Evidence-Based Intervention Fact Sheets
Evidence-Based Interventrions in Practice
Engaging School Administrators Guide
Briefs on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Prevention and Early Intervention Monograph
Developing Safe Schools Partnerships
Working with Law Enforcement and Juvenile Justice
School District of Springfield R-12
Springfield, Missouri
Safe Schools/Healthy Students Grantee
After Columbine in 1999, police agencies took a long hard look at how they respond to that kind of incident –an active shooter situation. Law enforcement already knew how to respond to an active shooter in a situation such as a bank robbery, but how do we respond to an active shooter in a school setting? Because of Columbine, new trainings were developed about how to deal with shooters in a school setting. I’ve been trying to get our officers involved in this kind of training for several years, but the cost was prohibitive. It would have taken almost my entire yearly training budget. When our department director asked me to become the liaison to the SS/HS Initiative, finding funding for the training was one of my first priorities. Officers from the city police department, the county sheriff’s department, and the School Public Safety Department will be trained together. That puts us on the same page if we ever find ourselves in an incident with an active shooter.
–Debra Hickey, Training Officer, School Public Safety Department, Springfield, Missouri
Patty Moore, project coordinator for the Springfield (Missouri) SS/HS Initiative, wanted to establish a more effective relationship with the initiative’s law enforcement partners. This relationship “really took off” when she met Debra Hickey, training officer for the School Public Safety Department (SPSD). Moore says, “Together we looked at law enforcement trainings and found that this was a real avenue to establish a relationship.” This partnership expanded beyond the district’s own SPSD to include the Springfield City Police, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, and probation officers from the Greene County Family Court Juvenile Office.
Working with Law Enforcement
Patty Moore and Debra Hickey share an enthusiasm for the way in which the Springfield SS/HS Initiative has promoted an active and effective partnership that extends beyond the school district to three local law enforcement agencies. According to Moore, “It has been really gratifying that the police officers have been willing to commit the time necessary to keep the momentum of the collaboration going.” She points out that providing common training to the staff of partner organizations helps them to work together well and also develop a common language and perspective on creating a safe school environment. Moore explains, “We sent eight people, including administrators, counselors, and school resource officers, to a training on crisis debriefing. They learned to identify signs that a student or staff member may need to be referred for counseling after an incident. I felt this acknowledgment by law enforcement of the mental health needs of students was important.”
Debra Hickey says that providing law enforcement services to the 30,000 students, staff, and volunteers of the school district is akin to policing a small city. “SS/HS has been an incredibly positive thing for our department because of the collaborations we’re able to form with other agencies and organizations and because of the opportunities we have to do things we could not otherwise afford.”
One of these opportunities is this summer’s (2006) SS/HS-funded journey to Kansas City by officers from the police department, juvenile office, and SPSD to be trained in “Verbal Judo,” a technique that helps officers de-escalate confrontations that otherwise might result in violence. Because “Verbal Judo” is taught in a “train the trainers” format, the officers will be able to sustain the use of this tool–and the partnership among the three agencies–by training others (including teachers) upon their return. Hickey tries to identify training opportunities that use the “train the trainers” format to ensure that the skills the officers learn will be sustained over time.
Working with Juvenile Justice
The Springfield SS/HS Initiative has also funded an additional officer from the Greene County Family Court Juvenile Office to work with the school district’s Truancy Court, has allowed that program to expand to two additional middle schools. SS/HS Initiative school-based clinicians and school staff identify students whose absenteeism or truancy indicates that they are likely to be at risk for academic failure or to have other issues that may affect their health, behavior, and ability to perform in school. These students are referred to Truancy Courts, which are held one morning each week at participating schools and presided over by a Greene Country Court judge, who is assisted by a juvenile officer. Students referred to Truancy Court are required to bring a parent or guardian with them. At each court session, the judge reviews students’ attendance, performance, and behavior during the previous week. Students receive positive feedback and reinforcement for their achievements. Families are provided with help to access services designed to improve school attendance and address other issues faced by their student. This partnership among academic, mental health, juvenile justice, and law enforcement professionals is another acknowledgment of the contribution each system can make to promoting both academic success and mental health.
For information about the Springfield SS/HS Initiative, contact Patty Moore at (417) 447-2989 or at pmoore@spsmail.org.
