Targeted Violence

Subtopics

Physical Security

School Security Personnel

Violence Prevention

Prevent and mitigate targeted violence incidents.

Targeted violence refers to violence that is premeditated and directed at specific individuals, groups, or locations. Perpetrators select their targets to achieve specific motives, such as the resolution of a grievance or to make a political or ideological statement. Targeted violence is distinct from violence that is impulsive, random, or spontaneous and is often distinguished by pre-attack behaviors that suggest violence as a possible outcome. Those behaviors, if identified and addressed, can reduce the likelihood of a targeted violence incident at your school. One practice for preventing targeted school violence is through the use of a multidisciplinary school threat assessment team, comprised of school staff tasked to identify, assess, and intervene with students who may pose a risk of harm to themselves or others.

Schools can work to prepare for potential acts of targeted violence by improving their campuses’ physical security and involving school personnel who are trained to prevent, recognize, and respond to threats of violence, as well as implementing other violence prevention strategies. Physical security measures can mitigate threats and reduce the amount of harm inflicted if incidents occur. Conducting a site assessment and developing building security plans can identify existing vulnerabilities and enhance overall school security.

Some school districts may decide to use school-based law enforcement, including school resource officers (SROs) and other security personnel, to help prevent or mitigate school violence. Implementing an SRO program is a local decision that should be made with significant community input, and school districts should consider the range of options available that best fit their needs. SROs have a unique role in school safety, with a primary focus on prevention and proactive engagement in their community of students and school staff.

Local communities should consider funding, training, and proper staffing as part of the SRO program evaluation. Schools with SRO programs are encouraged to implement high-quality practices in the training and use of SROs in schools. Ensuring SROs carry out their responsibilities in a fair and impartial manner helps students feel safe at school.

Use the filter below to sort resources available based upon stages of preparedness and subtopic.

Featured Resources

These resources are a starting point for learning about targeted violence. Use these resources to help implement a targeted violence prevention plan. Members of the school community can also download this SchoolSafety.gov infographic to access a sampling of physical security resources and this SchoolSafety.gov infographic to learn more about youth violence prevention and related resources, and this SchoolSafety.gov infographic to learn more about targeted violence, strategies to address it, and related resources.

Guidance

K-12 School Security Guide Product Suite

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, 2022

The suite is a set of products designed to inform safety and physical security planning for K-12 schools. It includes the K-12 School Security Guide (3rd ed.), which provides a comprehensive doctrine and systems-based methodology for vulnerability assessment, planning, and implementation of layered physical security elements, and the School Security Assessment Tool, a web-based assessment that walks users through a tailorable vulnerability analysis and provides results and recommendations that can be integrated into a school’s existing safety and security plans.

Tool

Active Shooter Exercise Starter Kits

Department of Homeland Security

These self-conducted tabletop exercises, tailored for the academic community, include a set of scalable tools aimed to test existing emergency plans, protocols, and procedures, while also strengthening preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities in the event of an active shooter situation.

Filter Resources

All Targeted Violence Resources

The federal government identified additional resources that highlight strategies for school safety. Use these resources to learn more about targeted violence.

Video

Averting Targeted School Violence Video

Department of Homeland Security, April 2023

This video highlights the findings and implications of the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center's research on school violence prevention based upon the study, "Averting Targeted School Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Plots Against Schools," which examined 67 disrupted plots against K-12 schools. It describes the thinking and behavior of the plotters, as well as their attack plans, how the plots were discovered, and how this information can be utilized to prevent violence in schools.

Guidance

Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S) Field Operations Guide

Department of Health and Human Services, 2017

This resource provides guidance on responding to disaster, violence, or terrorism events using the Psychological First Aid intervention. It gives school administrators, educators, and staff practical assistance to meet immediate needs and concerns, reduce distress, and foster adaptive coping in the wake of a disaster.

Report

Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021

Department of Education and Department of Justice, 2022

This report provides official estimates of school crime and safety from a variety of data sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, principals, and post-secondary institutions and presents data on different types of student victimization, measures of school conditions, and student perceptions about their personal safety at school.