Report page 16

All students face stressors such as setbacks, losses, | Stressors can occur in all areas of a student’s and other challenges as part of their lives.

While many students are resilient and can overcome these situations, for some, these stressors may become overwhelming and ultimately influence their decision to carry out an attack at school.

Gather information on stressors the student is experiencing, how the student is coping with them, and whether there are supportive friends or family who can help the student overcome them.

Assess whether the student experienced stressors in the past that are still having an effect, such as a move to a new school, and whether there might be additional setbacks or losses in the near future, like a relationship that might be ending. life, including at school with coursework, friendships, romantic relationships, or teammates; or outside of school with parents, siblings, or at jobs.

Many students can experience bullying, a stressor which can take place in person at school or online at home.

Teams should intervene and prevent bullying and cyberbullying of a student who has been brought to their attention.

More broadly, administrators should work to address any concerns regarding bullying school-wide and ensure their school has a safe climate for all students.

On November 12, 2008, a 15-year-old female student fatally shot a classmate while students were changing classes. The attacker fled to a restaurant across the street from her high school and phoned 9-1-1 to turn herself in to police.

Prior to her attack, she faced a number of stressors in her life, mostly outside of school. As an infant, her college-aged parents abandoned her and she was raised largely by her grandparents.

At the age of six years, she was sexually molested by a family member; and at age 12, she was raped by an uncle. She did have some contact with her birth parents, but her mother was reportedly abusive and suffered from severe mental illness; and her father began serving a 25-year prison sentence for murder around the time she was 14 years old.

At her high school, she was lonely, appeared to struggle to connect with others, and had behavior problems.