Preventing School Violence

A new school year has begun, and students deserve a healthy school experience free from violence, crime, and bullying.  Several state agencies are working to help prevent school violence and provide all children and youth with a safe place to learn and grow.

The Colorado School Safety Resource Center is the state’s main agency for all matters of school safety.  They have published numerous resources on school violence prevention including

• 10 Years After Columbine:  Highlights of School Safety Efforts in Colorado
• Bullying and Harassment Prevention and Education 
• Comprehensive School Safety Planning 
• Essentials of School Threat Assessment
• Resources for Child Sexual Abuse and Assault Prevention
• Resources for Effective Discipline in Schools 
• Responding to Bullying:  Tips for Educators
• School Safety Assistance Guide
• Talking to Children about School Safety

The University of Colorado’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) administers programs such as Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development, which provides resources about evidence-based programs to prevent bullying, violence and delinquency, youth substance abuse, aggressive behavior, and more.  Publications from the CSPV include

• A Blueprint for Safe Schools
• Bullying Prevention:  Recommendations for Kids
• Bullying Prevention:  Recommendations for Parents
• Bullying Prevention:  Recommendations for Schools  
• Community Policing, Schools, and Mental Health
• Early Warning Signs
• Establishing a School Threat Assessment Process 
• How Students Can Avoid School Victimization
• Introduction to Safe School Planning 
• Juvenile Aggression  
• Preventing Firearm Violence
• Reducing School Violence
• The Role of the Bystander in Preventing a Targeted Attack
• The Youth Violence Problem 

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office provides victim assistance resources and guidance on violence and disciplinary issues.  See their Colorado School Violence Prevention and Student Discipline Manual for more information.

The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment’s Prevention Services Division has a Violence and Injury Prevention Program with a number of resources geared toward children and youth.  They have also developed a new Positive Youth Development Tool.  See also their report Bold Steps Toward Child and Adolescent Health:  A Plan for Youth Violence Prevention in Colorado.

The Colorado Department of Education has also published several resources on school violence prevention, such as

• Anger Management and Violence Prevention
• Colorado Behavior Resource Manual
• Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
• Sex-Based Harassment

Safe2Tell is a state-funded program that provides a hotline for students to anonymously report school safety issues and concerns, not limited to violence but also concerning substance abuse, suicide, and more.  Their tagline is “anonymously report anything that concerns or threatens you, your friends, your family, or your community.”  Their website also includes resources for students, families, and communities.

State reports on specific incidents include

•  Lessons Learned, A Victim Assistance Perspective:  2006 Tragedy at Platte Canyon High School
• The Report of Governor Bill Owens’ Columbine Review Commission 
• Report of the Investigation into the 1997 Directed Report and Related Matters Concerning the Columbine High School Shootings in April 1999 
• Report on the Arapahoe High School Shooting:  Lessons Learned on Information Sharing, Threat Assessment, and Systems Integrity 
• Review of the Arapahoe High School Shooting 2013 Reports

Finally, for more resources and links see our library’s Quick Guide to Safe Schools and Youth Violence Prevention; you can also search our web catalog.