School Shootings in Middle School, High School, and College: Clinical Management and School Interventions for High-Risk Students

School shootings have occurred at several levels of education including middle school as in Paducah, Kentucky, high school at Columbine and others, and at the college and university levels as with the University of Texas and Virginia Tech violence. School violence has gained considerable attention nationally. Examined in this chapter are theoretical considerations involving escape theory, the risk and protective factors for school violence, case analyses of case studies, and discussion of school shootings involving fatal injuries involving others. Identifying at-risk and high-risk students is essential as a part of prevention of school violence. Also examined are diagnostic issues in understanding children who are at risk for school violence and ways school violence may be managed in the schools and clinical management and school interventions aimed at the prevention of school violence. Offered are suggestions and recommendations including recommendations provided by the National School Safety Center (2006) for school personnel as are steps to be taken in creating a safe school environment. Our intent in the chapter is to provide information that may be useful for prevention to educational, medical, health care professionals, law enforcement personnel, and school boards who oversee administratively and who provide services to school-aged children.