NCJ Number
203390
Journal
Gazette Volume: 65 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 2003 Pages: 18-20
Date Published
2003
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the multi-disciplinary collaborative response to school shootings following the 1999 school shooting in Taber, Alberta.
Abstract
High-profile school shootings during the past 5 years have left school officials, parents, and communities scrambling to develop effective protocols and practices to combat school violence. Following a deadly school shooting in Taber, Alberta, community stakeholders came together to form a collaborative school and community-based multi-disciplinary threat assessment training program. The article outlines the historical context of school shootings and other high profile cases of school violence. Despite an increase in the publicizing of such events, experts insist that school shooting and violence have remained stable over the years. However, since any violent event in a school setting is unacceptable, the authors describe the need for a multi-disciplinary collaborative approach to this problem. In Taber, the multi-disciplinary approach led to the development of School and Community Level Multi-Disciplinary Threat Assessment Teams, with training on threat assessment delivered to school districts across Canada. Teams of mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, school administrators, and social service professionals offer different, yet complimentary, experiences and training to consultations regarding school violence. The article describes comprehensive threat assessments that are conducted by criminal profilers, psychologists, and other related professionals to identify “levels of risk” posed by a threat maker. These threat assessment teams are the first responders to threat-making behavior in schools and lead to a decision involving intervention versus no intervention. Finally, the article presents a case study in which a 15 year old e-mailed threats of violence to several friends. The response of the school and the threat assessment team is described to illustrate how such a system works.