Threat assessment seminar taken seriously





Like other school districts across the country, the Ventura County Office of Education increased its awareness about campus violence following the 1999 assault at Columbine High School in Colorado.

The Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in which 26 people were killed, including 20 first-graders, emphasized the need for continued vigilance by school officials and law enforcement agencies.

On Jan. 9, the VCOE office in Camarillo held a threat assessment seminar attended by more than 100 teachers and school administrators.

Participants wanted to find out how to make their classrooms safer, how to identify potential killers, and how school, mental health and sheriff’s officials can take action without overreacting and causing fear in students, parents and colleagues.

The training session involved a collaboration between the VCOE and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Teachers and administrators were given a 2-inch-thick folder containing guidelines, resources and school safety requirements. They were assured that a solid working relationship between schools and sheriff exists.

VCOE Superintendent Stan Mantooth told attendees he applauds their mission of educating students and keeping them safe.

Ventura County Sheriff ’s Cmdr. Randy Pentis and Capt. James Fryhoff of the Thousand Oaks Police Department presented a threat assessment plan. The goal of the plan is to prevent school violence by assessing those students deemed capable of harsh actions and establishing procedures to deal with the danger when it is coming.

The in-depth look at school violence included discussions on bullying, mental health care and the trend toward violent video games.

Fryhoff and Pentis were not in favor of a zero-tolerance approach to threats made by students. Most threats involve kids just shooting off their mouths in anger, Fryhoff said, but he added that all threats must be taken seriously.

“Look at the kid, use common sense,” he said.

Materials given to the school leaders and teachers will show them how to balance the evaluation techniques with common sense.

High-risk students probably already have been in fights and have threatened lethal violence and use of weapons. These students need to be hospitalized or arrested if they make specific threats.

On the other side of the spectrum are students whose comments may have been misunderstood or who have been falsely accused by another child holding a grudge.

One of the best methods to avert violence is to put in place a process that evaluates and helps deal with potentially dangerous individuals, Pentis and Fryhoff said.

In 75 percent of violent incidents at schools the student body knows about the potential attack before it occurs, the presenters said, and 50 percent of those who carry out a violent act will think about it for several weeks before taking action.

People with a propensity toward violence often show telltale signs.

Pentis said everybody in the school community must learn what to do if they hear about threats being made. Bus drivers, school crossing guards, parent volunteers—everybody who works in or around the schools—must be prepared, he said.

Fryhoff said kids who have emotional problems might feel there is no other solution but violence. These could be students who have been bullied but have been rebuffed by parents and schools offi cials.

When a student feels helpless and other factors come into play—like a parent losing a job— the feeling of being trapped can become overwhelming.

If they have been violent before then they are at greater risk for problems in the future, especially if their warning signs go unheeded.

Other concerns were discussed.

If a teen is playing violent video games all day, parents should intervene. Fryhoff said some violent video games were designed for the purpose of helping soldiers overcome their aversion to killing people.

Pentis said kids who play violent video games for several hours a day are not more likely to commit a violent crime, but if the passion becomes an addiction, then a red flag has been raised.

“The reality is we really need caring adults and kids need layers of safety. Schools are a critical piece of that safety net,” Las Virgenes Unified School District Superintendent Dan Stepenosky said,

In the Las Virgenes and Conejo Valley school districts, measures are in place to help students report threats. At CVUSD, students have access to a Twitter account that lets them report dangerous situations anonymously.

Pentis said ignoring threats is tantamount to giving permission for violence. He said no matter what the time of day, if a parent, teacher or student hears about a threatening situation then police should be notifi ed.

Two additional threat assessment training sessions are being planned, officials said.



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