Safety & Crisis Management: Options-Based Decision Making for Schools

1. FROM THREAT PREVENTION and RESPONSE TO OPTIONS-BASED DECISION MAKING John Van Dreal Director, Safety and Risk Management Services, Salem-Keizer Public Schools Vandreal_john@Salkeiz.k12.or.us 503-399-2372 Michael Wolfe Chief Operations Officer, Salem-Keizer Public Schools Wolfe_Michael@salkeiz.k12.or.us 503-399-2517

2. OBJECTIVES • Understand the safety systems that are in place or available • Identify and prepare for crisis/dangerous situations • Build situational awareness skills • Review Options-Based Decision Making • Increase school district or organization capacity to respond effectively to all forms of danger

3. Why Is This Important? • Physical and psychological safety • Confidence • Employees can work, teach and learn • In Loco Parentis (Schools)

4. Schools are the safest place for our students Crime has decreased Yet… horrific events occur

5. When we know and understand the risks we face and how to prepare and respond, we are better able to identify, prevent, mitigate, and recover in emergencies. This increases our confidence and decreases our stress.

6. The Salem-Keizer System Threat Response: Assessment and Prevention • Ongoing Efforts • Level 1: Site-Based Assessment • Level 2: Community-Based Assessment • Law Enforcement, Juvenile Support Services, and Mental Health Student and Adult Threats Student Sexual Misconduct Suicidal Ideas and Behavior Student Fire-Setting Behavior

7. Level 1 Assessment and Management • (Site Team) is: • Administrator • Counselor • School Resource Officer • Campus Monitor • Others who know student(s) (Teachers, Coaches, 504, Special Ed. Case Manager, etc.) • Parent (as circumstances allow) • Level 2 Assessment and Management (Community Based) • Student Threat Assessment Team (STAT) is: • Site Team Administrator • School District Lead • County Sheriff’s Office • Police Department • County Mental Health • Juvenile Department; Parole and Probation • State Youth Authority • Court Authority • Others – Case Specific Threat or Implied Threat Need for Level 1 Assessment is determined by Administrator and Counselor or School Resource Officer

8. STAS INTRO VIDEO

9. AGGRESSION CONTINUUM (from Eric M. Johnson, PhD.) Bombing Shooting Raping Stabbing Beating Strangling (Violent Aggression: serious or lethal injury) Sexual coercion Fighting Hitting with objects Throwing objects Slugging Kicking Scratching Biting Slapping Pushing (Aggression Behavior: low to moderate injury)

10. How do we know if a situation is dangerous? • It is obvious – the situation is escalated and/or at crisis level • Someone informs you about threats • Knowing/Recognizing risk factors • Intuition… a gut feeling

11. Reactive Aggression • Absence of planning • Elevated emotional state • Aggressor feels under immediate threat

13. Targeted Violence(Fein&Vossekuil, 1998) • Targeted violence is not reactive. • It is not the result of someone going mental or “snapping.” • It is the result of an understandable and often discernible process of thinking and behaving. • The aggressor will display “attack-related” behaviors that move along a continuum of idea to action, including justification, planning, rehearsing, and logistical preparations.

14. Consider These Risk Factors • What kind of communication has the person made regarding an intention to harm others? • Is there a motive or a specific target? • Are there indications of attack related behavior (plan, acquiring weapons, rehearsal or simulation, other preparations, scheduling)? • Is others aware or collaborating?

15. Consider These Risk Factors • Does the person experience: a lack of alternatives, social marginalization, or poor psychological and coping reserves? • Is the person willing to accept the consequences of carrying out the threat? • Are there other general risk factors that escalate the situation, such as: personality or behavioral traits, family dynamics, school system issues, or social dynamics?

16. Situational Awareness Collecting information from your surroundings to improve your decision making and circumstances by: • Using your senses (sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch) • Monitoring the messages that others are providing through their behavior and communications • Being attentive to environmental circumstances that may indicate challenges, opportunity, or danger http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/lwit/assets/downloads/situational-awareness.pdf

17. Reticular Activating System A pathway in your brain that: • Filters incoming information • Turns on the “pay attention” button • Expands your intuition • Improves the message system between your subconscious brain and your conscious brain http://www.meaningfulhq.com/reticular-activating-system-function.html

18. Levels of Awareness

19. Know the Baseline • The normal state of a situation when things are typical or non-threatening

20. Situational Awareness Interference • Failing to monitor your baseline • Denial and false negatives • Distraction that is so engrossing that it removes awareness from the environment

21. Improve your awareness of baseline and context/situation • Practice observing situations • Identify or imagine concentric rings • Watch for baseline and disruptions • Imagine at-risk scenarios involving people or the environment • Observe the people in meetings or groups • Play the thumb game • Note the information that you would need to make decisions and protect yourself and/or others

22. Improve Your Reticular Activating System within Situational Awareness • Read, Study, Train • Boundary Span and Cross Train • Listen to your gut

23. OODA Loop FEEDBACK LOOP OBSERVE ORIENT ACT DECIDE https://taylorpearson.me/ooda-loop/

24. OODA Loop DISRUPT DISRUPT OBSERVE ORIENT DECIDE ACT Disruption of the OODA Loop can be caused by: • Conversation, questions • Movement • Noise • Obstacles • Airborne Objects • Other methods? 24

25. ooda loop video

26. Youth Agency Table Top Exercise Discuss and choose one OODA Loop disruption strategy for: A typical disruptive youth behavior (refusal to do work, talking over instructor, moving around room during seat time) Fistfight between two youths Youth escalated to the point of complete disruption of a classroom/household/workspace (screaming threats, profanity, and posturing aggressively) Adult visitor escalating verbally and posturing confrontationally (raising voice, using profanity, pointing finger at your face)

27. Courthouse Table Top Exercise Discuss and choose one OODA Loop disruption strategy for: A typical disruptive customer behavior (loud, interrupting, and refusing to listen) is at the records counter. A heated argument between two parties in the hallway after court. A defendant escalated to the point of disruption in the courtroom (Screaming threats, profanity, and posturing aggressively). A person escalates verbally and is posturing confrontationally while in mediation orientation (raised voice, using profanity, and pointing finger at your face.) A defendant overtakes the deputy while being unrestrained in the courtroom prior to court starting. The defendant now has a weapon, keys and radio. A constitutionalist is standing outside a judicial office demanding to speak to the judge and refusing to leave after being told they cannot speak to the judge directly. During a change in custody a parent becomes highly emotional streaming and threating the judge and the other parent. During Mental Health court a participant who is normally easy going is highly agitated and disorganized. When asked how they are doing becomes paranoid and argumentative with staff.

28. KEY POINTS • Know your baseline. • Remain in a state of relaxed awareness, unless you need to increase your awareness to a higher state. • Be situationally aware, “recognize” where you are (don’t just “know” where you are). • Recognize the OODA Loop and practice how to disrupt it. • Use Situational Awareness as an everyday skill.

29. Options-Based Decision Making Permission Skill Development: Training and Resources Pre-consider and Develop Options Generate Options During Crisis Table Top, Practice, Rehearsal

30. Preparing for Dangerous Situations and Crisis Good Start: Defaulting to our practiced or drilled actions. Better Option: Act with known and practiced actions but be flexible and prepared to change course as you continue to develop your situational awareness.

31. Preparing by knowing, improving, and rehearsing options for specific situations. • How do we improve our options? • What do we drill and rehearse?

32. LOCK DOWN CONDITION 1 (Lockout) - Bring everyone in and lock doors. Stay in workspaces and continue teaching, business, and activity. CONDITION 2 – Shelter-In-Place. Lock doors, turn off lights, close blinds, stay away from windows and move to predesignated safe areas within the classroom or school that are out of sight. Stay quiet. Do not continue academic instruction. CONDITION 3 - BARRICADE ENTRYWAYS. Shelter-In-Place. Lock doors, turn off lights, close blinds, hide, stay away from windows and move to predesignated safe areas within the classroom, school or off campus that are out of sight. Stay quiet. Do not continue academic instruction.

33. BARRICADE • Barricade means block, create barrier • If no door, block entry • Do it with full commitment • Hold that door! Obstruct that entry!

34. BEYOND SHELTER-IN-PLACE • Adopt a survival mindset • Develop your Situational Awareness • Develop Options • Make a Decision

35. BEYOND SHELTER-IN-PLACE • Options to Consider: • Stay where you are • Find another place to shelter • Evacuate • Distract / Disrupt • Adopt a survival mindset

36. Purpose and Focus of Table Top Exercise Enhance general awareness and priorities Validate school/organization emergency procedures Explore and rehearse options Assign roles Practice Situational Awareness Identify strengths and areas for improvement

37. COURTHOUSE TABLE TOP EXERCISE IDEAS • Inside: • Angry adult escalating to aggressive posturing • A heated argument between two parties in the hallway after court • During a change in custody a parent becomes highly emotional streaming and threating the judge and the other parent • Mental Health Court participant becomes highly agitated, disorganized, paranoid, and argumentative with staff • Angry adult with dangerous object potentially being used as a weapon • Defendant overtakes the deputy and now has a weapon, keys, and radio • Defendant escalated to the point of disruption in the courtroom (Screaming threats, profanity, and posturing aggressively) • Violent intruder / active shooter within the hallway • Violent intruder / active shooter runs past entry check-point and begins shooting at people • Violent intruder or participant in a courtroom • Outside: • Armed person begins shooting outside entry as employees are leaving at the end of the day • Armed person at locked entry doors attempting to shoot through at interior

38. Review: Basics of Handling a Dangerous Situation Effectively activating a plan Informed and effective decision making Flexible and adaptable management strategies Deploying resources quickly and efficiently Accounting for self and others you are responsible for Assisting others who are in crisis or have special needs Making a decision and taking action

39. Options and Survival • Do the best you can with your options • Options are determined by 4 factors: 1. The situation you are in 2. The information you have 3. The resources at your disposal 4. The skills you’ve developed • Use situational awareness to improve all four. • Use education to improve all four. • Use mental rehearsal and table top discussion to improve all four.

40. KEY POINTS • Know the risk factors for targeted violence and how to access the threat response system. • Know your baseline and remain in a state of relaxed awareness, unless you need to increase your awareness to a higher state. • Be situationally aware. • Understand the OODA Loop sequence in everyday activity and use OODA Loop disruption to mitigate conflict and crisis. • Know lockdown conditions. • Mentally rehearse safety options for extreme crisis situations, such as a violent intruder.

41. PHYSICAL AND • PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY • Confidence • Psychological well-being • Employees can work, teach, and learn

42. RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY AND TRAINING Options thinking and Situational Awareness. Michael Dorn, et al. Safe Havens International, Inc. The Gift of Fear. Gavin deBecker. Dell Publishing. Assessing Student Threats: Implementing The Salem-Keizer System. Van Dreal, et al. Rowman and Littlefield. Training and team-building: de-escalation strategies for escalating adults. Safety and Risk Management Services, Salem-Keizer School District. Training: lockdown procedures and emergency management. Safety and Risk Management Services, Salem-Keizer School District. Training: threat assessment and Student Threat Response System. Safety and Risk Management Services, Salem-Keizer School District. Managing Conflict and Mitigating the Risk of Violence. Holvi at www.holviprotective.com Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. www.pbis.org Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in K-12 School Settings, A Practitioner’s Toolkit. Diana Joyce-Beaulieu. Springer Publishing. Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions in Educational Settings, A handbook for Practice. Rosemary B. Mennuti. Taylor and Francis.

43. Questions and Comments?