School Safety in the News 4-7-13

Blincoe to present report on school safety evaluation
Brownwood Bulletin

School safety issues ahead
Carolinacoastonline

Bentley wants more specifics in school safety bill
Franklin County Times

Youth Safety Summit Urges Compassion To Combat School Violence
NewsChannel5.com

Bourne system retains consultant to assess school safety/security
The Bourne Courier

Mandate for guns in schools a serious overstep
Reporter-Times

A Look at NRA Safety Plan as Senate Ramps Up Gun Bill
Sunshine State News

More guns not the answer for safety in Miss. schools
Jackson Clarion Ledger

Sheriff Joe's Answer to School Safety: Armed Civilian Posse
ABC News

Hampshire school raising its own money to boost security
Cumberland Times-News

Plots against Schools 3-14-13

Sheriff: High school 'shooting threat' unsubstantiated (Video) - news10.net

UK teenager pleads guilty to terror charges over alleged school shooting plot - News.com.au

Possible Pleasant Grove High School shooting threat unfounded, sheriff says - news10.net

Woman accused of threatening violence at school - FOX6Now.com

New trend in school safety is disturbing

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The Role of Threat Assessment in a School's Security Assessment

Threat Assessment: A Vital Key to Safe Schools

If you were to ask a school administrator or teacher to name a student they know who might commit an act of violence in their school, they will usually have a name immediately spring to mind.  Yet often, there is little done to address that name.

What needs to be completed is a threat assessment process, one that is evidence-based, thorough, and comprehensive.  The FBI has developed such a process, a tool to assist in the process, and the best news for most schools; it's free!

This process outlines a variety of traits of concern.  These traits can range from comments and writings that show an obsession with violence to attitudes of intolerance and superiority, as well as the development of negative role models such as Adolf Hitler or Satan.  The key to this approach is that the assessment is done using a multidisciplinary approach, using information developed by those who actually know the student.

It takes time, but it does provide detailed information about a student that the school can then use to assist the student.  What the assessment doesn't do is identify a student as a "shooter", nor is the assessment used as a means of removing a student from school.

It is necessary to make time to do this, especially for that child whose name popped into your head.

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School Threat Compilation 3

Since the Sandy Hook Elementary attack on 12/14/12, the media has become awash in related news stories.  Rather than make individual posts, I’ve created a compilation.

Social media rumors: Police controlling threats of school violence - WJLA

Metro Trying to Alleviate School Violence Rumors - 8 News NOW By Kash Cashell

Rumors of School Violence in Md. Mounting on Social Media « CBS ... By Chris Lingebach

Student detained in suspected Calif. shooting plot - Fresno Bee

Fort Pierce teen jailed for threatening to shoot classmates had Airsoft toy gun; sheriff says it was 'safer' to detain him - Jupiter Courier

School lets out students early over text - KJRH-TV

School violence rumors rampant at FWCS - WANE

Students' Fear of School Violence Postpones Dumbarton Middle Talent Show - Patch.com

Patrols stepped up after rumors of school violence - KIRO Seattle

Rumors of violence prompt police response at area schools - PennLive.com

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School Threat Compilation 2

Since the Sandy Hook Elementary attack on 12/14/12, the media has become awash in related news stories.  Rather than make individual posts, I’ve created a compilation.

Monroe teen arraigned after alleged school shooting threats - WTOL-TV

Rumors of school violence lead Hillsborough deputies to boost security - Tampabay.com

Eugene 4J addresses flood of violence-related school rumors - KMTR NewsSource 16

Abilene, Big Spring police make arrests in school violence threats - ReporterNews.com

Schools, police respond to rumors of violence - Green River Star

Genesee County schools closed rest of week as rumors of violence swirl - The Flint Journal - MLive.com

School districts react to rumors of violent threats - Amarillo.com

Downers Grove Police Investigate School Violence Rumors in District 99, Find ... - Patch.com

Maryland Law Enforcement Investigate Social Media Rumors of School Violence - NBC4 Washington

Police Try To Control Rumors Of School Violence - CBS Local

Safe Havens, International

School Threat Compilation 1

Since the Sandy Hook Elementary attack on 12/14/12, the media has become awash in related news stories.  Rather than make individual posts, I've created a compilation.

Hillsborough deputies 'overwhelmed' with vague school violence threats - Northwest News and Tribune

SCHOOL VIOLENCE: Teen jailed for on-line gun threat : Crime Blotter Press-Enterprise (blog)

Pinellas schools look into rumors of violence related to Mayan calendar - Tampabay.com

Jeffersonville High School student arrested over violence rumor - The Courier-Journal

Ohio boy, 11, threatened school shooting, police say - The Columbus Dispatch

Shooting rumor boosts police presence at DeLand High - Orlando Sentinel

Jeff. High School student charged after alleged school violence threat - WHAS 11

Web comments lead to arrest of Northern California man - SJ Mercury News

Police arrest students in Indiana school threats - SFGate

Hillsborough deputies 'overwhelmed' with school violence threats - Tampa Bay Online

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Potential School Threat of Violence under Investigation in KOTA Territory

Rapid City, SD
A threat of potential school violence was received over the weekend. Since then, the police have been investigating all leads, although they have not released specifics about what the threat is.

Police presence is high in Rapid City schools this week. The police said that school safety is a top priority for law enforcement and school officials.

Safe Havens, International

UNH Prof. Reassures Parents: School Violence is Declining

Durham, NH
University of New Hampshire professor David Finkelhor has been studying national school violence for the past 25 years.

He said the news that the Sandy Hook Elementary attack in Newtown, Conn., is deeply disturbing, but it is not an indication that schools are unsafe.

He went on to say, "It's a very rare and unusual and extreme event. It is not a sign that kids are at risk or that society is becoming more dangerous for kids,"  In fact, Dr. Finkelhor went on to say that on a whole, trends in school violence have been coming down.

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Violence against Bishop McDevitt Students Reported

Harrisburg PA
Three separate incidents of violence involving Bishop McDevitt students occurred in a 24-hour period, according to police.

A 15-year-old student was beaten and robbed as he left school on Tuesday. Three men wearing hoodies punched and kicked him and took his cellphone, police said.

The student is OK and back in school, but still very shaken up after what happened Tuesday, school officials said.

On Wednesday morning, a group shot at students and a school bus with a BB or pellet gun. No one was hurt in the incident.

The principal is increasing security and asking students not to walk alone and to move parking to the rear of the school.

Safe Havens, International

Girl Attacked at School with Box Cutter Speaks Out

Macon, GA
A Hutchings Career Center student is speaking out about violence in schools after being attacked with a box cutter.

Anesha Henderson, 16, was attacked by a classmate while on her way to class in September.

"Her and her friend said something, so I said 'okay whatever'. So the girl came behind me and hit me in the back of the head," Henderson said, "So when I turned around I hit her back. We started fighting and I didn't even feel when she cut me."

Both girls were suspended and Henderson's attacker was arrested. According to Bibb County schools, Henderson's attacker snuck the box cutter in by wrapping it up inside of money. Henderson said despite metal detectors and campus security, weapons still make it on campus.

"When people fight," Henderson said, "people bring guns and knives to school."

Since the incident, the school district has hired a new campus police chief. Russell Bentley took over in October. He's conducted several random searches on campuses to crack down on illegal activity in schools.

Safe Havens, International

Rampant Violence Cancels Classes At OKC Elementary School

Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma City Public School canceled classes to address the ongoing violence and widespread school suspensions at North Highland Elementary.

The meetings between school leaders and teachers come after parents and community members complained North Highland Elementary Schools students are fighting. There have been a reported 34 school suspensions in the first three months of school.

"The language that they use is something that you wouldn't believe comes out of a child that young's mouth," said Lisa Hearst, who lives near the school.

Teachers and Oklahoma City School administrators had a meeting Friday. Meanwhile, stakeholders in the community are having similar conversations.

Safe Havens, International

Teens Charged with Taking Weapons to Baltimore Co., Arundel Co. Schools

Baltimore, MD

Authorities charged two 17-year-old students Tuesday with bringing weapons to schools in unrelated incidents in Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties.

Police said there were no injuries in either case, and neither student made a threat. But the incidents continue a string of school violence scares in the Baltimore area this fall.

Safe Havens, International

NYC Teacher Sues City, Claims He was Beaten Up by First-Grader

New York City
A hulking Queens gym teacher and former college football player claims a pupil fractured his ankle, injured his knee and forced him to go to a shrink for stress — even though the kid was only 50 pounds and in first grade.

Burly, 220-pound PS 330 teacher John Webster, 27, said a 4-foot-2 Rodrigo Carpio, 6, also kicked and pinched the Elmhurst school’s principal, a security officer and another teacher during a rampage in April.

Police Arrest SW Idaho Student Accused of Threatening Violence at School with 'Hit List'

Homedale, ID
A southwestern Idaho student is being held at a juvenile detention center in Canyon County after police say he created a "hit list" with the names of 15 people, threatening violence on school property.

Homedale Police Chief Jeff Eidemiller told the Idaho Press-Tribune (http://bit.ly/SFu50D ) the high school student arrested Wednesday is being held on at least 15 charges stemming from his alleged threats.

The student, who hasn't been identified by authorities, was suspended from Homedale High School last week. Police say they obtained information indicating the student possibly had some intention of carrying out his alleged threats.

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Fight at an Oakland High School causes Police to Shut Down Street

Oakland, CA
A huge fight erupted at Castlemont High School Friday, the biggest such incident at a public school citywide in at least two years.

School district spokesman Troy Flint said Oakland School Police officers reported that about 50 students appeared to have been involved in the fight. It began in an outdoor common space behind the school auditorium at about 1:15 p.m., and was followed by several side-scuffles, he said.

Flint said the officers believed a conflict between groups of black and Latino students might have triggered or fueled the violence. "It definitely had some sort of racial element," he said.

The East Oakland school's ethnic makeup is predominately black and Latino; in 2011-12, about 48 percent of students were Latino and 44 percent were African-American. Castlemont, which for years had consisted of three small schools, merged this year into one school with roughly 700 students.

To contain the violence and chaos, Oakland police officers shut down the stretch of MacArthur Boulevard in front of the school. They reopened the street at 1:40 p.m., after about 20 minutes.

Pasco High School Officer Attacked by Sisters, Mother

Hudson, FL
A mother's trip to Fivay High School to discuss an educational issue with school staff turned violent Thursday morning when she and her two teenage daughters attacked the school resource officer, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

The deputy eventually used his Taser to subdue one of the 16-year-old sisters and end the confrontation, the sheriff's office reported.

Cpl. Richard Bynum was not seriously injured in the fight, which happened about 9 a.m. near a conference room where the family had come for the meeting, the sheriff's office and the Pasco County School District reported.

That conference became heated and loud, and when Bynum came to investigate the commotion, one of the girls, who had run out into the hallway, shoved him the chest, said Doug Tobin, a spokesman for the Sheriff's office.

As Bynum tried to subdue her, the mother rushed into the hallway and grabbed the deputy's arms and shirt, Tobin said. The girl's sister, also a student at the school, punched Bynum several times and grabbed his shirt, Tobin said.

School staff members came to Bynum's aid, but the family continued to punch and grab him as he tried to hold back the first student who had attacked him, Tobin said.

Violence on a School Bus

Indianapolis, IN
A brutal beating happened on a Franklin Township Community School bus. The violent footage has now gone viral.


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Attack near School Leads to Protest against Violence

Wichita, KS
A frightening attack after school on Friday led to a protest Monday against violence at Truesdell Middle School in south Wichita.

The attack by a large group of students left several kids with cuts and bruises.

It happened in a driveway a few blocks southeast of the school.

Rian Brown says her two 6th grade children were walking with a friend when a large group of kids chased them down.

She says her son and his friend were getting away, but the group caught up with her daughter who took punches to the face.

"The group caught up with my daughter, and they went back for her. She sustained the most injury from it," said Rian Brown, mother of two attack victims.

Her son and his friend returned to try and help when she says they were pushed to the ground and repeatedly kicked.

Student Throws Knives at Officer's Head

Indianapolis, IN
Police were called to Decatur Central High School August 21st. According to the caller, an out-of-control knife-wielding student locked himself in a home economics room.

When Officer Jeff Patterson arrived to the classroom, he peeked his head inside the room.
“The room was destroyed, and the student was throwing knives at people,” said Patterson.
When Patterson stepped inside he was instantly greeted with a knife.

“I stuck my head in and he wings a knife at my head,” said Patterson. Investigators say the suspect had pulled five knives from the classroom.

The boy tossed three of the sharp weapons in Patterson’s direction, and kept two knives clenched in his hands. Patterson moved quickly to grab a trash can lid and use it as a shield.