The purpose of Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence is to present different strategies and approaches for members of school communities to consider when creating safer learning environments.

No two schools are exactly alike, so it is impossible to establish one plan that will work well in all schools. Violence prevention programs work best when they incorporate multiple strategies and address the full range of possible acts of violence in schools.

For any set of policies to work, it must be established and implemented with the full participation and support of school board members, administrators, parents, students, community members, emergency response personnel, and law enforcement. Without such shared responsibility, the chances of safe school policies being successfully implemented and accepted are low.

All involved in working to prevent or respond to school violence should be aware that no strategies in this or any other publication provide any guarantees against violence. Recognition of the rarity of school shootings and the complexity and unpredictability of human behavior should temper community initiatives as well as expectations. Most of the interventions presented in this document, however, have the potential to yield benefits beyond just reducing hazards associated with school shootings.

Additional benefits include the following:

• Lowering rates of delinquency, disruptive behaviors, harassment, bullying, suicide, and all other forms of violence and antisocial behavior
• Increasing the likelihood troubled youth will be identified and receive treatment
• Improving the learning environment by reducing intimidating, disruptive, and disrespectful behavior
• Preparing communities for responding to not only shootings at schools, but also all other human-made and natural disasters

Download Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence

PDF format, 1.7MB, 53Pages.

This publication was supported by Grant No. 2007-DD-BX-K112 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

CONTENTS
Section 1: Introduction..................................................................................... 1
Purpose....................................................................... 1
Background.................................................................. 1
Approach......................................................... 3
How to Use This Document.......................................... 3
Section 2: Prevention....................................... 4
The Role of School Administrators, Teachers, and Staff..................................... 4
The Role of Students........................ 12
The Role of Parents and/or Guardians........................................ 13
The Role of the Community.................................. 15
The Role of Law Enforcement............................. 16
Section 3: Threat Assessment.................................. 17
Section 4: Crisis Planning and Preparation................................ 20
The Role of School Administrators, Teachers, and Staff................ 20
The Role of Law Enforcement and Emergency Response Personnel.............................................................................. 23
Section 5: During a Major Crisis..................... 24
The Role of School Administrators, Teachers, and Staff.......................... 24
The Role of Students............................... 24
The Role of Law Enforcement................................ 25
Section 6: After a Crisis........................................ 26
The Role of School Administrators............................... 26
The Role of Teachers and Staff................................... 28
The Role of School Counselors, Psychologists, and Social Workers........................... 28
The Role of Parents and/or Guardians............................................... 28
The Role of the Community.................................................................. 28
The Role of Law Enforcement.............................................. 28
Section 7: Legal Considerations............................... 29
Liability of Schools When Students Are Harmed.................................. 29
Liability of Schools for Wrongful Accusations and Discharge.......................................................................................... 29
Liability of Schools for Violating Students’ Rights................... 29
Liability of Parents and/or Guardians............................................................ 31
Section 8: Working with the Media............................. 32
Rights and Obligations of the Media................................................ 32
Recommendations for Executives in the Television, Radio, Internet, Recording, Electronic Game, and
Film Industries............... 32
Planning for Media Coverage of School Violence............................................ 34
Section 9: Resources........................................................ 37

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