Following the April 16, 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech, mourners gathered around a memorial for the victims. To prevent another tragedy like this, the author says campuses need to pay attention to red flags and “connect the dots.” Photo by Sean Dougherty, USA TODAY.

Was the tragedy at Virginia Tech preventable?

“Numerous incidents during Cho’s junior year were warnings of mental instability… The dots were not connected, the signals were missed at Virginia Tech.” – Virginia Governor Tim Kaine

Was the Tucson tragedy preventable?

Painful lessons learned continue to clearly show that campus communities must find better ways to deal with at-risk individuals, aggression, bullying, mental health, violence, suicides and murders because most tragedies are preventable.

Numerous reports and studies demonstrate that incidents of targeted violence at school are rarely sudden, impulsive acts. Prior to an incident, other people have some knowledge of the attacker’s plan or idea. In fact, 81% of school attackers tell someone of their plans beforehand. The U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education’s Safe School Initiative clearly states that schools should focus on the student’s behavior and communication to determine if the student appears to be planning or preparing for an attack, as most attackers engage in some behavior prior to an incident that causes concern or indicates a need for help.

Why are schools struggling to identify early warning signs and behaviors?

School and college leaders must transform status-quo approaches and implement new ways for improving situational awareness and connecting the dots to identify red flags, improve prevention, protect communities and save lives.

There are multiple alarming trends in education, including statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice that 1 in 4 college women have been victims of rape or attempted rape since
the age of 14, and more than 95% of college women who are victims of rape or attempted rape don’t report it. Statistics also show that very few students are reporting acts of violence, bullying, cyber bullying, harassment and suspicious incidents due to a lack of anonymous options, lack of trust that their report will be taken seriously or acted upon, or fear of retaliation or embarrassment from their peers. They also may not understand when, how and where to report an incident or concern. Colleges and universities cannot prevent what they don’t know about.

Colleges and universities must tailor their campus safety programs and ensure that students, faculty, staff, threat teams and third parties understand their specific roles and responsibilities. Campus safety program obligations are mounting due to state and federal mandates, as well as legal liabilities and increasing compliance-related fines.

Universities must do a better job of securely sharing information with team members (internal and external) to ensure red flags are identified, all appropriate personnel are notified and immediate actions are taken to address the incident. According to three separate Dear Colleague letters from the Office of Civil Rights, schools must end such conduct, prevent its recurrence and address its effects…and document, document, document.

Another alarming trend are the gaps that have been identified when incidents are reported and actions are taken but the information is not shared or documented. These gaps and failures to connect the dots allow at-risk individuals and red flags to fall through the cracks, and preventable incidents are not prevented.

For example, if student John Doe is threatening other students in the classroom, his professor may handle this internally, but make no report to the central office. In the dorm, John may be making suspicious remarks about attacking the school, but residents might be afraid to come forward and report John’s behavior because they don’t want to end up as his target. Another professor may be receiving questionable emails from John that are failing to make sense and becoming more aggressive. The professor may make a note to mention this during the next departmental staff meeting. A co-worker of John’s might know that John recently purchased a new weapon but may not notify campus law enforcement about the violation of school rules. As you can see, each individual incident by itself may not be a major cause for concern, but connecting the dots could lead to an investigation and intervention — and potentially the prevention of a tragic incident.

Schools and universities need to implement comprehensive reporting procedures so all individuals (students, parents, staff, faculty, law enforcement, mental health counselors, etc.) understand their individual roles and responsibilities for identifying and reporting warning signs. It is also critical for threat assessment teams and behavioral intervention teams to coordinate effectively and connect the dots to prevent incidents from occurring and ensure a safe and secure learning environment on campus.

Do you have a reliable method of preventing threats of violence on your campus?

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