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Most schools are safe. Although less than one
percent of all violent deaths occur on school campuses, no school is
immune. The violence that occurs in our communities has found its
way inside our nation’s classrooms. To date, the overwhelming
majority of school shootings have occurred on K-12 campuses but most
recently there have been incidents occurring on college campuses.
The 1998-99 school year served as a dramatic wake up
call to the fact that guns do come to school and students will use
them to harm others. The April 1999 incident at Columbine High
School, the April 2007 incident at Virginia Tech and the February
2008 incident at Northern Illinois University affected school staffs
and students deeply, but it should not prevent them from acting to
prevent school violence.
The information here is not intended as a
comprehensive prevention, intervention and response plan. School
violence occurs in a unique context – St. Petersburg College could
do everything recommended and still experience violence.
Community college students typically encounter a
great deal of stress during their education. While some students
cope successfully with the demands of college life, for some, the
pressures can become overwhelming and, for them, unmanageable.
Students may perceive faculty and staff members as people who can
lend a helping hand or just be good listeners. An expression of
interest and concern may be a critical factor in helping a troubled
student find appropriate assistance.
Threat Assessment
St. Petersburg College has adopted threat assessment
procedures developed by the U.S. Department of Education and the
U.S. Secret Service in a collaborative effort to help school and
college campuses reduce violence and create safe climates.
What is Threat Assessment?
The primary purpose of a threat assessment is to
prevent targeted violence. The threat assessment process is centered
on an analysis of the facts and evidence of behavior in a given
situation. The appraisal of risk in a threat assessment focuses on
actions, communications and specific circumstances that might
suggest that an individual intends to mount an attack and is engaged
in planning or preparing for an event. The central question in a
threat assessment inquiry or investigation is whether a student
poses a threat, not whether the student has made a threat.
How can I get a copy of the college’s Threat
Assessment Policy?
You can access the Board of Trustees Threat
Assessment rule by visiting
http://www.spcollege.edu/central/BOTrules/R4/4_351.doc.
How can schools create a safe and connected campus
climate?
Faculty, administration, other staff and students
must listen respectfully to each other. A school with a culture of
“two-way listening” will encourage and empower students to have the
courage to break the ingrained code of silence.
Who is the proper person at the college to inform
about a concern you have regarding the behavior or actions of
another student?
You may communicate your concerns to any of your
professors or directly to a provost or associate provost. A complete
list of the provosts/associate provosts is inside this brochure.
Security should be contacted as well.
Reporting concerns of suspicious
behavior
Concerns of suspicious behavior by students or
employees are to be promptly reported to any of the following
individuals or their successor in office. If for any reason you do
not wish to report the suspicious behavior to your campus or site
representative, you should report it to campus security.
DAYTIME HOURS
|
Caruth Health
Education Center |
| Phil Nicotera |
Acting Provost |
(727) 341-3666 |
| Delores Teter |
Acting Associate
Provost |
(727) 341-3602 |
|
Clearwater
Campus |
| Stan Vitettoe |
Acting Provost |
(727) 791-2475 |
| Kathleen Griffin |
Associate
Provost |
(727) 791-2492 |
|
St.
Petersburg/Gibbs Campus |
| Karen Kaufman White |
Acting Provost |
(727) 341-4656 |
| Psalms Mack |
Associate Provost |
(727) 341-4349 |
|
Seminole Campus |
| James Olliver |
Provost |
(727) 394-6111 |
| Lynda Womer |
Associate Provost |
(727) 394-6109 |
|
SPC Allstate Center |
| James Brock |
Campus Executive
Officer |
(727) 341-4530 |
|
Eileen LaHaie |
Director, Public Safety Grants and Contracts
Division |
(727)
341-4502 |
|
SPC Downtown
and SPC Midtown |
| Yvonne Ulmer |
Executive Officer |
(727)
341-4245 |
| Psalms Mack |
Associate Provost |
(727)
341-7966 |
| Karen Kaufman White |
Provost |
(727)
341-4656 |
|
Tarpon Springs
Campus |
| Tonjua Williams |
Provost |
(727)
712-5742 |
| Tina O'Daniels |
Associate Provost |
(727)
712-5720 |
If no one can be reached at the numbers listed
above, please call Collegewide Security at (727) 791-2560.
If danger is imminent, call 911.
EVENING HOURS
For all sites, contact Collegewide Security at
727-791-2560. The evening administrator-in-charge or security office
will promptly report any suspicious behavior received in the evening
hours to appropriate campus administrators.
Early Warning Signs
It is not always possible to predict behavior that
will lead to violence. However, educators and sometimes students can
recognize certain early warning signs. In some situations, and for
some students, different combinations of events, behaviors and
emotions may lead to aggressive rage or violent behavior toward
themselves or others. A good rule of thumb is to assume that these
warning signs, especially when they are presented in combination,
indicate a need for further analysis (threat assessment) to
determine an appropriate intervention. However, research has shown
that when students have a positive, meaningful connection with
another person – whether it is at home, in school or in the
community – the potential for violence is significantly reduced.
The National School Safety Center in Westlake
Village, Calif., offers the following checklist derived from
tracking school-associated violent deaths in the United States.
After studying the common characteristics of students who have
caused such deaths, NSSC identified the following behaviors that
could indicate a student’s potential for harming himself/herself or
others.
1. Severe social withdrawal.
2. Excessive feelings of isolation and being alone.
3. Excessive feelings of rejection.
4. Being a victim of violence.
5. Feelings of being picked on and persecuted.
6. Expressions of violence in writings and drawings.
7. Poor or deteriorating performance.
8. Uncontrolled anger.
9. Pattern of impulsive, intimidating or bullying
behavior.
10. History of disciplinary problems.
11. Prejudicial attitudes and intolerance for
differences.
12. Affiliation with gangs.
13. Access to, possession of, or use of firearms,
explosives or weapons.
14. Threats of violence when angry.
15. Preference for books or videos with violent
themes.
16. Background of substance abuse, including
alcohol.
17. Few or no close friends.
18. Often depressed and has significant mood swings.
19. Has threatened or attempted suicide.
20. Displays cruelty to animals.
Circumstances that bring a student to official
attention
Some students may bring themselves to the attention
of authorities by engaging in communications that cause concern:
• A student submits a story for an English
assignment about a character who shoots other students in a school
setting.
• Students in a video class make a movie about
students who bring bombs to school.
• An administrator receives an e-mail stating, “I’m
going to kill everyone in this asylum.”
• The personal Web page of a student has links to
Web pages with information about explosives.
Other students of concern come to the attention of
authorities through second or third parties:
• A school employee or student reports that he/she
has overheard a conversation about a gun being brought to the
campus.
• A student reports that he/she has been threatened
by another student and has been warned not to tell anyone.
• A neighbor of a student calls campus authorities
to report suspicions that the student is experimenting with
bomb-making devices or weapons.
In still other cases, students come to the attention
of authorities through anonymous communications:
• An anonymous call is received through Security to
report concerns about the behavior of a student.
• Receipt of an anonymous call that a bomb will go
off on one of the campuses
• An anonymous letter stating “remember Virginia
Tech” warns that "Judgment Day" is coming. |
