In talking to students, Peterson said her group’s researchers found that many of the teens felt unsafe traveling to and from school.
Social media use — which boomed during the early pandemic years, too — can escalate that fear for students, Peterson added. A post from a peer brandishing a handgun can feel like a threat and add to the perception that other teens are carrying.
“I don’t think there is going to be one solution,” Peterson said, adding that schools can get criticized for under-responding or over-responding to potential threats. “Instead, I like to think about multiple layers of imperfect solutions.”
Minnesota schools are required to have a crisis management policy, including emergency drills. What’s included in the plan or the specifics of its protocols, however, are not regulated by the state, said Megan Olstad, one of eight people who make up the Minnesota School Safety Center team under the state’s Department of Public Safety.
In addition to providing training for school resource officers, the team reviews school safety manuals and advises on best practices.
“School safety has multiple buckets,” Olstad said. “Sometimes people get narrowed into thinking about the specific technologies” like metal detectors, Olstad said. But, she added, it’s also about policies, training, communication and partnerships within the school, local law enforcement and the community.