Mother of Oxford school shooter found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Landmark? Yes. Precedent for all future school shootings? Probably not.
A jury found Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of shooter in the Oxford (MI) High School school shooting case, guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the loss of lives in the attack. See https://apnews.com/article/oxford-high-school-mother-charged-01f336607a496c5f9ff0cb3a7434d073 A landmark case This is a landmark case in being the first we can recall where a parent has been […]
Why voluminous school emergency/crisis templates are setting up school leaders for disaster – and why the absence of engaged school emergency/crisis teams is inexcusable
The U.S. Department of Justice review of the Uvalde school shooting observed that, “UCISD’s campus safety teams met infrequently, and annual safety plans were based largely on templated information that was, at times, inaccurate.” (See https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter/content.ashx/cops-r1141-pub.pdf ) The template approach to school safety is failing school leaders and school security officials. Filling in the blanks […]
Increased school gun confiscations and use on campus: 10 steps to strengthen school safety and security
*Updated February 11, 2023 Loaded gun confiscations and gun use spike on school campuses nationwide Many educators and school safety officials anticipated an increase in student aggression and violence as they returned to in-person learning following remote learning due to COVID. Unfortunately, schools are experiencing not only increased verbal and physical aggression, but also an […]
Securing a Hospital Emergency Department in the Aftermath of a School Shooting
(Editor’s Note: This article is a collaboration with Michael S. D’Angelo, CPP, CSC, CHPA, a Board Certified Security Consultant specializing in the security of healthcare facilities. He can be reached at michael@securedirection.net, www.securedirection.net or 786-444-1109. See his biographical information at the end of the article.) As America continues to endure mass shootings at school, security and […]
Mass shootings: Should schools be held responsible for threat assessments when former students go on a killing spree?
Following the recent mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, reporters asked me if Sugarcreek-Bellbrook school officials and police handled the situation properly when addressing the shooter’s alleged threats made in high school approximately seven years prior. Did they do anything wrong? What did they do right? Did they do enough? Hindsight is 20/20, but how to […]
Parkland one year later: School security and emergency preparedness after the MSD school shooting
During the past half-dozen or so years, I have done an increasing about of expert witness and litigation consulting on pK-12 school security-related lawsuits. These types of cases have included high-profile active shooter cases, such as my retention by the defense for the Sandy Hook Elementary School litigation, as well as rape and other sexual […]
Federal Commission on School Safety report rehashes decades-old best practices, adds a few political twists
Statement by school security expert Kenneth S. Trump, President of National School Safety and Security Services, on the Federal Commission on School Safety’s final report: The Federal Commission on School Safety’s final report largely rehashes school safety, security, and emergency preparedness best practices that have been recognized since the Columbine era nearly 20 years ago. […]
Fake news, fake claims: Dispelling school active shooter myths
“Fake news” became a popular buzz phrase during the 2016 Presidential election. But fake news and fake claims also play a role in some national conversations and misrepresentations about school safety and school active shooters. Critical reading, analytical thinking and asking probing questions are necessary skills for serious learners of school safety best practices. Sandy Hook […]
School terrorism preparedness: After the ISIS attack in Paris, is the U.S. the next target?
If terrorists want to strike at the heart of America, they will strike at its children. I made that comment before and after the 9/11 attacks on United States. This past weekend’s ISIS attacks in Paris, France, are a tragic reminder that this comment still applies now, if not more than ever, here in America […]
ALICE training gets kicked in the can: Alabama principal’s call for students to throw canned food to knock out gunmen gets nationwide, international skepticism
Alabama middle school principal Priscella Holley’s letter sent to parents last week saying that the school will be “arming our students with a canned food item” to “stun the intruder or even knock him out until police arrive” has triggered national and international skepticism. Holley, the principal of W.F. Burns Middle School in Valley, Alabama, […]