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Building a culture of prevention: Focusing on behavioral and mental health interventions in schools

In this Q&A, Dr. Marisa Randazzo explains how data-driven threat assessments and proactive strategies can help create a safer environment for students

Female psychologist counseling teenage boy in office

Through proactive efforts, schools can better support students, reducing risks and promoting a safe educational setting.

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By Police1 Staff

In the aftermath of tragic school shootings, there is a growing push for schools to strengthen safety measures by looking beyond immediate response tools like panic alert systems. Educational leaders and organizations across the country are calling for a proactive focus on behavioral threat assessments and mental health interventions to help prevent crises before they unfold.

This shift encourages schools to recognize early warning signs in students and address mental health needs to create a safer and more supportive environment. By adopting data-driven approaches, schools are working to address issues such as bullying, behavioral trends, and suicide risk, fostering a culture of prevention.

In this Q&A with Police1, Dr. Marisa Randazzo, a former chief research psychologist for the U.S. Secret Service and expert in behavioral threat assessment, shares insights on how schools can immediately implement effective strategies. Her recommendations include comprehensive behavioral data tracking, aligning statewide safety protocols and expanding access to counseling resources. Through these proactive efforts, schools can better support students, reducing risks and promoting a safe educational setting.

Police1: What are the most critical early warning signs that educators and law enforcement should be trained to recognize in students? How can schools effectively implement a system to track and respond to these behaviors before they escalate?

Dr. Marisa Randazzo: Although it may seem counterintuitive, the vast majority of school shooters have told other students beforehand about their violent plans and intentions. We also know that, for weeks or months prior to their shootings, most school shooters displayed troubling behavior that worried multiple adults. So, these were students who were on multiple “radar screens” for alarming behavior known to adults and had broadcast their violent plans to peers in advance.

Most students who have engaged in school shootings were despondent or even suicidal prior to their shootings; they were students in crisis — and looked to violence as a way to end their personal pain. Some carried out their shootings because they hoped to be killed by law enforcement. We can prevent school shootings with many of the same tools that we use to help someone who is suicidal.

Whenever we hear about a student — or anyone — who is talking about, or even joking about, wanting to carry out a school shooting or other violent act, we should start the behavioral threat assessment process where we find out more information about the student and their situation, and determine whether they are thinking about or planning to engage in violence and if so, why? If we can identify what problem they are trying to solve with violence — or why they are in crisis — we can help them solve those problems without resorting to violence, or suicide, or both.

Download this guide to access resources and tactics to improve school safety

Police1: How can schools balance the use of panic alert technology with the need for proactive behavioral threat assessments and mental health interventions to prevent potential threats from materializing?

Dr. Marisa Randazzo: Schools that invest in training in behavioral threat assessment — and in resources that can help support the mental and emotional wellbeing of students — will be able to get ahead of the problem by preventing harm from occurring. Having panic alert technology can then serve as an added layer of security and peace of mind, so that teachers, administrators and staff know they have a quick way to call for help if they need it. All of these resources can help not only address actual risk but also help make people feel safer as well.

Police1: What are the best practices for aligning statewide safety protocols — especially when it comes to bullying prevention, threat assessments and mental health interventions — with local law enforcement and school resources?

Dr. Marisa Randazzo: Many states now have school safety centers housed within the state’s public safety department or other state agencies that often provide training and resources to help schools, school districts and law enforcement agencies to align the various school safety legal requirements. Check out your state’s school safety center to see what free resources they provide.

Police1: Given the growing demand for behavioral and mental health support in schools, what steps can educational leaders take to ensure that students receive timely access to professional counseling services, particularly in under-resourced districts?

Dr. Marisa Randazzo: Mental health support and professional counseling services can be particularly difficult to access in districts that are under-resourced or in more remote areas. The good news from a prevention standpoint is that school personnel, law enforcement personnel and local resources can be harnessed to prevent school violence and support students who are struggling, even if professional counseling services are difficult to access. Emotional support can come in many forms, such as connecting a student in crisis with a mentor, helping them form new friendships, or getting them involved in extra-curricular activities. In addition, there are now a host of mental health resources that can be accessed remotely through telehealth appointments or even through apps like Betterhelp.

Police1: How can schools ensure that the data they collect on students’ behavioral and emotional history is used responsibly and ethically, while also being comprehensive enough to prevent warning signs from being missed?

Dr. Marisa Randazzo: Any data maintained on students — whether in a software program or a file drawer in the principal’s office — need to follow federal and state laws that protect the confidentiality of student’s educational records. The same is true of any behavioral threat assessment records. But it’s important to understand that those laws include exceptions that allow that information to be shared when there is a potential health or safety emergency, in order to be able to reduce the risk or address the emergency. So the laws have safeguards written in, to help balance the need for student confidentiality with the need for school safety.

About Dr. Marisa Randazzo

Dr. Randazzo Headshot.jpg

Dr. Marisa Randazzo is a recognized leader in threat assessment and violence prevention, currently serving as Executive Director of Threat Assessment at Raptor Technologies and Director of Threat Assessment at Georgetown University. A co-founder of SIGMA Threat Management Associates, she has advanced safety practices in schools and workplaces nationwide. Formerly Chief Research Psychologist for the U.S. Secret Service, Dr. Randazzo’s pioneering work on threat assessment models has influenced federal and local safety protocols. She continues to guide initiatives that equip schools, law enforcement and corporations with proactive safety strategies, credited with averting numerous potential threats