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Upon receiving my Master of Education in Guidance and Counseling degree is to become a high school counselor. My goal is to help create confidence in students in high school and beyond by providing them the tools to be successful.

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Exploration Option 1-Top 5 Things I Learned About Legal and Ethical Issues Facing Our High School

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Exploration Option 1-Top 5 Things I Learned About Legal and Ethical Issues Facing Our High School

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In speaking with our high school's most experienced counselors, Rosalyn Greer, I asked her several questions about any legal and ethical issues that she has experienced recently at our school.  The following are the top 5 things I learned about Legal and Ethical Issues facing our high school:
#1-Two years ago, our school revised a policy regarding transgender students using restrooms according to what gender that they identified with. In order to be in compliance with the Department of Education's "Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students"  (2016), the school designated specific bathrooms around campus to help those students who wanted additional privacy. A reason for this was not only to be in compliance, but for transgender students to feel safe in using those facilities without facing possible ridicule from either gender.
#2-In order to have a balance of compliance to the DOE's "Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students" (2016) and respecting the parental rights as well, our school requires that if a student wants his/her educational records to reflect their preferred gender, there will need to be a letter or email from parents officially requesting that to be changed in the system. The reasoning behind this is that there was an encounter where a parent was calling Mrs. Greer about her child and referred to them by their legal name, not the name that the student wanted to be called. It caused confusion and once Mrs. Greer figured it out, she didn't know if the parent was aware that the student had "masculine" name that the student wanted to be called.
#3-The most current legal issue that she was involved in was earlier in the year when a parent wanted to sue the school because she stated that the school didn't do enough to ensure that her child wasn't exposed to any foods that would affect his food allergies. She claimed that the school was careless and that her student's needs and requests for his safety weren't being followed. According to Mrs. Greer, the case was dropped because faculty and staff continuously documented when they wiped all desks down before he walked into class (with wipes provided by the parent), escorted him to a sanitized area for lunch, and put signs outside of classrooms where he attended stating to other students that food was not allowed. Faculty and staff followed the parent's instructions very closely, so the parent "didn't have a legal leg to stand on." It was found that the school "did everything possible to keep the student safe."
#4-According to Mrs. Greer, our school has not encountered any recent situations where they were worried about legal and/or ethical implications. She stated that confidentiality and compliance are extremely closely monitored by the district, especially because the district does not want to be blind-sided by anything that could be an embarrassment for the schools within their district.
#5-However, if a staff and/or faculty member is sued, he/she has the right to representation if that were to happen.

(R.Greer, phone interview, June 6, 2018) .

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Exploration Option 3-Counseling Today Article

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Exploration Option 3-Counseling Today Article

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An opinion article in "Counseling Today" reveals what schools can learn from the controversial Netflix series, "13 Reasons Why". The authors strive to provide recommendations to the issue of teen suicide and what we can do to decrease the instances of deaths. They also suggest that even though the series is very graphic and uncomfortable for parents and administrators, that it is important to talk to children about the subject matter and listen to "listen deeply and without judgement to what their children have to say." (Shannonhouse, Whisenhunt, Lin and Porter, 2017). They argue that showing empathy (school officials, peers, and parents alike), can possibly greatly reduce the chance of a child committing suicide.

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The Netflix series 13 Reasons Why has launched a national discussion regarding teen suicide, motivating a webinar response from professional organizations about how to shape the dialogue, dozens of editorials and millions of cautionary letters home from schools to parents across the country.

The series, based on a novel, is narrated by high school student Hannah Baker, who made a series of cassette tapes to be passed to 13 individuals she argues contributed to her reasons for dying. Her story is seen through the eyes of a peer, Clay, who listens to the tapes. He comes to understand Hannah's perspectives about those people and events she claims motivated her suicide, which include Clay's own (in)actions.

The series has been critically acclaimed for the acting and commended for addressing challenging topics, such as bullying/cyberbullying, sexual assault and teen suicide. However, school administrations, school counseling associations, suicide prevention organizations and counseling/psychology associations such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) have advised caution because of the graphic nature, revenge fantasies and potential contagion effect. This article highlights strengths and major challenges of the series. It also provides recommendations that have been underrepresented, though not absent, in the discussion.
Strengths 1) Raising awareness that suicide is a real problem.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is a major public health issue. The most recent statistics available note that among high school students, 17 percent have seriously considered suicide, while 8 percent have attempted suicide within the past 12 months. We know that for every suicide, there are many survivors, including the family and friends of the person and those who have experienced psychological, physical and social distress after exposure to a suicide." The most commonly cited statistic is that each suicide directly affects six people; however, more recent research argues there are between 45 and 80 survivors per suicide.

In 2015, there were more than 44,000 reported suicide deaths, including 5,191 deaths by suicide among those ages 15 to 24. However, this statistic includes only those that were reported. Although there is no consensus on the rate of under-reporting due to stigma or ambiguous cause of death, the best analysis suggests that for each completed youth suicide, there are 100-200 times as many nonfatal suicide actions.

Combining CDC data with our current understanding of rates of suicidal ideation in youth, in this moment there are close to 15 million people in the U.S. who think of suicide in any given year. Suicide is a very real public health issue; when it is ignored, stigmatized or minimized, we as a community are missing the chance to prevent it.
2) Even professional counselors may not be ready to respond to a suicidal situation.
Because counselors often receive referrals of clients who are suicidal, counselors' competency in identifying and intervening with those at risk is crucially important. However, the overtaxed counselor in 13 Reasons Why, Mr. Porter, is underprepared to face a suicidal student coping with complex trauma. Although he did not act in the scope of best practice, his failings are unfortunately not unusual among counselors, despite decades of advocacy for increased suicide assessment trainings in counselor education.
3) Suicide is complex and individual.
Mr. Porter missed several suicidal statements (e.g., "I need everything to stop"), made assumptions about contributing events and was uncomfortable talking about suicide (and other issues). We may easily judge Mr. Porter's mistakes, but as counselors, we should take this opportunity to reflect and ask ourselves if we are ready to respond to a student at risk of suicide. The research is equivocal.

Although 13 Reasons Why portrays some known "red flags" that can indicate suicidal intent, the factors that contribute to individual suicides vary. Stressors that may influence one person's decision to die by suicide may not have the same effect on others. For instance, we know that not all people who are depressed die by suicide ( research shows the rate is from 2-15 percent) and that not all people who complete suicide are depressed. There is a variety of prevention programming regarding common warning signs. However, there is no perfect amalgam of warning signs or demographics (e.g., risk for transgender persons) that helps us differentiate who will decide to die by suicide. We need to go beyond just learning warning signs in order to help.

Livingworks, a suicide intervention training organization, focuses on three elements when assessing warning signs and risk factors. First, we must look for the meaning behind stressful events. For instance, in 13 Reasons Why, being listed "Best Ass" was highly distressing to Hannah because she felt objectified and was concerned people would misperceive her to be easy. However, another student, Angela "Best Lips" Romero, was flattered by such attention. The meaning behind the stressful event is more important than the stressful event itself.

Second, we need to know that warning signs can be, and often are, expressions of pain. When Hannah pushed Clay away, he recognized that something was wrong but did not see that her rejection was an indication of emotional pain. Third, we must trust our intuition. One peer recognizes Hannah's poem as a cry for help but does not offer assistance. We need to pay attention to our gut feelings and act on them to take care of each other.

13 Reasons Why provides an opportunity to see Hannah's experience of several traumatic events (cyberbullying, being stalked, public objectification, losing money, feeling responsible for a person's death, witnessing rape and being raped) and does a good job of depicting the pain, shame and isolation she experiences as a result. The viewer has an opportunity to consider Hannah's subjective experience and understand how the cumulative effect of these "reasons why" motivates her to suicide.
4) The central message is a positive one.
One model to help contextualize suicidality is the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior developed by psychologist Thomas Joiner. Joiner states that the highest risk occurs when one feels like a burden to others, feels alienated or lacks belongingness and, crucially, has overcome the natural human inclination toward self-preservation. This model posits that suicide is a process - one gradually builds tolerance to the idea through self-injurious thoughts or behaviors (although each person's path is unique). There are multiple points on that path at which others can intervene. The 13 Reasons Why series emphasizes those missed opportunities. As in Hannah's case, every day there are suicides that happen as a result of those missed opportunities.

In the last episode, Clay says to Mr. Porter, "It has to get better, the way we treat each other and look out for each other." Instead of feeling guilty or turning away, we can task ourselves with being more supportive community members.

All too often, we operate from a place of fear, which is understandable considering that schools have a legal duty to protect students from self-harm, and lawsuits are a potential reality (as shown in 13 Reasons Why). However, when systems or individual responders act out of fear, it focuses the interaction away from the needs of the person at risk. Even well-intentioned modern practices of " suicide gatekeeping " have substituted swift (and protocol-driven) identification and referral for the direct supportive intervention by community members proposed by John Snyder in 1971. Clay's words echo those from Snyder half a century ago, when he said that most "who attempt suicide are victims of breakdowns in community channels for help."

Although Mr. Porter clearly failed to proper identify Hannah's suicidal ideation, perhaps even more troubling was his failure to hear her story and understand the factors behind her decision to die by suicide. Listening and demonstrating empathy to someone who is struggling was demonstrated to reduce suicidal ideation on calls to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Talking about suicide can help the person at risk to no longer focus on the past or feel alone and, instead, shift to the present moment, where the person can feel understood and cared for. If those in Hannah's community who were witness to her emotional pain had actively engaged her and listened, it may have reduced her isolation and lessened her self-perception as a burden. This may even have prevented Hannah's death.

Research indicates that our personal beliefs about suicide influence our responder behaviors. Therefore, gaining awareness of our beliefs and how our ability to intervene is affected by them is vital. Regardless of whether we can stop a suicide, we can control how prepared we are to try. We can make sure that our systems (in schools and elsewhere) are places where it is easy for someone to receive help.

After working through Hannah's tapes, Clay now believes that we are, in a way, our brother's keepers. Community-level response by direct intervention is a central theme in my (Laura Shannonhouse) research. It involves equipping "natural helpers " (e.g., teachers, bus drivers, resources officers, school counselors/psychologists) with the skills needed to perform a life-assisting suicide intervention at the moment it is needed most.
Challenges 1) Graphic nature and contagion
The producers and cast of 13 Reasons Why have underscored their desire for this series to start a conversation. Although that has certainly been accomplished, we hope the dialogue focuses more on how we can "look out for one another" and foster communities less at risk for suicide.

Viewers of 13 Reasons Why watch two rape scenes and Hannah's suicide, which is shown in detail. Nic Sheff, one of the writers of the series, stated that the scene of Hannah's suicide was intended "to dispel the myth of the quiet drifting off." Some crisis texts suggest that we "deromanticize" suicide by helping our clients understand the unintended effects of trying to die by suicide, such as surviving but becoming disabled or alienating friends and family. Therefore, an argument could be made that a graphic, painful portrayal of suicide is warranted.
2) Survivor's guilt and revenge fantasies
However, research does suggest that suicide portrayals can contribute to contagion by triggering suicidal behaviors in people - particularly youth - who are experiencing high levels of emotional distress. In fact, SPRC and AFSP have made recommendations for best practices in prevention of suicide contagion. A discussion of post-suicide intervention to prevent contagion is beyond the scope of this article, but as an example, the locker memorial portrayed throughout the series is against standard guidance (it should not last for weeks, as shown). Furthermore, when considering how media reaction to the series has often included sensational headlines, it is helpful to review these recommendations for reporting on suicide.

By assigning "reasons why," the series sends a message that Hannah's death is caused by other people's actions. When Clay openly questions, "Did I kill Hannah Baker?" his friend Tony answers dramatically, "Yes, we all killed Hannah Baker."

Although we suggested earlier that we all have a responsibility to create communities that help prevent suicide, Tony's level of direct attribution can be counterproductive. Hannah experienced multiple losses, traumas and stressors caused by others, both intentionally and unintentionally. Placing responsibility for her death on those individuals instead of on Hannah's action can exacerbate survivors' guilt. Those viewers who have lost a friend, loved one or acquaintance to suicide may feel even more strongly after viewing the series that "It is my fault."

These feelings are associated with lower functioning in comparison with survivors of accidents. Although undeserved, survivor's guilt is a real phenomenon, and considerable research shows that even counselors who experience the death of a client by suicide can experience shame/embarrassment and emotional distress.
Recommendations 1) Parents need to not just talk but watch, listen and connect.
Whereas Clay may feel guilt for his part in Hannah's story, the tapes could implicate others in criminal or negligent behavior, perhaps giving Hannah posthumous revenge. Some viewers who may have struggled with suicidal ideation themselves could get the message that if they take their lives, they can get revenge on those who have hurt them. This is an additional reason that schools across the nation and professional helping organizations have felt the need to do damage control for 13 Reasons Why.

Some school counselors argue that it's harmful for children and teens to watch the series on their own without the support of a parent or trusted adult because the series depicts a graphic and romanticized portrayal of a teenager in crisis and does not identify competent resources capable of helping her. Accordingly, many experts encourage parents to talk to their children about the series. In addition to using talking points, we recommend that parents listen deeply and without judgment to what their children say. When people feel genuinely heard, they are more likely to talk about their true thoughts and feelings.
2) We need more than prevention programming in schools.
To accomplish this goal, parents can use active listening skills, such as open-ended questions, reflections of feeling, paraphrasing and encouragement. Also, we recommend that parents watch the series and risk being human - risk being impacted by the series and empathizing with their child. The construct of empathy is powerful, particularly if it is sincere. For a three-minute visual summary, consider watching Brene Brown on empathy. In our counseling skills courses, we often talk about "getting in the well of despair" and genuinely connecting with others. We know that talking about suicide paradoxically provides a significant buffer to suicidal action.

We know from a well-regarded U.S. Air Force study that we need suicide programing at all three levels: prevention, intervention and post-intervention. Many suicide prevention programs have been implemented in the school context, but there is mixed evidence of their effectiveness. From our clinical experience in crisis response, our scholarship and our history with training a specific model of suicide intervention, we need to acknowledge that we are biased about what types of programming should be implemented and when is the right time to implement. We feel that an appropriate first step for a school system is to implement basic screeners and gatekeeper trainings such as Signs of Suicide or Sources of Strength.

However, suicide prevention should not end with identification for referral. Optimally, the process continues by assessing level of risk, identifying reasons for dying and reasons for living, discussing alternatives to dying, enlisting the support of trusted loved ones and limiting access to lethal means or securing the person's environment. Because youth who struggle with thoughts of suicide often seek out the support of those they trust rather than professional mental health providers, those teachers, coaches and others with open hearts and doors are the most effective gatekeepers for a system. Their nondirection and empathy are useful pedagogical qualities and vital to effective suicide intervention.
3) Be intentional about identifying caregivers and shifting school culture.
We endorse models that empower those "natural helpers" to provide a potentially life-saving intervention for students who are in suicidal distress. Although this may be augmented with the support and follow-up of a trained mental health provider, gatekeepers can implement the steps listed above.

My (Shannonhouse) research involves partnering with school districts and superintendents (in Maine and Georgia) to identify "natural helpers" and equip them with the skills to perform a life-assisting intervention in the moment (i.e., Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, or ASIST). These natural helpers are often teachers, resource officers, coaches, administrative staff, bus drivers and other people who are likely to be confidants to students who experience distress. Measuring suicide intervention skills and responder attitudes is easy for an academic. Identifying those school personnel in the trenches who would be first responders is more difficult - it requires the total involvement of administrators. Furthermore, such an approach requires schools to commit to a student-centered response model.
4) Use an intervention model backed by research.
ASIST is relationship-driven and aligned with the values of the helping professions. It meets the needs of students who are at risk by focusing on responding to those immediate needs rather than referring the student (which can lead to further isolation and an increased sense of burdensomeness). Although the student is often referred for more long-term counseling, ASIST provides the student with a six-step intervention at the moment it is most needed and can be performed by anyone over age 18. Having natural helpers trained in ASIST or a similar protocol can dramatically increase a school's responsiveness and effectiveness to help students in distress.

ASIST is a 14-hour, two-day, internationally recognized and evidence-based model that has been adopted by multiple states and the U.S. Army. It has also been recognized by the CDC and used in crisis centers nationwide. Caregivers trained in ASIST consistently report feeling more ready, willing and able to intervene with a person at risk of suicide.

The program has been evaluated in a variety of settings (click to download), with pretest to post-test improvement noted in trainees' comfort level at intervention and in their demonstrated intervention skills in response to simulated scenarios. Although outcome research is rare, research compared ASIST-trained counselors with those trained in other models through a double-blind, randomly controlled study of more than 1,500 calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Those trained in ASIST more often demonstrated particular behaviors such as exploring invitations, exploring reasons for living, recognizing ambivalence about dying and identifying informal support contacts. Those trained in ASIST also elicited longer calls.
Summary
We found that ASIST can be applied to both university and K-12 settings. Our work measured increased suicide intervention skills and beneficial responder attitudes, which have been maintained over time. We have trained more than 500 people in ASIST and have received multiple reports of teachers disarming fully formed suicide plans with their new skills. More recently, we have conducted behavioral observations of ASIST responder behavior and have begun evaluating outcomes of students who have received ASIST intervention. Initial results have been promising, including better coping and commitment to follow-up and decreased lethality.

Although 13 Reasons Why gives us pause for its poor portrayal of effective suicide intervention, we feel that the series raises awareness and, at its core, advocates a community-level response to suicide prevention. This message to "look out for each other" is aligned with more intervention-oriented gatekeeping. We have explored the impact of one such model, ASIST, in several educational settings and found that it improves responder behavior. Furthermore, this approach comes with a mindset that systems can harness their strengths (i.e., natural helpers) to focus on responding to and intervening with the student rather than simply identifying and referring the student to the system.

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Please contact me (Laura Shannonhouse) should you have any questions about our research.

Laura Shannonhouse is an assistant professor in the Counseling and Psychological Services Department at Georgia State University. Her research interests focus on crisis intervention and disaster response, particularly involving social justice issues in this context. Currently, she is conducting community-based research in K-12 schools (suicide first aid) to prevent youth suicide and with disaster-impacted populations in fostering meaning-making through one's faith tradition (spiritual first aid).

Julia L. Whisenhunt is an associate professor of counselor education and college student affairs at the University of West Georgia. She specializes in the areas of self-injury, suicide prevention and creative counseling. She is particularly interested in the relationship between self-injury and suicide and ways that mental health professionals can apply this knowledge to clinical intervention.

Dennis Lin is an assistant professor at New Jersey City University, with areas of expertise in play therapy, child/adolescent counseling and assessment, suicide prevention/intervention, quantitative research and meta-analysis. He is also a certified master trainer of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).

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Opinions expressed and statements made in articles appearing on CT Online should not be assumed to represent the opinions of the editors or policies of the American Counseling Association.

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'13 Reasons Why': Strengths, challenges and recommendations - Counseling Today

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Although 13 Reasons Why gives us pause for its poor portrayal of effective suicide intervention, we feel that the series raises awareness and, at its core, advocates a community-level response to suicide prevention. This message to "look out for each other" is aligned with more intervention-oriented gatekeeping.

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Exploration Option 3-Education Week Article

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Exploration Option 3-Education Week Article

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An opinion blog for Education Week website titled, "Why A Revelation About the Parkland School Shooter's Disciplinary History Matters", explores the idea that Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and Broward County School District did not do enough to prevent the February 14th school shooting earlier this year. After police investigation, questions were raised why the shooter's, Nikolas Cruz, constant bad behavior wasn't taken more seriously and reported to the police earlier. School administrators had reported that Cruz was seeing school counselors and was "referred for a threat assessment...but it isn't clear if such an assessment was completed" (Blad, 2018). Reading this article showed me that the behaviors of this students seemed to have fallen through the cracks legally (and possibly ethically) speaking by all administration, including the counselors and district.

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Leaders of the Broward County, Fla., school district have back tracked on claims that former student Nikolas Cruz, on trial for shooting and killing 17 people at a Parkland high school, never participated in an alternative discipline program there.

Cruz had been referred to the program, called PROMISE, after he vandalized a school restroom in middle school, WLRN reported Sunday.

The revelation has fueled a conversation that started with the Feb. 14 attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School: What, if anything, could the school district have done to prevent the incident? Teachers and students have said Cruz had a known history of behavioral and disciplinary problems, and some community members have asked if the district could have handled them differently.

Some observers, including conservative organizations that have questioned recent national trends in school discipline, have pointed fingers at the PROMISE program, which is meant to limit school-based referrals to police by diverting some students with problematic behaviors to alternative schools for counseling and behavior remediation. If Cruz had been arrested at school, it would have put him on the radar of police, critics of PROMISE argue, and it may have provided them a chance to intervene earlier. Defenders of the program say it's misguided to blame it for Cruz's behavior.

Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie has deflected criticisms by saying Cruz wasn't involved with PROMISE. "Please note, contrary to media reports, the District has no record of Nikolas Cruz committing a PROMISE-eligible infraction or being assigned to PROMISE while in high school," Runcie said in a statement distributed to the media and to a congressional committee questioning the district's discipline policies. He repeated the statement in a Sun Sentinel editorial about the PROMISE program. "There's no connection between Cruz and the district's Promise program," Runcie said at one news conference.

WLRN's revelation that Cruz had been referred to the program before his time at Stoneman Douglas stirred up new criticism about Broward's discipline policies. Some students and their families wondered if the district was taking their concerns seriously. Others wondered whether the district didn't report Cruz's middle school referral because of intentional dishonesty or whether it was an oversight. Here are a few important things to know about PROMISE and Cruz's referral.

It's Unclear If Cruz Completed the PROMISE Program

The Broward County district changed its discipline policies in 2013 in response to a state law that called on schools to reduce the "school-to-prison pipeline." At the time, the district had one of the highest student arrest rates in the state. And, like many other districts, black students were disciplined at higher rates than their peers.

The new policies included a decision-making matrix that was designed to lead to more consistent student discipline by offering specific responses to students' behavior. That matrix defines what behaviors can spark certain kinds of discipline and when police can intervene. Specifically, it sought to reduce police interactions with students in response to non-violent behaviors. In addition to the matrix, the PROMISE program was designed to respond to more serious behavioral concerns, offering an alternative to referring students to the justice system.

The district said Sunday that Cruz was referred to PROMISE while in middle school, but it is unclear if he ever completed the program.

Some questions to consider:

If Cruz hadn't been referred to PROMISE for the bathroom vandalism, would he have been arrested instead?

Should vandalizing a school restroom lead to an arrest? What is the appropriate disciplinary response?

If Cruz had been arrested for that offense, would it have made a difference down the road?

If it's determined that Cruz didn't complete the PROMISE counseling program, is it possible that doing so might have helped prevent future misbehavior?

Cruz Was Disciplined Frequently and Saw Counselors for His Behavior

In the days after the shooting, administrators noted that Cruz was disciplined frequently for his behavior. Disciplinary records leaked to outlets like the Washington Post show he was suspended repeatedly throughout middle school and high school. Local outlets obtained his counseling records and evidence that he was once referred for a threat assessment, which is used to determine if a student may pose a danger to himself or others. It's unclear if such an assessment was completed.

Also complicating schools' responses to Cruz's behavior: He received special education services for a developmental delay, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Federal laws prohibit schools for disciplining students for behavior deemed a manifestation of a recognized disability.

Two investigations should shed more light on how schools and law enforcement handled Cruz and the response to the shooting. The district has hired an outside consultant to review Cruz's history with the schools and all of the policies that were in place when he was a student there. A report from that investigation is expected in June. And a state task force that includes the parents of several victims has subpoena power to explore the shooting. That task force is expected to issue periodic reports.

What This Means for the Larger School Discipline Debate

Questions about Cruz's history come as U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is reviewing Obama-era civil rights guidance on school discipline. That guidance took aim at racial disparities in school discipline and encouraged schools to clarify when law enforcement should be involved in student discipline.

And the Obama administration as a whole encouraged schools to rethink the use of suspensions and expulsions, especially for non-violent offenses. It spotlighted programs like Broward County's and research that links suspensions to poor outcomes, like low student engagement in school. Civil rights groups have pointed to student arrests for non-violent behaviors, like refusing to surrender a cell phone to a teacher, as causes for concern.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, has encouraged DeVos to review Broward County's discipline policies and how they are linked to the Obama-era guidance. A review of that guidance is also on the agenda of the White House school safety task force, which DeVos chairs.

Civil rights groups say recent nationwide efforts to reform school discipline have been crucial for students of color. It would be wrong to change course on such broad policies because of one, rare incident, they argue/

Reactions in Parkland

Amid anger about the new revelation, Runcie tweeted out a link and thanked WLRN for the report.

We will continue to provide the best information we have at any point in time. The independent review will be completed in a few weeks & we will share additional information at that time. Thanks @WLRN for sharing this information. https://t.co/xVhAGfwd4A
-- Supt Runcie (@RobertwRuncie) May 7, 2018

Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was killed in the shooting, called the news "a stunning revelation" in a Twitter thread about the report.

However stunning, the focus should not be on any specific program. It's the totality of District failures that must be addressed.
-- Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 7, 2018

Cameron Kasky, one of the Stoneman Douglas students who helped organize protests in favor of new gun laws, also pointed criticism at Runcie Monday.

I implore you all to look into just how awful @RobertwRuncie's leadership of the Broward County School board is. I'm very excited to meet his replacement.
-- Cameron Kasky (@cameron_kasky) May 6, 2018
The Parkland School Shooting: Complete Coverage Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox.

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Why a Revelation About the Parkland School Shooter's Disciplinary History Matters

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Leaders of the Broward County, Fla., school district have back tracked on claims that former student Nikolas Cruz, on trial for shooting and killing 17 people at a Parkland high school, never participated in an alternative discipline program there. Cruz had been referred to the program, called PROMISE, after he vandalized a school restroom in middle school, WLRN reported Sunday.

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Considering Disciplinary History Of School Violence Offenders-Step 4 (Academic Resource)

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Considering Disciplinary History Of School Violence Offenders-Step 4 (Academic Resource)

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While looking through the ASU Library, I came across an interesting book titled, "School Shooters: Understanding High School, College and Adult Perpetrators" by Peter Langman. Langman provides case studies, patterns and possible solutions in helping to decrease the number of school shootings. He gives background into the offender's personal life, possible disabilities, and school life in order to help the reader get a holistic view of why he/she could commit such a horrible act.

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School Shooters: Understanding High School, College, and Adult Perpetrators

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School shootings scare everyone, even those not immediately affected. They make national and international news. They make parents afraid to send their children off to school. But they also lead to generalizations about those who perpetrate them. Most assumptions about the perpetrators are wrong ...

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Considering Disciplinary History of School Violence Offenders-Step 3 (Selection of Topic)

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Considering Disciplinary History of School Violence Offenders-Step 3 (Selection of Topic)

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I decided to choose the legal/ethical issue of how the disciplinary history of school violence offenders have been overlooked either purposely or accidentally by administrators, including counselors. Because of recent events, this is a highly relevant issue of school safety that doesn't seem to have been addressed in as much detail as I would like.

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Considering Disciplinary History Of School Violence Offenders-Step 4 (Website Resource)

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Considering Disciplinary History Of School Violence Offenders-Step 4 (Website Resource)

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While performing an internet search about my topic, I found an association website named the "National Education Association (NEA). It lists the "Three Keys to School Safety and Gun Violence Prevention." (2017) . It discusses increasing mental health services, creating safe learning environments, and taking more action on gun prevention.

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Increase access to mental health services.

We need to dramatically expand our focus on mental health. Proper diagnosis can and often starts in our schools, yet there is a huge shortage of school counselors, school social workers and school psychologists in public education.

We need more school-based health centers that diagnose and treat mental health disorders. It's also important that access to mental health services is are a mandatory part of all healthcare coverage. Legislators must close loopholes that allow state and local governments to opt out of providing mental healthcare as stipulated by the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996.

Provide a safe and secure learning environment for all students.

Our school facilities must be equipped with an updated structural and technological support foundation to help protect students and educators from danger. We must invest in school personnel to provide diagnostic and counseling services, such as counselors, school psychologists and nurses.

Our educators need professional development about bullying, mental and behavioral health, cultural competence, appropriate classroom management, and safety. And students need more exposure to peer mediation programs, diversity and inclusion curriculum or programs, and character education in order to minimize conflict and harmful behavior. And we MUST redouble our efforts to address the bullying epidemic in our schools.

We believe if we put a stop to bullying before it starts, fewer teens and young adults will become desperate and resort to violence. NEA has established the "Bully Free: It Starts with Me" and anti-bullying program which encourages educators to recognize bullying behavior and take action to stop it. www.bullyfree.org

Take meaningful action on gun violence prevention.

Our kids and communities deserve common sense laws that protect our safety-and that starts with ensuring that guns don't end up in the hands of people who shouldn't have them. We believe that everyone who wants to purchase a firearm should go through a background check, regardless of where they are purchasing the weapon.

We believe assault weapons and high capacity magazines are weapons of war that belong only in the hands of our military and law enforcement officers. We believe in "amnesty days" to allow Americans to turn these types of weapons of war in to law enforcement -no questions asked. Finally, we believe that gun trafficking ought to be a federal crime with harsh penalties.

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Three Keys to School Safety and Gun Violence Prevention

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We need to dramatically expand our focus on mental health. Proper diagnosis can and often starts in our schools, yet there is a huge shortage of school counselors, school social workers and school psychologists in public education. We need more school-based health centers that diagnose and treat mental health disorders.

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Blad, Evie. “Why a Revelation About the Parkland School Shooter's Disciplinary History Matters.” Education Week - Teacher Beat, 8 May 2018, blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2018/05/why_a_revelation_about_the_parkland_school_shooters_disciplinary_history_matters.html?r=29817452.

Greer, R. (201, June 6). Phone Interview.

Langman, Peter (2017). School Shooters: Understanding High School, College, and Adult Perpetrators . Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Shannonhouse, Laura, et al. “'13 Reasons Why': Strengths, Challenges and Recommendations.” Counseling Today, American Counseling Association, 4 Sept. 2017, ct.counseling.org/2017/09/13-reasons-why-strengths-challenges-and-recommendations/.

“Three Keys to School Safety and Gun Violence Prevention.” (n.d.)
NEA, Retrieved from www.nea.org/home/54092.htm.

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Summary of Considering Disciplinary History Of School Violence Offenders-Step 5

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Summary of Considering Disciplinary History Of School Violence Offenders-Step 5

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From the research that I have done for this project, there is some consensus of what needs to be done before a school shooting happens. Although it is human nature to want to profile violent offenders and have somewhat of an idea of what a school shooter should look like, there is no way to assess if student will commit these sort of crimes just by the way he/she looks or even their background history. I did find that just because a student has a questionable history at previous schools, does not necessarily mean that he/she will become a school shooter.

Sources also agree that implementing more police involvement in schools along with metal detectors aren't realistic or solving the problem (Langston 181).

But with that being said, sources do agree that the motivation for these shootings did not come from left field.  What my research has led me to was that the only way to help reduce the number of school shootings is offering more programs to help students find safe, alternative ways to express their feelings that motivates these behaviors. The National Education Association website suggests that students need "more exposure to peer mediation groups...and character education in order to minimize conflict and harmful behavior" (NEA 2017). This seems to be what is needed ethically to keep our kids safe.

This topic is extremely important to my career as a counselor and as a member of my community. My role is extremely important in implementing these types of programs and to communicate their importance to my fellow administrators, faculty and staff. I believe that not only counselors, but every member in a student's life has an ethical obligation to keep our children safe and to save those  who would consider pursuing this horrible act.