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Bomb threats in schools
DEAR EDITOR,
Bomb threats and bomb incidents have historically always occurred in schools internationally, but the frequency, disruption, scope, and potential devastation of explosive-related events has increased exponentially. Even more alarming, however, is the fact that schools have not kept pace in their planning and response capabilities, instead relying on outdated, ineffective, and often dangerous protocols and procedures that were not developed specifically for the educational environment.
School violence isn’t 100% preventable, but we have the capability to provide appropriate supports and interventions to students who are at risk for violence against themselves or others. An educator’s responsibility, first and foremost, is to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.
The US Department of Education and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) strongly recommend that all schools train and develop a Threat Assessment Management team, saying: “one of the most useful tools a school can develop is a multidisciplinary school threat assessment team.”
Threat assessment isn’t a way to remove students from school – instead; it allows schools an effective methodology to: Determine who is at risk, (identify) Determine how severe the risk is, (assess) and then provide appropriate supports and interventions (manage). Threat assessment and management is a means by which schools can: identify, assess and manage individuals of concern, most attackers did not threaten their targets directly 13% made verbal/written threats to the target, while 10% acted physically aggressive towards the target.
Unlike profiling, checklists, automated decision-making and other methods that don’t work, threat Assessment Management is a fact-based, investigative approach, where schools can leverage trained, multi-disciplinary teams. As stated in other parts of the media, schools should recognize that the provision of security services to the educational environment is highly differentiated and specialized and should be treated as such.
Active violence which includes the use of bombs, guns and improvised weapons is driven by a particular psychology which needs to be properly understood before effective preventative measures could be instituted.
Clairmont Featherstone
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