You’ve heard about it on the news and people in your school are whispering about it as they walk down the hall. We’re talking about school violence and it’s scaring a lot of people. When your parents were going to school, they didn’t have to worry about someone bringing a weapon to school and conducting mass violence against his or her peers. Today, however, we have been hearing about it all too often. Troubled students are using the wrong channels to handle their anger and frustration and as a result, people are getting hurt and killed. How do you know what type of person might bring a gun or other weapon to school? Should you take threats of violence seriously? Is there a method to help warn you as to who is more likely to commit a violent act?
Is there a way to predict who will commit a violent act at school?
While there is no clear-cut method to determine exactly who will be violent to himself/herself or others, there is a checklist that will help indicate someone’s potential for committing a violent act. The National School Safety Center (NSSC) offers the following checklist derived from tracking school-associated violent deaths in the U.S. from July 1992 to the present. After studying common characteristics of youngsters who have caused such deaths, NSSC has identified the following behaviors, which could indicate a youth’s potential for harming him/herself or others.
Accounts of these tragic incidents repeatedly indicate that in most cases, a troubled youth has demonstrated or has talked to others about problems with bullying and feelings of isolation, anger, depression and frustration.
- Has a history of tantrums and uncontrollable angry outbursts.
- Characteristically resorts to name calling, cursing or abusive language.
- Habitually makes violent threats when angry.
- Has previously brought a weapon to school.
- Has a background of serious disciplinary problems at school and in the community.
- Has a background of drug, alcohol or other substance abuse or dependency.
- Is on the fringe of his/her peer group with few or no close friends.
- Is preoccupied with weapons, explosives or other incendiary devices.
- Has previously been truant, suspended or expelled from school.
- Displays cruelty to animals.
- Has little or no supervision and support from parents or a caring adult.
- Has witnessed or been a victim of abuse or neglect in the home.
- Has been bullied and/or bullies or intimidates peers or younger children.
- Tends to blame others for difficulties and problems s/he causes her/himself.
- Consistently prefers TV shows, movies or music with violent themes and acts.
- Prefers reading materials dealing with violent themes, rituals and abuse.
- Reflects anger, frustration and the dark side of life in school essays or writings.
- Is involved with a gang or an antisocial group on the fringe of peer acceptance.
- Is often depressed and/or has significant mood swings.
- Has threatened or attempted suicide.
If I know someone who fits many of these characteristics, what do I do?
The first step is to share your concerns with a trusted adult. Talk to your parents, a teacher, the school nurse or a spiritual leader. If you know someone who is troubled, his or her needs can be addressed through meetings with parents, provision of school counseling, guidance and mentoring services, as well as referrals to appropriate community health/social services and law enforcement personnel.
If you want to take a proactive approach to the increasing incidents of school violence, talk to the leaders in your school and work together to develop safe school crisis prevention/ intervention procedures. Sometimes the best plans are those that are capable of stopping something before it happens.
Checklist Developed by the National School Safety Center © 1998
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION AND CREDIT TO THE NSSC.
For more information, check out this article:
Put a Stop to Bullying Behavior
Posted 3-13-01
