Is there any way to effectively prevent school shootings short of installing metal detectors?
I understand the importance of physical security systems. But in my opinion the majority of these events can be handled and prevented by behavioral awareness. I’ve looked at 60 incidences of either workplace or school shootings over the last 10 years, and in each one of them there have been clear warning signs that could have been acted on but weren’t. So how do we bridge that gap and intervene before someone comes to school with a gun? You begin with setting up a threat assessment team. These have been effective in the workplace, but they’re not as prevalent in schools. A team would consist of school resource officers and administrative members of the school, working with a lawyer, a nurse and perhaps a clinical psychologist. This basically gives people the opportunity to see a warning sign and report it and have a broad enough perspective to include all areas to determine an appropriate response. Doesn’t that involve a breaking down of some areas of privacy law? Yes, some privacy law
