The brand new school year has already been affected by one devastating school shooting and a wave of swatting hoaxes on college campuses. One expert advises leaders not to “tunnel vision” solely on one specific threat.
On the first week of school, a shooter opened fire through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis on Wednesday onto a crowd of nearly 200 children celebrating Mass, according to multiple reports. Two were killed and 17 were wounded.
The 23-year-old gunman was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, allowing him to shoot dozens of rounds through the windows of the Annunciation Catholic School just before 8:30 a.m.
Kenneth Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services, says events like this are an alarming way to start the school year. While school shootings may be top-of-mind for many leaders at the moment, he recommends maintaining a broad focus.
“There are many other school safety threats that are higher probability but lower impact in comparison to a school shooter,” he says.
He contends that elementary schools are far more likely to experience non-custodial parent issues than a school shooting. Most schools are addressing issues like bullying, cyberbullying, verbal threats, fights and similar threats on a day-to-day basis.
“Active shooters are one threat on a very broad threat continuum and school administrators can’t get tunnel visioned on any one threat at the expense of losing sight of others,” Trump explains.
Emphasizing training
This school year, Trump is prioritizing safety training in three areas: situational awareness, recognizing abnormalities in patterns and making cognitive decisions under stress. He says he wants educators to be “situationally aware” while supervising.
The second area, recognizing abnormalities in patterns, is something Trump says educators are already great at doing.
“They notice the stranger in the parking lot or hallway, the car parked in the back parking lot that doesn’t belong, or a person in the pickup line who is not the normal adult to pick up a child,” he explains.
Thirdly, making cognitive decisions under stress requires a new way of thinking for many school staff who are on the front lines. In most cases, teachers and support staff send difficult situations upward to their assistant principal or principal when the issue exceeds their typical caseload or responsibilities.
However, in moments of crisis, teachers don’t have much time, underscoring the need to train and empower school staff to make important decisions under high stress.
Technology’s role in safety
Trump often says the human element is the most important component of school safety preparedness. Meanwhile, school districts are turning to the latest tech to bolster their security.
He says that leaders must carefully assess risks, threats and vulnerabilities when evaluating security technology. Leaders must take a “tactical pause” when under pressure from their communities to purchase security technology.
“In short, security hardware and technology should be determined upon a comprehensive assessment, not to provide an emotional security blanket for parents and others in the school community,” he explains.
