood up afterwards.

The teacher suffered no head wounds, but may need surgery on her neck.

School Field Trip Analysis

An incident like this is a school's nightmare.  An innocent trip turned into disaster because of an unforeseen situation.

This is a great time to review your safety protocols for field trips. Ask yourself a few questions:
1) How will your group communicate with the school in an emergency?
2) What procedures do you have spelled out for incidents while on the school bus heading to and from the destination?
3) Have you spelled out, in writing, the supervisory expectations of the school?
4) Do all the adults on the trip know of any special medical considerations?  Epi-pens, insulin, etc.?
5) Are students instructed to stay in groups?
6) What procedures do you have in place to maintain 100% accountability?
7) What are the curricular goals for the trip?  Will any activity during the trip be in support of these goals?

There are others that each school can develop.  Like other aspects of school safety, prior planning and preparation can reduce the likelihood of something happening, and help the adults in charge be better prepared if something does happen.

Enjoy your trips!

School Safety Specialists - Part of the Thin Blue Line?

Thin Blue Line

The Thin Blue Line refers to the fraternity of police officers.  They stand between order and chaos, protecting the public from danger.  Should School Safety Specialists be considered part of the Thin Blue Line?  This is not asked to disrespect anyone in law enforcement, but is actually in honor of them.  While there are numerous law enforcement officers that serve in schools, many more are educators, which begs the question.

In reference to my last blog, law enforcement officers have to meet certain requirements to become a sworn law enforcement officer.  There are training requirements, as well as other statutory requirements.  Becoming a School Resource Officer (SRO), requires specialized training, and is an additional area of certification.  While School Safety Specialists do not yet have similar characteristics in regards to training and statutory requirements, they do protect a precious, and specialized population.

I should point out that the state of Indiana does certify School Safety Specialists, under statutory requirements.  However, I have to also acknowledge that the certification only requires the completion of training established by the Indiana Department of Education, but has no assessment afterwards, therefore the amount of knowledge retained by individuals is unknown.  With that being said, the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy (ISSSA) is the first of its kind, and is the standard used by other states in their school safety training efforts.  Dave Woodward, Program Director for the ISSSA, is to be commended for his excellent work in making this a globally recognized institution.

More and more schools are placing qualified, passionate people in these important positions, even as other schools are just handing the job to the newest school administrator.  Until schools treat the position of School Safety Specialist as the specialized position it is, we will continue to be distant cousins to the Thin Blue Line, and not brothers and sisters.

It is my hope this happens in my lifetime.

Thoughts?

Just What is a School Safety Expert?

School Safety Expert

A dictionary will tell you that an expert is, "A person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area." That leads to the meaning of authoritative, "Able to be trusted as being accurate or true; reliable," and the meaning of comprehensive, "Complete; including all or nearly all elements or aspects of something."

Putting all that together, a school safety expert is one who has comprehensive knowledge of or skill in the area school safety, and is able to be trusted as accurate, true and reliable.

School Safety

So now that we know what an expert is, what is school safety?  Michael Dorn says, "School safety is a process of education being able to continue without disruption, without harm, without danger. It's basically the best way to get the most out of the learning process. It's actually the foundation for an effective learning environment." Here Michael gives us the goal of school safety.

In the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans, we find that school safety is providing a safe and healthy learning environment for public and nonpublic schools from threats and hazards. Threats are man-made, and hazards are natural, so now we get a clearer picture of school safety.

Threats and Hazards

Man-made threats include: Assaults, bullying, victimization, theft, classroom disorder, fights, robbery, use of weapons, sexual attacks and violent crime.  Comprehensive knowledge of threats includes knowing their causes, as well as strategies to prevent, mitigate, respond and recover from them.  A school safety expert will have skills and knowledge of threat assessment, crime, suicide prevention, weapons and bullying. 

FEMA defines a hazard as, "Anything that can cause loss or damage to a school or its occupants." These can include natural disasters, fire hazards and accident hazards.  A school safety expert will have skills and knowledge of risk assessment, mitigation and prevention, as well as current laws, regulations and codes relating to the physical facility.

There will come a time where school safety will evolve as a true profession, with a standard set of knowledge and skills.  A profession that provides licensing or certification based on a knowledge set learned in a formal setting.

But before that happens, we have to define what it is. 

What do you think?

Crimes against Children Digest 8-22-14

Portage Man Sentenced to 96 Months for Receiving Child Pornography 

Gulfport Man Arrested for Engaging in Sexual Activity with Minors  

United States Attorney’s Office Announces Arrest of Anderson Man in Child Pornography Case 

Newark Man Charged with Additional Counts of Producing Child Pornography for Recording His Sexual Abuse of Girl 

Cypress Man Convicted of Distributing Child Pornography 

Parkville Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking of a Minor 

Merrimack Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offense 

Former Belfair Resident Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing, Distributing, and Possessing Child Pornography      

Waterbury Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Pornography

Pasco County School Employee Arrested on Child Pornography Charges  

Crimes against Children Digest 8-21-14

Second Man Charged with Producing Child Porngraphy

Falls Church Man Indicted for Sex Trafficking 17-Year-Old Runaway Girl

Federal Jury Convicts San Antonio Man of Sex Trafficking of Minors

Starr Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

Former Kinston Fire Captain and Reserve Deputy with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office Sentenced to 188 Months in Child Pornography Case

Raleigh County Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

Judge Gives Sex Trafficker Long Prison Term

Suffolk Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for Her Role in Conspiracy to Produce Child Pornography

Conspirator Pleads Guilty in Scheme Involving Sex Trafficking of a Minor

United States Attorney’s Officer Announces Sentence in Child Pornography Case
      

Crimes against Children Digest 8-15-14

Rochester Man Pleads Guilty in Sex Trafficking Case 

Federal Prison Terms Handed Down in Sex Trafficking of a Minor Case  

Oregon Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Sexual Abuse 

Indiana Man Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Prison for Conviction Involving Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor 

Houston Man Sentenced for Sex Trafficking of a Minor 

Maryland Man Sentenced for Attempted Sex Trafficking 

Coeur d’Alene Man Sentenced for Possessing Sexually Explicit Images of Minors 

Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Trafficking 

Parkville Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking of a Minor 

Merrimack Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offense 

Former Belfair Resident Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing, Distributing, and Possessing Child Pornography          

Crimes against Children Digest 8-14-14

Airline Pilot Convicted of Traveling to Have Sex with Minor 

Wake Forest Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography  

Sturgis Sting Operation Nets Five Arrests for Sex Trafficking 

Houston Man Gets 40 Years for Sex Trafficking of Children 

Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison on Child Pornography Charges

Man is Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography 

Registered Convicted Sex Offender Found Guilty of Attempted Production of Child Pornography and Traveling to Engage in Sex with a Minor 

Dover Teacher Charged in Federal Child Exploitation Case 

Lenexa Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation 

Chicago-Area Man Sentenced for Sex Trafficking of Minors         

The Sky is NOT Falling - School Fatalities

A Serious Look at School Fatalities

According to a study released in 2012, wolves are the number one cause of death in the United States.  After the Reynolds HS shooting, a group called Everytown for Gun Safety posted a map showing 74 school shootings since the Sandy Hook massacre.  What do these two events have in common?  They are not true.

The fictitious Wolf Study was cited in a rather humorous article in The Onion, a website of parodies and satirical stories.  Though the article involves made-up facts, it rings true in several ways as borne out by research in the field of what is known as terror management theory TMT.  TMT research indicates that people often become convinced that they are more likely to experience catastrophic but extremely rare events than factual risk evaluation indicates.  For example, though most passengers on commercial aircraft survive aviation crashes, most people believe they will be killed if they are on a plane that crashes.  TMT also explains why many people fear events that are bizarre and unusual even more than events that pose much greater actual risk because they as far more common and even deadly. 

Besides delivering humor, this story highlighted how wildly inaccurate statistical data is often used to generate increased and sometimes unrealistic levels of fear among the public.

The second study was of great concern because it used a flawed process to identify school shootings.  Shortly after it's release, The Blaze and CNN took a closer look at the figures.  The 74 alleged school shootings were reduced to 15 which included university shooting incident.  While 15 incidents is still tragic, this data provides a much more accurate indication of risk in a nation of more than 300 million people and 55 million K12 students.  It is important to keep in mind that while many people automatically think of any “school shooting” in terms of active shooter events, the majority of these fifteen tragedies are not active shooter incidents but are in fact, far more typical of the types of shootings that have claimed many more lives than active shooter incidents.  Though they are truly catastrophic and shocking events, active shooter incidents are not the leading cause of violent death at school.

Early in 2014, Safe Havens International commissioned me to do a study on the leading causes of death in K12 schools in the US.  On April 16, 2014, this study was released as part of a project for the Maine Department of Education.  It was called Relative Risks of Death in US K12 Schools.

The study centers around a very important question. Are active shooter incidents being addressed at the expense of the all­‐hazards approach? This question is a crucial one because preventable school fatalities may be occurring if resource allocation does not match the actual safety risks for K12 schools.

This was an observational study of open-source material.  Events were identified using the Department of Homeland Security definition of an Active Shooter, “An Active Shooter is 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.”

The Top Five Causes of Death in Schools from 1998-2012:
1) School Transportation-Related Crashes (525)
2) School Homicides (489)
3) School Suicides (129)
4) Active Shooter Incidents (62)
5) Interpersonal Disputes (61)

The following were findings from the study:
1) Active Shooter Incidents are not the leading threat for fatal incidents schools face.
2) Active Shooter Incidents in schools (K12) are not happening more frequently.
3) Active Shooter Incidents should not be the primary focus for a school's prevention, mitigation and emergency preparedness efforts.
4) More focus needs to be given to school transportation-related safety.
5) More focus needs to be given to school homicides and school suicides.

Schools are better served using a risk assessment-based approach to school safety, as part of the All-Hazards emergency planning model.  School fatalities are a serious issue, one that is better served through proper data analysis and research.   My colleagues and I have spent considerable time and energy developing some of the most advanced training resources to address active shooter events available including the IS-360 training program which was part of the 2013 White House School Safety Initiative and recently released web courses.  At the same time, the research indicates that we should also address the less publicized situations that claim more lives than active shooter incidents as well.

 Oh, and keep an eye out for the wolves.

Crimes against Children Digest 8-13-14

Las Cruces Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Possession of Child Pornography Charge

Tuolumne County Man Sentenced to 19 Years and Seven Months in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Minors

North Carolina Man Convicted in Connection with Sex Trafficking Enterprise

Orangevale Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Crime

Director Comey Highlights FBI Efforts to Combat Crimes Against Children

Arrest Made in Child Homicide Investigation

Porcupine Man Sentenced for Abusive Sexual Contact

St. Paul Man Sentenced for Producing Child Pornography

Charleston Pedophile Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison

FBI Assisting in Search for Missing 6-Year-Old Jenise Wright  

School Safety Training - Who's Being Trained?

In the last blog, I wrote about Criterion-Referenced Instruction, and how it can be applied to Active Shooter Training, as well as other forms of school safety training.  In this blog, I will ask the most important question a trainer should be asking, "Who is being trained?"

Professional educators who do not consider their students do not last long in education.  What considerations do school safety trainers today give for their classes?  Some give great thought to whom they teach.  Dave Grossman, when presenting at the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy, doesn't train educators the same way he trains law enforcement, or the way he trains military personnel.  Michael Dorn is the same way.  He adjusts his training to the audience he is training. 

That is what master educators do.  They learn about their students, and find the best way to teach them.  What they don't do is teach the same from class to class.  They discover the learning styles of their students, and design their lessons to match those learning styles.  So again the question becomes, "Who's being trained?"

Educators, as a whole, are not like law enforcement personnel.  The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality survey used by researchers.  The MBTI of educators shows that they are: Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Judging (For a more detailed explanation of what these terms fully mean, check out the Wikipedia entry on Myers-Briggs).  INFJs may come across as individualistic, private and perhaps mysterious to others, and may do their thinking in a vacuum, resulting in an unrealistic vision that is difficult to communicate.

Law enforcement, as a group, are ESTJs, Extroverts, Sensing, Thinking, Judging.  According to the MBTI of law enforcement personnel, "ESTJ people tend to be so focused on the objective pursuit of their goal that they ignore the ideas or feelings of others. Situations where an intimate rapport is needed are likely to be less comfortable for them. They may not collect enough information before jumping into action, and risk missing new opportunities that are not already part of their plan.

A look at the two types, even knowing that they don't apply to all within the group, show that law enforcement and educators are vastly different.  This becomes problematic when law enforcement trains educators.  Most law enforcement trainers are used to training cops, not educators.

I am not saying law enforcement officers can't train educators.  As noticed above, some do very well.  Those that do, know their audience, and teach to that audience.  They know whom they are training.

The question is, do you?

Crimes against Children Digest 8-6-14

Chicago Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Forced Sex Trafficking of Four Victims, Including Two Minors 

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Edmond Man for Traveling to Kenya to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with Underage Children  

Two Milwaukee Men Indicted in Sex Trafficking Conspiracy and for Related Trafficking Offenses 

Rochester Man Charged in Sex Trafficking Case 

St. Petersburg Man Arrested for Attempting to Entice a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity 

Merrimack Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Offense 

Sacramento Man Indicted for Sharing Child Pornography Files 

      

School Safety Training - Criterion-based?

There are numerous companies and numerous school safety programs out there, especially in the area of Active Shooter Intervention.  The last couple of blogs have been taking a look at various elements in school safety training, research and continuity of training.  Now let's look at criterion-referenced training.

Many quality training programs lack a component that is prevalent throughout education; the use of Goals, Objectives and Assessment.  One educational model that incorporates these elements is Criterion-Referenced Instruction (CRI).  This model was developed by Dr. Robert F. Mager (More research!), and is used by many professional educators to develop their lesson plans, and their curriculum.  To be sure, there are other models in use, but they do have common elements; What overall goal is being attempted? What are the standards to be assessed?  How will the assessment be conducted?

Having sat through quite a few different training programs and classes for school safety, the only ones I know that has followed these educational guidelines is FEMA.  To be able to get a certificate from the Emergency Management Institute, you have to complete the modules (goals and standards) and then successfully pass a final exam (assessed to a criterion).

Let's take a look at how an Active Shooter response lesson might look using this criterion.

There are numerous goals to set when considering how to respond to an Active Shooter Incident in your building.  I teach the use of the Window of Life to help people assess their actions during the critical opening seconds of any crisis.  The steps are: Protect yourself; protect others; protect your facility; notify public safety.  Since this addresses those critical first moments, let's establish a goal for its use.

Mager established a method to analyze goals.
1. Write down the goal in brief phrases or single words.
2. Write down the performance that, if achieved, would provide confirmation that the goal was achieved.
3. Delete any duplications or unwanted items. If there are items in 1 and 2 that are too abstract (fuzzy), rewrite to make more specific.
4. Write a complete statement for each desired behavior or performance. Describe the nature, quality, or amount considered acceptable.
5. Test the statements against the original goals in no. 1. If a student demonstrated the stated performances, would you be willing to say that he has achieved the goal? when the answer is yes, the analysis is complete.

When writing goals, use concrete language to describe measurable behaviors.  Some terms to use include: To write, to recite, to identify, to differentiate, to solve, to construct, to list, to compare, to contrast, to demonstrate.

Using all this, let's establish a goal.
1. Use the proper action steps during the first 30 seconds.
2. Staff and students are secured, and prepared for further action.
3. N/A
4. Upon recognition of an Active Shooter Incident, the student will take proper action steps, in 100% compliance with the Window of Life.
5. N/A

Using this, we go from an orientation, which is the common approach of a lot of school safety training, to describing discrete, measurable skills that can let the instructor know that their students understand what they have taught.

In today's world of liability issue, this can be huge.  An instructor who can document that his/her students met a criterion will be in much better shape than an instructor who says, "They attended my class."  This can be especially true of "Train the Trainer" certification.  The question now is, if you are a 'certified' instructor, what does that mean?  To an educator, that means that an instructor has demonstrated mastery of the skills for which they are instructing.

If the overall goal is to instruct educators on how to save lives, then shouldn't we find out if they can after they've been instructed?

Next: Who's Being Trained?

School Safety Training - Continuity of Training

When Safe Havens International trains people in a school, they use the same approach every time.   While what they teach is tailored to the needs of the school, how they teach is consistent from school to school.  This is achieved by setting standards, in the case of Safe Havens International, high standards.  Each unit taught has common objectives, methods, and expected outcomes.  This is what I call 'Continuity of Training'.

This is more difficult for schools to determine when assessing a company's capabilities.  Contact previous schools a company has trained and asked how they were trained.  Apply what you know of teaching to their methods.  Are they appropriate for the audience?  Are they effective?  Is there continuity of training from school to school?

Another important consideration is the safety of your people.  Are they being trained in a way that endangers them?  Look for a pattern of injury to participants.  Occasional mishaps are one thing, a pattern of injury is an indication of bad training techniques.

When schools hire new teachers, they check credentials and references, and conduct background checks.  Schools should do similar checks for people who are going to train yours.

Next; Criterion-based training

Crimes against Children Digest 8-4-14

San Diego Realtor Pleads Guilty to Engaging in Sex with 13-Year-Old Girl

Washington, D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Traveling to Maryland to Engage in Sexual Activity with a Minor

Nixa Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

Carbon County Man Charged with Producing Child Pornography

Sheffield Village Man Sentence to Five Years in Prison on Child Pornography Conviction

Former Fairfield Community High School Coach Charged with Attempted Sexual Exploitation of Minors and Possession of Visual Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct

Fruitland Man Sentenced to More Than 22 Years in Federal Prison for Killing 2-Year-Old Navajo Child

Former Police Officer Sentenced to Serve 121 Months in Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

Chicago Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking Offense with Underage Girl in Sacramento Area