What Does It Really Take to Keep Schools Safe?

Every time another school shooting makes the news, I find myself thinking about the students, educators, and families whose lives have been forever changed. I also find myself returning to a difficult question: What does it really take to keep our schools safe?

The October 15, 2026, shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, where three children and a teacher lost their lives, has once again brought this question into focus.

As a psychiatric social worker, I think about school safety not only in terms of responding to emergencies but also in terms of what happens long before a crisis occurs.

Years ago, while pursuing my Master of Social Work at the University of Southern California, I worked on a graduate project examining school violence prevention and threat assessment procedures at Glendale High School.

My classmate and I interviewed school personnel, examined existing safety practices, and developed a proposal for a multidisciplinary threat assessment team.

Looking back, the experience reminds me that keeping schools safe requires more than knowing what to do when something goes wrong. It requires having systems in place to recognize concerns, assess potential threats, and intervene appropriately.

Beyond Lockdowns and Emergency Response

When we think about school safety, we often picture security officers, surveillance cameras, emergency drills, and lockdown procedures.

These measures can serve important purposes, particularly when an immediate threat is present.

But emergency response is only one component of school safety.

During our graduate project, we learned that Glendale High School had established procedures for responding to emergencies, but staff identified limitations in their ability to conduct formal assessments of potential threats directed toward others.

One incident discussed during our field visit involved a student whose backpack appeared to contain a firearm. School personnel initiated an emergency response, and the object was subsequently identified as a BB gun.

Although the situation was resolved without physical injury, it raised important questions about coordination, staff training, and the assessment process.

What procedures should guide a school when concerning behavior is reported?

Who is responsible for determining the level of concern?

And what happens after the immediate situation has been resolved?

These questions led us to consider the value of a more structured approach to school threat assessment.

What Is a School Threat Assessment?

A behavioral threat assessment is a structured process used to evaluate concerning behavior and determine whether an individual may pose a risk of harm.

Unlike approaches that attempt to identify a particular type of student as dangerous, behavioral threat assessment focuses on observable behaviors, circumstances, and available information.

The process may involve gathering information from multiple sources, evaluating the nature of a reported concern, and developing appropriate intervention or safety-management strategies.

It is important to distinguish a threat assessment from a mental health diagnosis.

Experiencing a mental health condition does not mean someone is violent, and a diagnosis alone cannot determine whether an individual poses a threat.

Similarly, not every concerning statement indicates an intention to cause harm.

A thoughtful assessment examines the situation rather than relying on assumptions, stereotypes, or fear.

This is particularly important in schools, where students may express frustration, anger, or emotional distress in different ways.

The goal is to understand the concern, determine an appropriate response, and provide intervention when needed.

Why Multidisciplinary Collaboration Matters

One of the central recommendations from our graduate project was the development of a mobile multidisciplinary threat assessment team.

Our proposal included professionals with backgrounds in school mental health, crisis intervention, and public safety who could assist schools in evaluating potential threats.

The idea was to improve coordination and provide access to professionals with specialized training.

Today, I continue to appreciate the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration.

Educators, school administrators, psychologists, social workers, and appropriately involved safety personnel bring different perspectives to school safety.

A teacher may notice a significant change in a student's behavior.

A counselor may understand challenges affecting the student's academic functioning.

A psychiatric social worker may help evaluate emotional functioning, psychosocial stressors, family circumstances, and available supports.

When these perspectives are appropriately integrated, teams can develop a more comprehensive understanding of a situation.

However, effective collaboration requires more than assembling professionals.

Teams also need clearly defined responsibilities, appropriate training, confidentiality safeguards, and established procedures for assessment, intervention, and follow-up.

School Safety Is Also About Student Connection

During our Glendale High School field visit, another finding stood out to me.

School personnel shared that student climate survey results revealed concerning levels of loneliness and disconnection among students.

Some students reported feeling that they had no one on campus they could turn to for support.

This raised another important question: Can students truly feel safe in an environment where they do not feel connected?

School safety involves both physical protection and psychological well-being.

Students need to know that adults are available, concerns will be taken seriously, and asking for help will not automatically result in punishment or judgment.

During our visit, we learned about the school's implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and restorative practices.

These approaches emphasized recognizing positive behavior, strengthening relationships, and providing opportunities for students to address conflict.

While these strategies are not substitutes for formal threat assessment or emergency response, they can contribute to a more supportive school environment.

A student who feels connected to trusted adults may be more comfortable asking for help or sharing a concern.

Creating a culture of connection is an important part of school well-being, even though connection alone cannot prevent every act of violence.

The Role of Psychiatric Social Workers

As a psychiatric social worker, I believe school mental health professionals have an important role in comprehensive safety planning.

Our training allows us to examine behavior within the context of an individual's emotional functioning, developmental experiences, relationships, and environment.

This perspective can be valuable when schools are navigating complex situations involving student distress, concerning behavior, and potential safety risks.

Psychiatric social workers may contribute to multidisciplinary assessments, crisis intervention, safety planning, coordination with families and community providers, and ongoing student support.

Importantly, the work should not end when an immediate concern has been addressed.

Depending on the circumstances, students may require continued mental health services, academic support, family engagement, or other interventions.

Prevention and intervention must also be grounded in equitable practices that protect student rights and avoid unnecessarily criminalizing or stigmatizing young people.

Effective school safety requires recognizing both the needs of individual students and the well-being of the larger school community.

What I Continue to Reflect On

When I completed my original graduate project, I was learning about the complexity of school violence prevention and the limitations of relying exclusively on disciplinary responses.

Today, working within a school environment, I have an even greater appreciation for the importance of communication, collaboration, and clearly established procedures.

Schools are complex systems.

Teachers are responsible for instruction. Administrators oversee school operations. Mental health professionals support student well-being. Families and community agencies also play important roles.

When concerns arise, these systems must be able to work together.

No single professional, policy, or intervention can guarantee that violence will never occur.

And we should be careful not to assume that every tragedy could have been predicted or prevented.

However, schools can take meaningful steps to strengthen their processes for evaluating concerns, responding appropriately, and connecting students with support.

Final Reflections: Safety Requires More Than a Response

As communities continue to grieve the lives lost to school violence, I believe we must also continue asking difficult questions about prevention, preparedness, and the resources available to schools.

Are personnel adequately trained to assess concerning behavior?

Do schools have multidisciplinary teams with clearly defined responsibilities?

Are students connected to trusted adults?

And do our safety procedures extend beyond the immediate crisis to include thoughtful intervention and follow-up?

These questions do not have simple answers.

But they are necessary.

Keeping schools safe is not only about how quickly we respond when violence occurs. It is also about the systems we build to recognize concerns, coordinate support, and protect the well-being of our school communities.

Students deserve environments where they can learn without fear, seek support without shame, and trust that the adults around them are committed to their safety.

That responsibility belongs to all of us.