Lessons%20from%20Sandy%20Hook

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Lessons from Sandy Hook

• Dr. Scott Poland, Nova Southeastern University
• PSI Expert Partner

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USA Today Cover Story 3/1/12 He Was Just an
Average Kid

• Chardon High School in Ohio 3 killed and 2
  wounded
• What do we know about school shooters and are
  they average kids?
• Is it appropriate to place a picture of a school
  shooter on the cover of a national publication?
• What do the parents of shooting victims call for?

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Why Kids Kill by Peter LangmanPalgrave Macmillan
(2009)

• Based on his study of 10 school shooters that
  killed 74 and wounded 92
• Rampage acts best understood as a result of their
  personalities and life history
• Hypothesized there are three types of shooters

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Types of Shooters

• Psychopathicnarcissistic without a
  conscienceaspiring to be godlikeparanoid,
  sadistic with antisocial personality traits
• Psychoticavoidant, schizotypal and dependent
  personality traitsparanoid delusions, auditory
  hallucinationsdepressed and full of rage

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Eric Harris Psychopath

• I will rig up explosives all over town and
  detonate each one of them at will after I mow
  down a whole fing area full of you snotty as
  rich mother fing high strung godlike attitude
  having worthless pieces of sh whores.
• I dont care if I live or die in the shootout,
  all I want to do is kill and injure as many of
  you pricks as I can!

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Michael Carneal Perpetrator

• Example of psychotic type
• Many examples of paranoid behavior , delusions
  and hallucinations
• Pleaded guilty in adult court but later asked for
  a new trial based on his mental illness
• He cited that he saw, smelled and tasted things
  that were not there. His lawyers argued that it
  took years for medication to reduce his psychotic
  symptoms
• Had talked for over a year about shooting up the
  school, showed students a gun prior to the
  shooting and warned students not to be at school

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Third Type

• Traumatized Shooterssuffered emotional and
  physical abuse at homewere sexually abusedlived
  with ongoing stress and lossesparents had
  substance abuse problems--frequent moveslost
  parent to separation, jail and deathtrauma
  history resulted in suicidal thoughts

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Family/Trauma History of Jeff Weise Red Lake
Perpetrator

• Parents separated when young
• Lived with mom and her boyfriend
• Severely disciplined (locked in closet)
• Father died by suicide when Jeff was 8 (standoff
  with tribal police)
• Mother in car accident suffered brain injury and
  in nursing home
• Moved frequently

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Posting from the shooter

• Most people have never dealt with people who
  have faced the kind of pain that makes you
  physically sick at times, makes you so depressed
  you cant function, makes you so sad and
  overwhelmed with grief that eating a bullet or
  sticking your head in a noose seems welcoming.
• Jeff Weise

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Violence Key Points

• Increase in violent incidents around the world
  intended to kill 2 or more people
• Warning signs in violent fantasies, mental
  illness, distorted sense of what is just and
  severe interpersonal conflicts
• Signs of trouble include aggression, interest in
  obtaining guns, collecting posters of school
  shooters and being a social loner
• Mass murderers are almost always suicidal
• 11th commandment for gun owners Lock guns away
  from disturbed and mentally ill individuals

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School Safety Examples

• Create safety task force and include students
• Survey staff and students
• Teach students to deescalate fights
• Use student safety and anti-bullying pledges
• Floor plan exercise
• Sidney, NY example
• CFISD The Force

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Prior Knowledge of School Violence Study

• 81 of time at least one person had prior
  knowledge of planned attack and 59 of time more
  than one person had knowledge
• Only 4 with prior knowledge tried to dissuade
  the attacker
• Many with prior knowledge did not believe it
  could happen
• School connections effected whether or not adults
  were told (examples)

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Suggestions for Parents

• Limit adolescent privacy
• Limit exposure to media violence
• Dont lie to protect your child
• Follow through with due process
• Pay attention to what the schools says and seek
  mental health treatment when it is recommended
• Lock up the guns in your home especially if you
  have a child with mental health issues

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Suggestions for Schools

• Recognize anyone can stop a school shooting
• Create a threat assessment team and do a thorough
  assessment of threats
• Recognize rehearsal and planning of attacks
• Recognize that physical security alone is not the
  answer
• Implement suicide and bullying prevention
  programs
• Good communication and positive culture at school
  is preventative
• Implement anonymous tip lines

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More Suggestions

• Arm teachers not with guns but with school
  resource officers and mental health support
  services
• Know the real stats on school violence
• Limit access to school buildings and implement
  meet and greet procedures
• Increase student participation in school safety
  and utilize pledges and surveys
• Plan crisis drills that are not scary

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More Suggestions

• Increase mental health services at school and in
  the community
• The 4th R is relationships and it is important to
  know all students well and to have all students
  feel connected to their school
• The school should be place that students like and
  do not want to blow up!

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We must reach out to the unreachable!Craig
ScottColumbine SurvivorKeys to prevention are
getting disillusioned youth involved in
activities, finding a job and establishing social
ties!
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Contact Information

• Email karenmckelvey_at_psi-solutions.org
• Email spoland_at_nova.edu
• Website www.nova.edu/suicideprevention
• Website www.scottpoland.com
• Articles posted www.districtadministration.com