On Thursday, the Secret Service released a 27-page guide for schools on how to reduce school violence. The guide titled "Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model" provides a step-by-step plan for administrators to target risks.
“I don’t think it is radical," said Mark Paliszewski, with Recon Management Group. "It’s something that has been around for a while but, it’s now just coming too light."
The plan encourages schools to create a team and come up with a comprehensive targeted violence prevention plan. The guide states that when it comes to threat assessment, there are three main things administrators can do:
- Identify concerning behavior
- Assess risk for violence
- And strategize ways to intervene.
However, Paliszewski said that the guide should be considered a starting point and schools should have a plan that is specific to their students and campus.
“What we recommend strongly is that schools have an assessment done because you don’t know what you don’t know as a school administrator," Paliszewski said. "You don’t know what your risks are."
Keith Wunderlich says they're constantly trying to find out what those risks are so school is a place for learning, not violence.
“The very most important thing for us is that kids are safe and that we are doing everything we can in our power," Wunderlich said.
Click here to read the assessment in its entirety.
