SEM-7400 v1

Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence
International Association of Chiefs of Police (2009). Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence: 2nd Ed., 53.
This document presents different strategies and approaches for school communities to consider when creating safer learning environments for their unique schools. It emphasizes the importance of violence prevention programs that include multiple strategies and the support of all stakeholders. This valuable resource may be used throughout the course since it guides many of the content areas.

School Safety and School Violence: Trends.
Cohen, J. (2021). School safety and school violence: Trends. International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, 18(3), 246–251. 
This resource includes a clinical-research summary of school safety and violence trends and individual, instructional, and school-wide prevention recommendations. In addition, it includes a case study of a school threat situation. The valuable information in this resource may be used throughout this course since it covers many topics, such as physical violence, social-emotional violence, and promoting school safety.

The Absence of Positive Psychosocial Characteristics in the Lives of Mass School Shooters
Vitz, P. C., & Faria, A. A. (2022). The Absence of Positive Psychosocial Characteristics in the Lives of Mass School Shooters. Journal of Police & Criminal Psychology, 37(1), 17–37. 
This article summarized the characteristics of 20 individuals that carried out rampages or mass shooters in the USA at high schools. Many negative characteristics of these or similar shooters were identified in other literature found in the sample, such as. obsession with violence, depression, and family problems. Also, attention was paid to the absence of positive characteristics, such as having an active, important goal in sports, the media, professions, or active participation in pro-social groups at school or in pro-social groups in the community, not found in the sample.

Optional Resources

Handbook of Research on School Violence in American K-12 Education
Crews, G. A. (2019). Handbook of Research on School Violence in American K-12 Education.

School-based violence prevention: A practical handbook
World Health Organization (2019). School-based violence prevention: A practical handbook.