Education

Columbine. Virginia Tech. Santee. These cities bring dread to the hearts of parents. School shootings and violence seem so widespread, there’s hardly a community in the country that hasn’t been affected. So what are our local communities and school districts doing to keep our children safe at school?

Statistics show that school violence, including shootings, stabbings or other significant bodily harm, is set to increase 300% between 2007 and 2010 if it continues at its current level. Thankfully, there are programs and plans in place on the national, state and community levels that provide the training and funding necessary to protect children.

It was the Columbine tragedy that kicked off national efforts to ensure the safety of schools. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) was established by the Department of Homeland Security to adapt schools’ emergency procedures throughout the country to mirror those of NIMS. It guarantees that schools and first responders (police and fire departments) speak the same language during any emergency, from an earthquake to a swarm of bees.

On the local level...
What’s more, the feds have provided funds to improve school-district emergency plans. Grants range from $200,000 to $500,000, and Dr. Arthur Cummins, administrator of Safe and Healthy Schools for the Orange County Department of Education, says that 8 districts throughout the county have received these grants over 5 years.

Schools have used these funds in a number of ways. One is to stage full-scale, multi-operational drills coordinated with the school and local first responders. Schools practice lockdown procedures and evacuations with fire and police involvement. These drills help identify little issues that can be critical in a real emergency, such as an assistant principal who has forgotten to carry her full set of keys, making it difficult for her to get children into a safe area (a circumstance that actually occurred at Columbine).

Debriefings following lockdown drills help identify other needs, such as the importance of more radios throughout the campus for better communication during an emergency.

Grants have also been used to improve communication with parents in the event of an emergency. “At least 60% of our schools have a digital telephonic system that allows them to send a message to all parents simultaneously to advise them of the situation via phone, email or fax,” says Cummins.  These systems were used in the recent wildfires to communicate with parents regarding school closings and reopenings.

Profile of a typical school shooter?
Safety efforts also prevent tragedies from happening in the first place. After Columbine in 1999, the Secret Service researched 37 similar school shootings to identify the profile of a school shooter. The findings suggested there is no set profile. Instead, the study offered 11 recommendations for education professionals to prevent the violence.

First and foremost was breaking the code of silence. Trusting relationships must be fostered between students and adults, so that when children hear of potential plans for violence, they will report it. “We need to make sure there is at least 1 adult on campus students can confide in,” says Cummins.


The Secret Service study showed that nearly all 37 school shooters investigated had been bullied over time. Cummins says Orange County has established intentional programs to shape the culture of schools to eliminate bullying. “While research shows that schools are still the safest place for students to be during the school day, kids need to perceive their school is a safe place.” When they feel safe, they do better in school.

Clearly, when a child is bullied, it affects his self-esteem. While not all bullying can be stopped, it can be counterbalanced by parents and other adults building up a child’s sense of self-worth.

Healthy, well-balanced children who feel accepted by their peers and significant adults in their lives are far less likely to resort to violence to solve problems. Providing kids with an environment in which to feel this way is the responsibility of all adults – parents, teachers, counselors and administrators.


Elisabeth Handley is a frequent contributor.