Preventing
Fatal School
Violence
DO YOU KNOW
WHERE TO START?
ACSA’s new toolkit
has resources to help
you plan for a crisis
30
Leadership
The first priority of educators na-
tionwide is to provide a healthy and safe
school environment for all students and
staff. In light of the incidents of school vio-
lence that occur on an almost daily basis, the
media attention garnered by school shoot-
ings, and the panic in school communities
that follow events throughout the nation,
we are forced, as leaders, to spend more time
working through issues related to safety.
While the incidents of school shootings
seem to be increasing, the number is actually
down. However, the impact to school com-
munities when there is an incident of vio-
lence on a campus, especially if a handgun is
present, is immeasurable.
The Association of California School
Administrators, in collaboration with other
educational leadership organizations, has
taken a proactive role in school safety.
The ACSA Board of Directors approved
the creation of a task force to address con-
cerns of school violence in February 2018,
with the Fatal School VIolence Task Force
launching in May. Their primary tasks were
to: address ways to support school districts
statewide, provide resources to districts,
share recommendations with the ACSA
Board of Directors, and look at school vio-
lence as a possible legislative priority mov-
ing into 2019.
ACSA launched the Fatal School Violence
Toolkit in Fall 2018, a resource hub that
school leaders can use to help prepare and
prevent school violence, as well as be more
responsive if and when incidents take place.
“ACSA and PTA have long been partners
in supporting the learning in our schools
and the leadership of ACSA was instru-
mental in designing a toolkit to address the
needs of school staff and family members
during and after a crisis,” said PTA Presi-
dent Dianna MacDonald.
“After the Florida school shooting in
February, we felt a responsibility to do
more when it comes to student and campus
safety,” said ACSA Executive Director Dr.
Wesley Smith. “But to assemble this toolkit,
our task force had to look beyond a violent
incident and look into how mental health,
bullying and counseling services all play a
role in student and campus safety.”
One of the goals of the toolkit is to pro-
vide smaller districts and those with fewer
district staff members a one-stop shop for
resources to assist staff and students. For
example, the toolkit includes links to tem-
plate communications that were used in San
Bernardino after a shooting at North Park
Elementary School in 2017. The templates
By Lisa Gonzales, Ed.D.