promise 28, 2017 safety assessment intervention · sandy hook promise safety assessment and...

Sandy Hook PromiseSafety Assessment and Intervention

June 28, 2017

Dewey Cornell, [email protected] 1

Creating Safer Schools & Healthier Communities

• Forensic clinical psychologist and Professor of Education in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia

• Director of the UVA Youth Violence Project and a faculty associate of the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy

Welcome … Dr. Dewey Cornell

• Studied youth violence for 30+ years with more than 200 publications including Guidelines for Responding to Student Threats of Violence and School Violence: Fears versus Facts

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Timothy Makris – Executive Director

Mark Barden – Managing Director

Paula Fynboh – National Field Director

• Overview of Sandy Hook Promise – Who, What, How and Impact

• Overview of Safety Assessment & Intervention … a program Dr. Cornell created and is partnering with SHP to deliver to school districts nationally

WHAT you will learn today

2




Sandy Hook Promise is a nonprofit organization led by several family members who lost loved ones at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012.

WHO is SHP?




SHP helps prevent violence and victimization

BEFORE it happens by teaching youth and

adults how to recognize individuals at‐risk of

hurting themselves or others and intervene

to get them help.

WHAT do they do

• EDUCATE and empower, at no cost, schools and youth organizations in our Know the Signs prevention programs

• DELIVERY of training to fit district needs- Direct Training through National & Local Trainers

- Digital Download of Youth Program Curriculum

- Say Something Interactive Learning Video (Oct 2017)

HOW do they do it


June 28, 2017


SHP Impact …

• Intervened on multiple school shooting, suicide, and gun threats across the US

• Stopped/reduced cutting, bullying, and other acts of violence and victimization

• Helped hundreds of youth get mental health assistance

• ~2,000,000 youth and adults trained in our programs

Today’s discussion …

SAI trains a multi‐disciplinary team how to assess and respond to threats and threatening behavior.

SAI is an based program based on the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines.

“Every act of gun violence is preventable if you recognize the

signs”

We can identify troubled youth and help them before their problems escalate into violence.

We must have a school climate where students trust the adults in their school and are willing to seek help. School authorities must convey their concern for their students. 2




Case Study – West Paducah, KY


June 28, 2017


• School newspaper

• Rest room monitoring

• Hallway teasing

• Classroom mischief

• Cafeteria food taken

• Marching band initiation

• Gym class humiliation

Bullying in middle and high school:

• Change in peer group

– Freaks vs preps

– Shoot up the school

• Mental deterioration

– Depression

– Threatening voices

– Man under the house

– “You gotta do this”

Bullying led to:

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• Bullying

• Mental Illness

• Peer Influences

• Access to guns

Contributing Factors


June 28, 2017


Prevention Opportunities

BullyingMental Illness

Peer InfluencesAccess to guns

No One Reported His Threats

Threat Assessment For Schools

What is Threat Assessment?

Threat assessment is a problem-solving approach to violence PREVENTION that involves assessment and intervention with students who have threatened violence in some way.

Threat Assessment

1. Identification of threats made by students.

2. Evaluation of seriousness of threat and danger it poses to others, recognizing that all threats are not the same (e.g., toy guns are not dangerous).

3. Intervention to reduce risk of violence.

4. Follow‐up to assess intervention results.

•Developed 2002 at University of Virginia

• School‐based teams gather information

• Follow decision‐tree to determine whether threat is transient or substantive

• Take protective action if needed

•Attempt to resolve the problem underlying the threat

Available from Amazon.com

Principal or Assistant Principal Leads team

School Resource OfficerAdvises, responds to illegal actions and emergencies

Mental Health Staff (School counselors, psychologists, social workers)

Conducts mental health assessments.

Lead role in follow‐up interventions.

Optional: Teachers, aides, otherReport threats, provide input to team. No additional workload.

School divisions may further specify team roles and include other staff to meet local needs.

School‐Based Team


June 28, 2017


Accurate Threat Assessment Avoids 2 Errors …

1. Over‐reaction

Accurate Threat Assessment Avoids 2 Errors …

2. Under‐Reaction

Continuum of Threats

• Warning of impending violence

• Attempts to intimidate or frighten

• Thrill of causing a disruption

• Attention‐seeking, boasting

• Fleeting expressions of anger

• Jokes

• Figures of speechTran

sien

t

Su

bst

anti

ve

Threat Reported to Principal

Step 1. Evaluate Threat

Step 2. Decide if threat is clearly transient or substantive

Step 3. Respond to threat Step 3. Serious or Very Serious

Step 5. Respond to serious substantive threat.

Step 6. Conduct Safety Evaluation

Threat is serious.

Threat is transient Threat is substantive

Threat is very serious

Step 7. Follow up on action plan

Decision Tree







Threat is serious.

Threat is substantive



Transient Threats

Threat is transient







Threat is serious.

Threat is transient Threat is substantive


Very Serious Substantive Threats



June 28, 2017


Immediate responses to a Very Serious Substantive Threat

• Take precautions to protect potential victims

• Consult with law enforcement promptly

• Notify intended victim and victim’s parents

• Notify student’s parents

• Begin Mental Health Assessment

• Determine safety during suspension

Law Enforcement Investigation of Very Serious Substantive Threats

• Interview suspects and witnesses

• Conduct searches for weapons and other evidence of planning

• Serve as a resource for students with fears or information to share

• Take appropriate protective action

Mental Health Assessment

• Not a prediction model

• Identify mental health needs

• Identify why threat was made

• Set strategies for reducing risk

Follow up with Safety Plan

• Determine action plan to reduce risk of violence

• Identify appropriate interventions for student

• Schedule follow‐up contact with student to assess current risk and update plan

• Document plan in Safety Evaluation Report

The Era of Evidence‐Based Practice Evidence‐Based Policing


June 28, 2017


Research on Threat Assessment

1. Cornell, D., Sheras, P. Kaplan, S., McConville, D., Douglass, J., Elkon, A., McKnight, L., Branson, C., & Cole, J. (2004). Guidelines for student threat assessment: Field‐test findings. School Psychology Review, 33, 527‐546.

2. Kaplan, S., & Cornell, D. (2005). Threats of violence by students in special education. Behavioral Disorders, 31, 107‐119.

3. Strong, K., & Cornell, D. (2008). Student threat assessment in Memphis City Schools: A descriptive report. Behavioral Disorders, 34, 42‐54.

4. Allen, K., Cornell, D., Lorek, E., & Sheras, P. (2008). Response of school personnel to student threat assessment training. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 19, 319‐332.

5. Cornell, D., Sheras, P., Gregory, A., & Fan, X. (2009). A retrospective study of school safety conditions in high schools using the Virginia Threat Assessment Guidelines versus alternative approaches. School Psychology Quarterly, 24, 119‐129.

6. Cornell, D., Gregory, A., & Fan, X. (2011). Reductions in long‐term suspensions following adoption of the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines. Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, 95, 175‐194.

7. Cornell, D., Allen, K., & Fan, X. (2012). A randomized controlled study of the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines in grades K‐12. School Psychology Review, 41, 100‐115.

8. Cornell, D. & Lovegrove, P. (2015). Student threat assessment as a method for reducing student suspensions. In D. Losen (Ed.). Closing the School Discipline Gap: Research for Policymakers. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

9. Nekvasil, E., Cornell, D. (2015). Student threat assessment associated with positive school climate in middle schools. Journal of Threat Assessment and Management 2, 98‐113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tam0000038

Threat Assessment Outcomes

1. Threats are not carried out

2. Reduced suspension rates

3. Increased use of counseling

4. Improved school climate • Less bullying• More student willingness to seek help

2013 NREPP Listing

http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/ViewIntervention.aspx?id=263

Governor’s School & Campus Safety Task Force

40 members Led by Secretaries of Public Safety, Education, and

Health and Human Resources

http://dcjs.virginia.gov/vcss/SchoolCampusSafetyTaskForce/Selected sample of 1,865 threat assessment cases reported by 785

Virginia public schools during the 2014-15 school year


June 28, 2017


Percentages for 1,865 threat cases from 785 schools. One case can involve more than one type of threat.

33

23

21

18

13

5

1

1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Unspecified

Kill

Use weapon

Hit, beat

Stab, cut

Bomb

Arson

Sexual

Types of Threats (%)n= 1,865

Percentages for 1,8765 threat cases from 785 schools. One case can involve more than one victim.

68

15

13

7

4

0 20 40 60

Student

Teacher

Whole school/group

Staff/administrator

Other

Intended Victim (%)n = 1,865

97.7

2.6

0.7

0 20 40 60 80 100

Threat NotAttempted

Attempted andAverted

Threat CarriedOut

Threat Outcomes (%)n = 1,865 cases

84

8

5

1

2

0 20 40 60 80

No Change

Transferred to alternativeschool

Homebound instruction

Transferred to regular school

Other

School Placement Outcome (%)n = 1,865 cases

Percentages for 1,865 threat cases from 785 schools. One case can involve more than one outcome.

53

44

16

5

3

3

1

1

0 10 20 30 40 50

Reprimand

Suspension out of school

Suspension in school

Expulsion reduced to…

Detention after school

Placed in juvenile detention

Arrested

Expelled

Disciplinary Outcome (%)n= 1,865

No statistically significant differences for White vs Black or White vs Hispanic students

45

15

0.5 0.7 0.8

46

18

1.4 1.2 0.7

43

16

1.5 0.8 00

10

20

30

40

50

Suspension Change inPlacement

Expulsion Arrest Incarceration

Percent of Students

Disciplinary Outcomesn = 785 schools

White

Black

Hispanic


June 28, 2017


School Safety Online Educational Program

• Students (15 min)

• Parents (25 min)

• Teachers/staff (25 min)

• Team members (25, 20, 30 min)

Programs include anonymous survey questions to measure learning. Answers will be used for research purposes. For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Maeng at [email protected]

Excerpt from online program for students

SHP Training at NO COST …

• Safety Assessment & Intervention – 1 day training program by Dr. Cornell and associates

• See Sandy Hook Promise here at the conference, email [email protected] or go to sandyhookpromise.org

Prevent Gun Violence Before It Starts

promise 28, 2017 safety assessment intervention · sandy hook promise safety assessment and...

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