MN School Safety Center

Minnesota Department of Public SafetyDivision of Homeland Security and

Emergency Management

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• Established by Minnesota Legislature May 2013, (Chapter 86, article 1, sec 12); Re-establishment of MnSSC

• Serves K-12 Public, Private, Charter, and Tribal schools• Coordinates and collaborates with MN Department of

Education (MDE); School Safety Technical Assistance Center and Restorative Justice Program

• Housed within MN Department of Public Safety/ Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division

MN School Safety Center

MN School Safety Center Mission

• Serve as a resource to schools, law enforcement, public safety, emergency management, and community partners

• Provide information, guidance, training, and technical assistance for best practices in all-hazard safety planning for schools

• Coordinate prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery activities with federal, tribal, state and local partners

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MN School Safety Center Staffing

• Staffed with three full-time personnel and their related expenses– Director– School Resource Officer (SRO) Coordinator– Safe School Assessment Coordinator– Emergency Planning Coordinator (vacant)

• Budget overview: on-going appropriation of $405,000

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MN School Safety Center Key PartnersRegional Educational Cooperatives

Higher Education Principal and Superintendent Licensing Programs

• Schools– Boards– Administrators– Staff

• Public Safety Agencies– Local– County– State– Tribal

• Professional Associations

• State Agencies– MN Dept. of Education– MN Dept. of Health– MN Dept. of Public Safety

– Office of Communications– State Fire Marshal Division– Bureau of Criminal

Apprehension– MN State Patrol– Office of Justice Programs

• Federal Agencies• Department of Homeland

Security• U.S. Dept. of Education• Other State School Safety Centers

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MN School Safety Center Training• Multi-Hazard Emergency

Planning for Schools• Threat Assessment• Active Shooter/Violent

Intruder Response• Lockdown with Options• Crisis Communications• De-Escalation Strategies• Access and Visitor Control

• Bomb Threat Response• Basic School Resource

Officer Course• Advanced SRO Strategies• Safe School Facility

Assessment• Tabletop Exercise

Strategies• Classroom Safety and

Security Best Practices

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MnSSC Program Delivery

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• Be present and walk with our schools and their safety partners

What we have learned…• Each school and school district is unique

– Facilities and population served– Public, private, charter, tribal– Partner resources

• Being a Non-Regulatory entity has been critical to our success

• Relationships are essential• State-wide presence required• On-Site delivery is crucial• Local control is key

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School Resource Officer Training• Develop Basic and Advanced Strategies School Resource

Officer Curriculum• Coordinate Active Shooter/ Violent Intruder Training,

Emergency Response, Threat Assessment, De-Escalation Strategies and Bomb Threat courses

• Adolescent development and Special Needs• Liaison to Law Enforcement Agencies and SROs• Development of SRO Cohort Learning Groups• Engage in Emergency Response Exercises• Publish SRO Newsletter through MN BCA Fusion Center• (Estimated 315 FT/PT SROs in MN; 158 of 448 Agencies)

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School Threat Assessments• Conduct training to school personnel and public safety

partners on Threat Assessment Best Practices• Threat Assessment Team legislation• Incorporate a 360 degree approach to Threat

Assessment processes• Provide Threat Assessment instruments/toolkits• “See Something, Say Something” culture• Develop Long and Short Term Support for victims• Support reintegration strategies for returning students

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• High Schools Predominately Targeted: K-12 schools continue to receive more threats than higher education facilities

• The majority of threats target High Schools• Social Media Facilitation: The number of threats delivered using

social media outlets increased while the number of telephonic threats decreased (rise in anonymous social media apps)

• Student Source: Majority of threats made by students • Risk Factors Present: Fixation/Experience with weapons and

violence, signs of mental illness and/or emotional distress• Bystanders Fail To Report: In most instances, other people knew

about the perpetrator’s intentions/plans prior to the attack

School Threats Key Points

• Schools remain among top three targets of bomb threats and second in violent intruders

• Threats far outweigh number of actual attacks• 74% threats target K-12; 26% Higher Education

– 42% of threats aimed at High Schools– 9% of threats aimed at Middle Schools– 10% of threats aimed at Elementary Schools– 13% of threats aimed at Unspecified Schools

School Threat Context

• In the majority of high school and middle school shooters incidents, the shooter was a student at the school

• In general- student shooters knew their targets• 2008-2013; 50% victims specifically targeted, while 21%

were indiscriminately targeted• 63% of attackers had history of gun/bomb use• Majority of attackers maladjusted/concerning behaviors

prior to incident• 81% of events- another person knew of plans• 59% of events- more than one person had knowledge

Perpetrators

• The Educator’s School Safety Network; 2017• Analysis of U.S. States with High Rates of School-Based Violent Threats and

Incidents

• In the 2016-2017 school year, 55% of all school-based threats and incidents of violence occurred in just 10 states (adjusted for population & # of incidents)

• MN is not one of those states!• Caution: Based on # of reported threats or

incidents- may be significantly under-reported

States of Concern

Safe School Facility Assessments• Develop Safe School Facility Assessment Toolkit• Distribute pre-facility assessment training video• Conduct on-site Safe School Facility Assessment• Provide Train-the-Trainer instruction for school

facility managers, administrative staff and public safety partners

• Compile and share current best practices in security

• Consult with school construction projects

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Emergency Operations Planning

• Provide Multi-Hazard School Emergency Operations Planning and Training Development Courses (FEMA based)

• Conduct EOP/ Crisis Plan reviews of current plans• Develop and Support school exercises, drills, and

current school safety best practices and procedures• Incorporate school EOP/Crisis Plan into greater

community, County and State EOP

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School Crisis Response Teams (119A.035)

• School Crisis Response Team development is under the MN Department of Education oversight

• Provided MDE School Safety Technical Assistance Center resources and model programs

• SWWC Crisis Response Team model is already functioning and in place in the SW Minnesota region

• Currently, MN schools provide these cooperative services on an informal basis, with public behavioral health partners

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• Emergency communication strategies• Relocation & reunification planning• Lockdown with options• Bomb threat response• Arming teachers or other armed persons

inside the school• SRO role in schools• School facility hardening

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