We Know How!
In a recent NBC report, Dr. Dewey Cornell and Dr. Matthew Mayer explain that we know HOW to prevent school shootings. They tell us that the most promising means of prevention is through the use of behavioral threat assessment and intervention teams. Most importantly, they make a compelling case backed by research, to put politics aside and focus on assessment and intervention.
Behavioral Threat Assessment
Threat assessments are designed to help schools channel assistance to students with unresolved grievances or other mental health needs, without overreacting to threats that are not serious. To work properly, the assessment process must gather information from multiple sources and consider the context and intent of the student’s statements. In the vast majority of cases, a student’s threatening statement does not pose a serious risk of violence and, as a result, can be resolved with counseling and education.
According to the Experts…
In nearly every instance, students who committed attacks had already come to the attention of adults who were concerned about their well-being.
About the authors
Dewey Cornell, Ph.D., is the principal developer of the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guideline Model.
Matthew J. Mayer, Ph.D., is a faculty member in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University and has led multiple transdisciplinary research projects addressing school violence.
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