When it comes to school safety, denial is the greatest obstacle to preventing tragedy. Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a leading expert on human aggression and violence, emphasizes that while no child in North America has died from a school fire in the past 50 years, hundreds have lost their lives to school violence. This discrepancy highlights the urgent need for a proactive approach to school safety.
Grossman’s “Five D’s” framework provides practical steps to reduce the risk of school shootings:
Denial: Acknowledge the threat. Denial offers no survival value.
Deter: Assigning a single police officer to a school dramatically reduces the likelihood of a mass shooting.
Detect: Regular interaction between police, teachers, and administrators fosters prevention through traditional police work.
Delay: Simple measures like single points of entry, locked doors, and active shooter drills can buy critical time to protect students.
Destroy: Equip officers with the tools and training to stop attackers, including rifles, smoke grenades, and tactical supplies.
Grossman compares school safety measures to fire safety protocols: just as schools have overlapping protections against fire, they must adopt similar strategies to address violence. Denial is costly, but preparation saves lives.
For more insights into Grossman’s strategies and how schools and communities can better protect children, read the full article on Police1.