School Violence: Considerations for School Social Workers

By April Ferguson LCSW-C
Senior Practice Associate for Children and Adolescents
September 2024

The nation’s education system is experiencing problematic school violence. Violence includes bullying, peer to peer aggression, assaults on school personnel, sexual assault, shootings, threats, and property destruction. Current data shows:  

• Within a given year, 4% - 8% of teachers will be assaulted. (Siennick & Turanovic, 2022)
• Mass school shootings have increased since 2000. (Bent-Goodley, 2018)
• From 2020-2021 there were 93 school shootings in the United States. (Wagstaff & White, 2023)
• Among students in 9-12^th grade, 8% report fighting in school and 3% report bringing a weapon to school. (Wagstaff & White, 2023)

School violence results in students feeling unsafe and teachers experiencing burnout. Assault on educators causes stress and reduces their desire to remain in the education system (Siennick & Turanovic, 2022), which is already an overburden, underpaid and understaffed system. Students that experience violence might avoid school or become perpetrators of violence themselves. Negative psychological symptoms and poor academic performance are also outcomes for students exposed to school violence (Wagstaff & White, 2023).

Several risk factors for violence include poor mental health, adverse childhood experiences (ACES), residing in high crime areas, gang involvement, and access to weapons. Perpetrators of violence show symptoms of depression, preoccupation with violence, isolation, poor coping skills, dysregulation, and poor social skills. The pandemic created a series of challenges for the education system and the youth mental health crisis began around the same time. Risk factors for violence intensified after students returned for in-person learning ( Sawchuk, 2021). As stakeholders address school violence, multiple approaches are required to tackle the varying factors linked to violence. Violence prevention requires collaboration between multiple disciplines and violence prevention should also aim to support students’ mental health.

Threat Assessment

A specific assessment linked to school safety is the threat assessment. Most school shooters made public threats prior to shootings (Sandy Hook Promise) and two- thirds of potential school shootings were prevented because students reported threats to school personnel or law enforcement (Siennick & Turanovic, 2022). Threat assessments assist school systems with gathering information to respond to potentially dangerous circumstances. Being able to evaluate threats effectively, allows schools to distinguish between inconsequential and dangerous reports (Cornell, 2023). With increasing concerns related to school violence, some states now require in school threat assessment teams (Everytown, 2024).

The activities of threat assessments teams are essential for developing a complete violence prevention strategy. The first step is to create a multi-disciplinary team (NTAC, 2018). The team may include school administrators, school resource officers (SRO), social workers, teachers, and mental health personnel (Cornell, 2023). A study in the Pennsylvania education found that there are opportunities to engage in violence prevention when school social workers (SSW) are a part of threat assessments teams (Chico, 2021). SSWs can identify appropriate interventions that mitigate risk and reduce the likelihood of students acting on a threat. The team should identify student behaviors that require intervention. This can include threatening or violent behaviors, but this should also include student behaviors that are signs of mental distress such as isolation and low mood. Teams also need to develop methods for stakeholders to make reports. When students are aware of threatening social media posts or threats made by other students, they need a method to report concerns. Having a clear and sometimes anonymous method to submit reports can be vital to gathering information so the team can respond. When a report is received, the team needs clear guidelines as to when to involve law enforcement. When law enforcement intervention is not a necessary, students and their families should be given in-school or community resources that manage behavior (NTAC, 2018). For example, a non-violent conflict among students may be resolved with in-school mediation but life-threatening fights may result in law enforcement intervention. The team must also complete full assessments that consider all the systems, inter- and intra-personal, that are impacting the student’s behavior (NTAC, 2018). SSWs can assist with completing assessments and recommending appropriate interventions. Similar skills used in safety planning can be used to manage risks associated with student behavior. SSWs can also work to promote school connectedness and educate students and stake holders on violence prevention and school safety. When school administrators understand the role of the SSW, there are social work competencies that can be used in different areas of a threat assessment team.

School Resource Officers

Some education systems utilize SROs as part of threat assessments teams, but SROs also participate in other preventative initiatives. SROs operate under the “Triad Model of SRO responsibility: educator, informal counselor, and law enforcer.” This model includes educating school staff about local laws, community crime trends and safety concerns. However, an SROs role also extends to community support activities, such as discussions with students about bullying, conducting emergency drills or referrals for sex-abuse victims (NASRO, n.d.). SSWs and SROs may collaborate in violence prevention education and campaigns that inform students and their parents about school safety.

Utilizing SROs has shown to decrease the number of in school fights, but there is concern regarding SROs and the increased number of punitive responses to student behavior, especially among minority students ( Sawchuk, 2021). With the aim of ensuring equitable responses to youth, SSWs may provide expertise to identify when students need behavioral interventions instead of involvement in the legal system. This distinguishment between behavioral health needs and law enforcement referrals is also an element of a comprehensive violence prevention program (NTAC, 2018). The goal is for students to receive mental health treatment or community support when possible.

Considerations for Social Workers

Violence prevention that addresses mental health is also important to school safety. (Briesch & Chafouleas, 2022). SSWs play a role in addressing school violence by using evidence-based practices and interventions to improve mental health. Mental health treatment should include goals that reduce symptoms and improve dysregulation. Students also benefit from developing coping strategies to manage emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. SSWs should complete full bio-psychosocial assessments to collect data on multiple areas of mental well-being. Based on the assessments, SSWs can provide appropriate interventions or referrals. Some students that have multiples ACEs or students that live in violent communities may experience trauma. Those students may benefit from specialized treatment to process their experiences and reduce trauma symptoms. Some students struggle with poor conflict management skills and low frustration tolerance, but students can develop in those areas with the right tools. Students can learn conflict management in one-one sessions with SSWs or through mental health services or support groups. Through SSW support or community supports, students need skills and opportunities to mediate conflict in healthy ways (CDC, 2016). Students also need anger management skills that teach students to identify triggers and address violent patterns of behavior (Barthelemy, 2023).

When addressing student mental health, online activity should also be assessed. Social media is widely used among school aged youth and there are indicators that social media use can have a negative impact on youth mental health (The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory). Social media also creates opportunities for cyber bullying and negative influences that encourage violence. In working with students, it is important to consider how social media may be impacting a student’s mental health and how social media may be influencing violence in the school. Although more research is needed to create a standard evidence-based screening tool for social media use, it may be helpful to talk with students and families about how social media is affecting them.

Another factor to consider is that students might experience low mood, frustration, and stress related to poor academic performance. Some students act out with violent or disruptive behaviors due to their academic struggles (Barthelemy, 2023). Helping families manage their students’ academics may be an intervention that algins with students’ meant health goals. Specialized instructional support personnel (SISP) can support students that have higher educational needs. An issue brief from the National Alliance of Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (NASISP) provides the formal definition of SISP;

“Specialized instructional support personnel” are defined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), P.L. 114-95, sec. 8002 (47), as follows: The term ‘specialized instructional support personnel’ means (i) school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists; and (ii) other qualified professional personnel, such as school nurses, speech language pathologists, and school librarians, involved in providing assessment, diagnosis, counseling, educational, therapeutic, and other necessary services (including related services as that term is defined in section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 USC 1401)) as part of a comprehensive program to meet student needs.

SISP work improves student mental and academic well-being by supporting the educational needs of students. SISP provide comprehensive services and used evidence-based interventions that address mental health, academic success, and special education needs. SISP can improve the school climate, educate teachers, complete assessments, and work to reduce bullying. SISP providers offer an array of interventions and practices that can be tailored to meet the individual needs of students and their families (NASISP, 2024). Depending on the school system, SSWs and other SISP personnel may work together to develop a 504 plan or Individualized Education Plan for students that need more academic support or special education.

Additional School Safety Resources

Because school violence is a complex problem, solutions include multiple perspectives and points of collaboration. The education system relies on various professions and practices to manage safety. SSWs may play several roles and have varying responsibilities that intersect with other disciplines. To support school safety, SSWs should continue to support student mental health and collaborate with multiple disciplines. NASW provides SSW practice standards that serve as best practice to inform SSW service delivery. The standards incorporate research and expertise to guide the expectations of practice for the SSW profession. NASW also offers specific training through the School Social Work Practice Section and collaborates with the National Alliance of Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (NASISP) and School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) to positively impact the education system. Other resources include the following:

A Discussion on School Based Violence: A Description, Prevalence and Tools for Social Workers

https://naswinstitute.inreachce.com/details/information/e934bdd0-d855-4b6f-b00f-5450d5c1feb0

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments

https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/

National Institute of Justice Virtual Conference on School Safety: Bridging Research to Practice to Safeguard Our Schools.

https://nij.ojp.gov/events/nij-virtual-conference-school-safety

National Threat Assessment Center

https://www.secretservice.gov/protection/ntac

School Safety.Gov

https://www.schoolsafety.gov/

References

Barthelemy, J. (2023, 3 May). A Discussion on School Based Violence: A Description, Prevalence and Tools for Social Workers. Retrieved from https://naswinstitute.inreachce.com/Details/Information/e934bdd0-d855-4b6f-b00f-5450d5c1feb0

Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2018). Social Workers: An Important Piece of the Puzzle to Prevent and Respond to School Violence. Social Work 63(3), 197-200. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swy030

Briesch, A., & Chafouleas, S. M. (2022). School Mental Health Resources Are Critical to Ensuring Safe School Environments. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/school-mental-health-resources-critical-to-ensuring-safe-school-environments-183967

CDC. (2016). Understanding School Violence. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/school_violence_fact_sheet-a.pdf

CDC. (2023, June 24). School Connectedness Helps Students Thrive. Retrieved from Center for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/protective/school_connectedness.htm

Chico, A. (2021). School Social Workers and Threat Assessment Teams: Exploring Roles, Perceptions, and. Social Work Doctoral Dissertations , Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylnavia. Retrieved from https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/16/?utm_source=research.library.kutztown.edu%2Fsocialworkdissertations%2F16&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

Cornell, D. G. (2023, March 1). Behavioral Threat Assessment and Intervention in Schools. School Administrator., pp. 26-30. Retrieved from https://www.aasa.org/resources/resource/behavioral-threat-assessment-intervention-schools#:~:text=A%20threat%20assessment%20is%20conducted,available%2C%20a%20school%20resource%20officer.

Everytown. (2024). Which states require in-school threat assessment teams? Retrieved from https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/law/school-threat-assessment-teams/

NASISP. (2024). The Role of Specialized Instructional Support Personnel In School and Student Success. National Alliance of Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (NASISP). Retrieved from https://nasisp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SISP-Guidance-Brief.pdf

NASRO. (n.d.). About NASRO. Retrieved from National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO): https://www.nasro.org/main/about-nasro/#:~:text=NASRO%20developed%20the%20%E2%80%9Ctriad%E2%80%9D%20concept,counselor%2C%20and%20law%20enforcement%20officer.

NTAC. (2018). Enhancing school safety using a threat assessment model. National Threat Assessment Center. U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved from https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/18_0711_USSS_NTAC-Enhancing-School-Safety-Guide.pdf

Sandy Hook Promise. (n.d.). 17 Facts About Gun Violence And School Shootings. Retrieved from Sandy Hook Promise: https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/blog/gun-violence/facts-about-gun-violence-and-school-shootings/

Sawchuk, S. (2021). Violence in Schools Seems to Be Increasing. Why? Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/violence-seems-to-be-increasing-in-schools-why/2021/11

Siennick , S. E., & Turanovic, J. J. (2022). The Causes and Consequences of School Violence:. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory. (n.d.). Social Media and Youth Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf

Wagstaff, J., & White, M. J. (2023). Violence in Schools: an Overview. Social Work Reference Guide.