By The California Association Of School Psychologists CASP)
Editor’s Note: The following was offered in April as testimony before the Assembly Select Committee on School Safety, and also sent to members of the State Legislature. These recommendations were prepared by Stephen Brock, Ph.D., and other members of the CASP Crisis Specialty Group.
School violence includes a range of experiences from teasing, taunting, harassment, and physical intimidation, to physical assault. In its most extreme form school violence manifests itself as tragic school shootings (Furlong, Kingery, & Bates, in press). School mental health professionals, such as school psychologists, have been (and will continue to be) on the front lines of school violence prevention and response efforts. From our experiences, CASP offers the following recommendations for those policy makers interested in respon-ding to school violence.