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A Multi-tiered Approach to Promoting School Safety

A Multi-tiered Approach to Promoting School Safety. J.P. Jameson, Ph.D. & Kurt Michael, Ph.D. Department of Psychology Appalachian State University. Session Objectives. Provide a background on best practices for school violence prevention and wellness promotion.

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A Multi-tiered Approach to Promoting School Safety

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  1. A Multi-tiered Approach to Promoting School Safety J.P. Jameson, Ph.D. & Kurt Michael, Ph.D. Department of Psychology Appalachian State University

  2. Session Objectives • Provide a background on best practices for school violence prevention and wellness promotion. • Support district planning and readiness through interactive sessions with a focus on initiatives that realistically can be achieved with existing resources • Inform participants of existing resources and frameworks that can guide the development of customized plans

  3. Background • On the whole, K-12 schools and students are safe • 119,000 schools, 60 million students • During 2009-10, there were an estimated 25 *violent incidents per 1,000 students (base rate = 2.5%; Institute for Educational Sciences, 2010) • Incidents took place most often in middle schools (4%), whereas primary and high schools (2%) were lower (IES, 2010) *Rape, sexual battery, assault w/ or w/o weapon, threat w/ or w/o weapon, Robbery w/ or w/o weapon

  4. Background • Findings from the *Final Report on the Safe Schools Initiative (2004) • Between 1974 – 2000, 37 communities experienced mass school shootings in K-12 schools, involving 41 perpetrators • There is NOT a profile

  5. Background • Findings from the *Final Report on the Safe Schools Initiative (2004) • 59% of the 37 incidents occurred during the school day, 22% before school, 16% after school • 95% were current students at school • 100% were committed by boys or young men • 81% of attacks were carried out by a lone attacker *US Secret Service, US Department of Education, 2004

  6. Background • Since 2000 and the publication of the *Safe Schools Initiative (2004), although there have been 5 horrific school shootings, non-students with no current affiliation with the schools were the perpetrators in 3 of the 5 incidents *US Secret Service, US Department of Education, 2004

  7. Background • Also since 2000, and after several recommendations were made to foster safer climates in schools (e.g., *Threat Assessment in Schools, 2004), there have been multiple, less well documented incidents where serious violent acts were prevented through the use of our best resource, human communication • Cue video *US Secret Service, US Department of Education, 2004

  8. Background • Key recommendations from *Threat Assessment in Schools(2004): • Fostering a culture of respect • Creating connections between students and adults • Breaking the code of silence • Assessing and promoting school safety • Creating sustainable systems for wellness and safety • Very similar to suicide prevention recommendations *US Secret Service, US Department of Education, 2004

  9. Fostering Positive School Climate • Tend to the wellness of students • Create a positive school climate • Communication is key • Build school-based resources to the extent possible • Many school-aged children do not have access to needed mental health services • Particularly in rural areas

  10. Not Just School Shootings… • Recommendations are congruent with: • Recommendations for school-based suicide prevention* • Since the Sandy Hook tragedy, ~2,000 young people have been victims of suicide • Estimated 300,000 nonfatal attempts • Recommendations for bullying prevention** • 1 in 5 students report being bullied at school *Lazear, Roggenbaum, & Bláse, 2012 **National School Climate Center, 2013; NASP, 2003

  11. Guiding Frameworks • Final Report on the Safe Schools Initiative (2004) • Position statement- Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence (2012) • National Association of School Psychologists: A Framework for Safe and Successful Schools (2013) • White House: Now is the Time (2013) • Experience providing MH services to rural schools in western NC. • Heavy on crisis management (suicide & homicide risk)

  12. Common Elements • A balanced approach featuring: • Collaboration & shared responsibility • Communication • Between agencies, staff, students • The “Code of Silence” • Flexibility • Customization • School climate is influenced on many levels: • Policies • Organizational/Procedural • Staff • Student body • Individual

  13. Multi-Tiered Support Systems

  14. The ASC Center • Assessment, Support, and Counseling Center (ASC) • Currently two sites (Ashe & Watauga Counties) serving ~2500 high school students • Tier III: individual & group psychotherapy, crisis management • Tier II: social skills groups, walk-in appointments, short-term therapy • Tier I: Policy development, staff education, suicide prevention activities • Positive outcomes • Both MH and academic outcomes

  15. Response to Intervention: ASC Results • Mental Health Outcomes (2011-12) • Watauga High School • Among those with clinically significant symptoms at baseline, 63% were either recovered or significantly improved after approximately 15 sessions of CBT • Session length was approximately 40 minutes per event with minimal impact on instruction time

  16. Response to Intervention: ASC Results • Academic Outcomes (2011-12) • Watauga High School • The majority of the sample demonstrated improvements or stability in attendance (73%) and discipline referrals (75%) from baseline to posttest. These results were maintained after a 6 month follow-up. • The findings regarding GPA were equivocal at posttreatment (54%) but slightly better after a 6 month-follow-up.

  17. Response to Intervention: ASC Results • Mental Health Outcomes (2012-13) • Ashe High School (Preliminary analyses) • Among those with clinically significant symptoms at baseline, 63% were either recovered or significantly improved after approximately 8-9 sessions of CBT • Session length was similar to the 2011-12 Watauga study (36-40 minutes)

  18. Stakeholders in Expanded MH ServicesSupport Services • ASC Center: • University personnel • Community Mental Health • Law enforcement (SRO) • School personnel • Administrators, counselors, and teachers • Invested “champions” • Parents • Students

  19. Components of Effective Multi-Tiered Response Systems • Adequate resources at Tiers II & III • If you build it, they will come. • Coordination of efforts across tiers • Recognize when individuals need more intensive services • Effective communication within/between tiers • Play to your strengths • Flexibility and customization • Judicious use of resources • Bringing together community resources wherever possible

  20. The Reality… • It’s not getting done today. • What we can get done today: • An assessment of the strengths and needs of the schools • A basic plan to utilize strengths and address needs using existing resources for action items that can be addressed immediately • A vision for achievable longer-term goals based on existing resources

  21. Exercise 1: Strengths and Needs Assessment • Provides a reasonable starting place for future planning • What do we have? • What do we need? • How does what we have fit with what we need? • Complete the Strengths and Needs Assessment Sheet on your own. • Discuss common trends in your answers (if any)

  22. Exercise 2: Assessing School Climate • Now that we have taken stock of strengths and needs, what is our highest priority for promoting safe school climate? • What problems seem most pressing? • What are you doing well? • At what level/tier does intervention make the most sense? • Complete the School & District Safe Climate Priority Assessment on your own • Compare your results with others at the table

  23. Exercise 3: Action Planning • What happens when you get back? • Concrete plans for 1-2 action items: • What can we do? • Who will take charge? • When will it be completed? • What is needed and what is available? • How can community orgs and people get involved?

  24. Summary • School climate is an important facet to school safety & student safety • Positive school climate should be promoted with multilevel support systems • Leverage strengths to promote sustainable support systems that address needs • Start small and dream big!

  25. Resources: • Cowan, K. C., Vaillancourt, K., Rossen, E., & Pollitt, K. (2013). A framework for safe and successful schools [Brief]. Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists. • http://www.nasponline.org/resources/framework-safe-and-successful-schools.aspx • Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence. (2012). December 2012 Connecticut School Shooting Position Statement. • http://curry.virginia.edu/articles/sandyhookshooting • Michael, K. D., Renkert, L. E., Wandler, J., & Stamey, T. (2009). Cultivating a new harvest: Rationale and preliminary results from a growing interdisciplinary rural school mental health program. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, 2, 40-50 • http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/michael_renkert_cultivation_a_new_harvest.pdf • The White House of the United States of America (2013). Now is the Time. Washington, D.C.: Author. • http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/wh_now_is_the_time_full.pdf • United States Secret Service and United States Department of Education (2004). The final report and findings of the Safe Schools Initiative: Implications for the prevention of school attacks in the United States. • http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/preventingattacksreport.pdf

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