By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most students who committed deadly school attacks over the past decade were badly bullied, had a history of disciplinary trouble and their behavior concerned others but was never reported, according to a U.S. Secret Service study.
In at least four cases, attackers wanted to emulate other school shootings, including those at Columbine High School in Colorado, Virginia Tech University and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
The study by the Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center is one of the most comprehensive reviews of school attacks since the Columbine shootings in 1999. The report obtained by The Associated Press looked in depth at 41 school attacks from 2008 through 2017.
The information gleaned through the research will help train school officials and law enforcement on how to better identify students who may be planning an attack and how to stop them before they strike.
"These are not sudden, impulsive acts where a student suddenly gets disgruntled," Lina Alathari, the center's head, said in an AP interview. "The majority of these incidents are preventable."
Nearly 40 training sessions for groups of up to 2,000 are scheduled. Alathari and her team trained about 7,500 people during 2018. The training is free.
The Secret Service is best known for its mission to protect the president. The threat assessment center was developed to study how other kinds of attacks could be prevented. Officials use that knowledge and apply it in other situations such as school shootings or mass attacks.
Since the Columbine attack on April 20, 1999, there have been scores of school shootings. Some, like Sandy Hook in 2012, were committed by nonstudents. There were others where no one was injured. Those were not included in the study.
For the report being released Thursday, investigators reviewed instances in which a current or recent student purposefully used a weapon to kill at least one person.
"We focus on the target so that we can prevent it in the future," Alathari said.
The report covers 41 school attacks from 2008 through 2017 at K-12 schools and were chosen if the attacker was a current or former student who used a weapon to injure or kill at least one person at the school while targeting others.
Nineteen people were killed and 79 were injured; victims included students, staff and law enforcement. The research was launched following the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.
The Secret Service put out a best practices guide based on some of the research last July to 40,000 schools nationwide, but the new report is a comprehensive look at the attacks.
The shootings happened fast and were usually over within a minute or less. Law enforcement rarely arrived before an attack was over. Attacks generally started during school hours and occurred in the one location, such as a cafeteria, bathroom or classroom.
Most attackers were male; seven were female. About three-fifths of the attackers were white, 15 percent were black and 5 percent Hispanic.
The weapons used were mostly guns, but knives were also used. One attacker used a World War II-era bayonet. Most of the weapons came from the attackers' homes, the investigators reported.
Alathari said investigators were able to examine detailed information about attackers, including their home lives, suspension records and past behaviors.
There's no clear profile of a school attacker, but some details stand out: Many were absent from school before the attack, often through a school suspension; they were treated poorly by their peers in person, not just online; they felt mistreated; some sought fame, while others were suicidal.
The key is knowing what to look for, recognizing the patterns and intervening early to try to stop someone from pursuing violence.
"It really is about a constellation of behaviors and factors," Alathari said.
The attackers ranged in age but were mostly young adults, seventh-graders to seniors. More than three-quarters initiated their attack after an incident with someone at school.
In one case, a 14-year-old shot a classmate at his middle school after he'd been mocked and called homophobic names. The attacker later reported the victim made comments that made him uncomfortable and they were the final straw in his decision to attack. Seven attackers documented their plans and five researched their targets before the attack.
Thirty-two were criminally charged, with 22 charged as adults. Most took plea deals. More than half are incarcerated. A dozen more were treated as juveniles. Seven committed suicide and two were fatally wounded.
Alathari said the report shows that schools may need to think differently about school discipline and intervention.
The report does not weigh on political topics such as whether guns are too accessible or whether teachers should be armed.
She said their goal is to make schools a safer place where no more attacks occur.
Other articles from Hispanic Outlook:
CUNY’s First Latino Chancellor - Felix Matos Rodriguez
When Felix Matos Rodriguez was named the eighth chancellor of New York’s prestigious City University of New York (CUNY) system and its first Latino leader in May of 2019, it was a towering achievement for him and the city’s entire Latino population. CUNY is a vast network consisting of 25 campuses including 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, one undergraduate honors college and seven post-graduate institutions. It enrolls more than 275,000 students, which requires an operating budget of $3.6 billion. Among its alumni, it has produced 13 Nobel Prize winners and 24 MacArthur Fellows. It’s as vital to New York City as its complex subway system. Every CUNY college provides a pathway for bright working class students to become doctors, attorneys, teachers, entrepreneurs, nurses and librarians—to name a few careers. And CUNY’s student body is as diverse and multicultural as New York City itself, consisting of 30% White students, 26% Latino, 23% African American and 19% Asian. Of its student body, 35% were born outside the U.S., and...
Preventing Sports Injury And Death
National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) has released though its scientific publication, The Journal of Athletic Training “Preventing Catastrophic Injury and Death in Collegiate Athletes: Interassociation Recommendations Endorsed by 13 Medical and Sports Medicine Organizations.” The paper includes recommendations in six areas that address the prevention of catastrophic traumatic (caused directly by participation in a sports activity) and non-traumatic (result of exertion while participating in a sports activity) injury and death. The recommendations stem from the Second Safety in College Football Summit in 2016 and have been reviewed and endorsed by relevant stakeholders and endorsing organizations. The paper also provides an actionable checklist for use by those with a responsibility to the health and wellbeing of collegiate student athletes. “Almost all cases of non-traumatic catastrophic injury and death are preventable and or treatable,” said NCAA Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Brian Hainline. “We’ve seen a clear improvement in policies, research, education and…
Chasing Scholarships Endangers Students
Editor’s Note: A new survey reveals that intense pursuit of sports scholarships leaves high school students injury-prone later in life.
Sixty million kids participate in organized athletics each year with ever increasing amounts of children specializing in one sport before the age of 14 with hopes of a college scholarship or professional career on the line. However, researchers presenting their work at the AOSSM/AANA Specialty Day earlier this year revealed that this early intense participation might come at the cost of increased injuries during their athletic careers. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is the premier global organization representing the interests of orthopaedic surgeons and other professionals who provide comprehensive health services for the care of athletes and active people of all ages and levels. AOSSM is also a founding partner of the STOP Sports Injuries campaign to prevent…
The Health And Safety Of Student Athletes
A survey of college and university athletic trainers shows that 51.73% of their collegiate-level sports programs follow the NCAA-legislated independent medical model of care. In addition, 76.26% of respondents feel they have medical autonomy—the unchallengeable authority to determine medical management of athletes. The survey was conducted by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s (NATA) Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine (ICSM). Results were presented at a press briefing during NATA’s 70th Clinical Symposia in Las Vegas. The NCAA legislation for student athletes is a model that ensures independent medical care by giving primary athletic health care providers—defined as team Physicians and athletic trainers (ATs)—the autonomous authority to make decisions related to the health and safety of athletes without the influences of the athletic department, including coaches and other personnel. Autonomous authority is the cornerstone for independent medical care for student athletes. The survey also shows that more than one-third (36.32%) reported…
Place your job ad in our classified page on the HO print & digital Edition
