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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this paper by Collison et al. was to examine the consequences upon parents, students and teachers of a fatal shooting spree within a small community school.
METHODOLOGY:
The authors conducted a non-experimental exploratory examination of responses to a catastrophic situation in a small, suburban, midwestern junior high school. A 14-year-old boy had fatally shot the school principal, and had wounded two teachers and a student.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
Within two days of the incident, five members of the school's student service team, the school psychologist and nurse, and a counselor from each of elementary, junior high and senior high, had joined forces to counsel students, parents and teachers. The team devised a plan to be available to help those who would be most likely to need help - friends of people involved in the event and withdrawn, quiet students. Teachers were instructed in methods of talking to their students, and resource materials were identified for parents to read. Student responses included anger, grief and fear, and counseling referrals increased in all levels of the school. Teachers had to deal with their own feelings of grief and anger, as well as assisting the students. Nearby schools began evaluating students who were considered as potentially dangerous, in order to intervene before something dramatic occurred. Members of the student service team at the original school intensified their counseling services, and held daily discussion in classrooms to address some of the students' concerns. Students were accompanied on their trips past the spot where the principal was killed, in the hope of helping the pupils become comfortable with the building once again. Stress workshops were established by professionals from within the community, and mental health services were made available to all teachers.
AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS:
The authors believed that, whilst specific tragedies cannot be prepared for, plans could be developed for responses to catastrophic events. They suggested that tactical and strategic plans be developed by schools for use in various types of incidents, including planning for crowd control, media contact, security and other logistical considerations. As well as the practical concerns, the emotional status of those involved must also be addressed. A student service team, in conjunction with an established professional team from outside the school system, should be organized in a planned fashion to allow for maximum efficiency in an emergency situation. The authors concluded that schools must identify their resources now, and not wait until a tragic incident leads to an improvised and unplanned response.
EVALUATION:
This paper presents an interesting examination of one school's response to a fatal shooting. Whilst the authors describe a few of the resources made available to the students and teachers, no mention is made of parent reactions or needs, and little evaluation is made of the assistance given. A more thorough examination of programs for all groups - students, teachers and parents - would have been helpful. Also, a more specific and detailed discussion of suggestions for future planning and counseling interventions would have been valuable. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Adult Perceptions
KW - Adult Attitudes
KW - School Violence
KW - Junior High School Student
KW - School Personnel
KW - Teacher Attitudes
KW - Teacher Perceptions
KW - Juvenile Violence
KW - Violence Effects
KW - Juvenile Homicide
KW - Homicide Effects
KW - Parent Attitudes
KW - Parent Perceptions
KW - Juvenile Attitudes
KW - Juvenile Perceptions
KW - Student Attitudes
KW - Student Perceptions
KW - Early Adolescence
KW - Coping Behavior
KW - Psychological Victimization Effects
KW - Mental Health Personnel |