“Someone’s threatening to shoot up our school.”
These words are a school administrator’s worst fear – and something experienced daily across the country. From Columbine to Sandy Hook and Oxford to Uvalde, superintendents know all too well how a threat can turn deadly.
This school year, administrators and police across the country are seeing an increase in security threats at K-12 schools – and we’re tracking commonalities in these threats, which range from high-tech to old-school. These include:
- Social media threats that can be difficult to track because of anonymous accounts.
- Apple AirDropthreats that are easier to investigate due to the 30-foot radius limit.
- Verbal threats that can be overheard and reported to school staff or law enforcement.
- Graffiti in school bathrooms that requires regular monitoring of who’s going in and out of bathrooms.
We’re also seeing a significant uptick in weapons in schools, with a record number of students bringing a gun to school.
Districts are addressing this reality and minimizing their risk of a mass shooting by talking with students, especially high schoolers, about safety at their schools. Through these conversations, we’re learning students want to report threats anonymously – and need to be reassured regularly their identity won’t be shared if they come forward with information.
More than ever, students want to participate in the safety of their schools – they’re nervous and scared of what might happen if they don’t speak up. However, they don’t want to be known as a snitch. It’s critical schools put protocols in place for anonymous tips about threats and continuously reinforce this anonymity.
Another trend we’re tracking is swatting, which is a false call to law enforcement about a threat that results in a significant police response at a school. This is dangerous for several reasons, including:
- The school community can become desensitized about threats and stop treating each one with its own unique circumstances.
- Someone looking to carry out a threat can watch how police respond or divert attention to do damage someplace else.
- A significant police response paired with canceled classes spurs more threats.
School leaders, in partnership with law enforcement and mental health professionals, are working around the clock to assess these threats and make decisions that balance the safety of students and staff with the need for children to be in school. Threat assessment – establishing the credibility of a threat – is fairly new in law enforcement. In most cases, authorities leave the decision on whether to cancel classes up to the district.
This puts superintendents in a lonely spot, but it doesn’t have to be this way. You can ask clarifying questions of law enforcement in order to determine whether a school closure, event cancellation or another change in operations makes sense. Specifically, here’s what you should ask law enforcement when there’s a threat:
- Is it credible or imminent?
- How have you determined it is or isn’t credible?
- Has a home visit been conducted?
- Have weapons been found in the home?
- Has there been a review of the individual’s social media?
- Is there a history of police interaction with the individual and/or family?
- Is your public information person willing to issue a joint statement with the district?
This information is critical for you to make informed decisions about operations and articulate these decisions to your school community. While this won’t stop some critics, you can make these decisions knowing you have clear facts surrounding an investigation. It’s also important districts build strong relationships with law enforcement so they’re in lockstep when they send out communications about school threats.
The recent uptick in threats has created a perception schools aren’t safe. The reality is most schools are – we just need to close the information gap. We’re seeing a lot of schools doing things right, including creating safety processes that work and informing stakeholders in real-time to minimize misinformation.
Our goal is to help you change the narrative from “Someone’s threatening to shoot up our school” to “Our processes worked and we were able to prevent an incident,” which is a security win everyone can agree on.
We’re always happy to answer any questions you may have about these threats and how you can minimize your risk. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.