nickel mines, pennsylvania, october 2, 2006: a 32yearold

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VIOLENCE GOES TO SCHOOL

• John Nicoletti, Ph.D.
• Nicoletti-Flater Associates
• 303-989-1617
• www.n-fa.com

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• Nature of the Problem
• What Do We Know?

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Who Is Responsible For Violence / Why Do They Do
It?

• Bullies Power/Gratification
• Predators Power/Gratification
• Avengers Perceived Injustice/Revenge

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Who Knows About It?

• Students / Parents / Friends
• Teachers / Faculty / Staff

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• Todays Focus
• Avengers

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RECENT SCHOOL VIOLENCE INCIDENTS

• Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, October 2, 2006 A
  32-year-old milk truck driver took about a dozen
  girls hostage in a one-room Amish schoolhouse
  Monday, barricaded the doors with boards and
  opened fire on the girls (killing at least four
  and apparently himself).
• Cazenovia, Wisconsin, September 29, 2006 A
  15-year-old male is charged as an adult with
  murder for allegedly walking into Weston Schools
  and killing the principal, a day after the
  principal gave the teen a disciplinary warning
  for having tobacco on school grounds.

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RECENT SCHOOL VIOLENCE INCIDENTS

• Bailey, Colorado, September 27, 2006 A
  53-year-old gunman walked into Platte Canyon High
  School, took six female students hostage, shot
  and killed one girl when SWAT team came through
  the door, before killing himself.
• Dawson College, Montreal, Canada, September 13,
  2006 25-year-old male, calling himself The
  Angel of Death on a Goth subculture website,
  kills one and injures 20 others during a shooting
  spree before being shot and killed by police.

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RECENT SCHOOL VIOLENCE INCIDENTS

• Hillsborough, North Carolina, August 30, 2006
  19-year-old former student was arrested after
  opening fire in the Orange High School parking
  lot. Police found his father murdered at home.
• Jacksboro, Tennessee, November 8, 2005
  15-year-old high school student shot and killed
  principal and wounded two assistant principals at
  Campbell County High School before a teacher
  wrestled his weapon away.

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RECENT SCHOOL VIOLENCE INCIDENTS

• Red Lake, Minnesota, March 21, 2005 16-year-old
  student shot and killed his grandfather and his
  grandfathers girlfriend before driving to Red
  Lake Senior High School and killing five
  students, a teacher and a security guard. He
  then shot and killed himself.

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A SUCCESS STORY!

• September, 2006, Green Bay, Wisconsin Two
  teenage boys amassed a cache of guns, ammo, bombs
  and other weapons at their homes to attack their
  high school. School resource officer became
  concerned and notified police who raided the
  homes, found weapons and arrested the boys.

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ANOTHER SUCCESS STORY!

• April 20, 2006, Riverton, Kansas Five students
  arrested in alleged school shooting plot. Five
  teenage boys fully intended to go on a shooting
  spree at their high school but were stopped after
  one of them discussed the plot on a web site.
  The boys, ranging from age 16 to 18, were
  arrested on the anniversary of the Columbine
  massacre, just hours before they planned to shoot
  fellow students and school employees.

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• What is the most important thing we know about
  avengers?
• They always tell you ahead of time.

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• What Should We Do With This Information?
• If They Broadcast It
• Believe It!

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How Do They Broadcast It?

• Verbal Threats
• Written Threats ? Bedrooms ? English Class ? Art
  Projects ? Bathroom Stalls ? Graffiti
• Videos
• New Technologies ? Web Pages ? Text Messaging ?
  My Space
• Practice Sessions

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(No Transcript)
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If We Know, Why Does It Happen? ? ? ? DENIAL
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If We Know, Why Does It Happen? ? ? ?
Rationalization

• Its Just a Phase

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If We Know, Why Does It Happen? ? ? ?
Rationalization

• He Just Snapped

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If We Know, Why Does It Happen?

• Dont Be a Snitch
• I Dont Want to Become a Target
• I Dont Want to Get Him/Her in Trouble
• I Dont Know Who To Tell
• No One Will Believe My
• Nobody Will Do Anything Anyway

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What Do We Do?

• Know What To Look For
• Focus on WHAT ? NOT ?WHO!
• If You Know About It, Tell Somebody
• Who Do You Tell ? Parents ? Teachers ? Counselors
  ? SROs ? Other Responsible Adults
• If You Are a Responsible Party and It Is Reported
  To You ? ? ? DO SOMETHING!
• Develop a Vortex

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VORTEX

• ALL DATA FLOWS INTO IT

SEES THE BIG PICTURE
CAN BE ONE INDIVIDUAL
CAN BE A TEAM
MUST BE FORMALIZED
MUST BE KNOW TO ALL PEOPLE OR KEY PEOPLE
MUST ACT ON THE DATA
WITHOUT A VORTEX ALL EVENTS APPEAR AS ISOLATED
INCIDENTS
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VIOLENCE INGREDIENTS

• TIME
• OPPORTUNITY
• ABILITY
• DESIRE
• STIMULUS

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PRACTICE SESSIONS CHARACTERISTICS

• THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PRACTICE SESSIONS

WHAT ARE PRACTICE SESSIONS? Normal
Behaviors Boundary Probing Behaviors Attack
Related Behaviors - Dehumanization/Desensitiza
tion Attack Behaviors
PRACTICE SESSIONS INCREASE WHEN THERE ARE NO
TREES (DETERRENTS)
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What Do We Do?

• DONT WORRY ALONE!

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Basic Guidelines for School Personnel

• Verify
• Document
• Assess
• Intervene
• Evaluate
• Follow-Up