Violence in educational establishments: cause, effect, and response

Abstract

Crisis situations in educational establishments may emerge along a continuum from natural disasters to man-made threats of criminality that include, school shootings, hostage taking, and terrorism threats. In any crisis, there is a cause, effect, and response in order that the status quo and normality are quickly restored. This paper examines a variety of crisis preparedness models to address the challenges presented and includes a discussion of underlying assumptions of safe planning, and essential components of a comprehensive crisis management plan. It is anticipated that any plan that the school will have implemented will have a problem-solving methodology to develop, implement, and evaluate practices and policies of crisis preparedness while maintaining an effective learning environment.

Keywords:

• school
• security
• safety
• crisis management
• policies
• best practices
• multi-agency
• mental illness
• depression
• teenager
• adolescence