Schools must work at preparing for potential acts of targeted violence.  Targeted violence is distinct from violence that is spontaneous, impulsive, or random.  The Secret Service defines targeted violence as any incident of violence where a known or knowable attacker selects a particular target prior to their violent attack. 

South Dakota Schools are not immune to targeted violence or threatening behaviors.  South Dakota students and staff have been affected by rare, yet troubling acts of violence including school shootings, assaults, and suicides.  These incidents have reinforced the need for South Dakota schools to prepare for potential crises and facilitate safe and healthy learning environments for all students and staff.

Additional Resources

SchoolSafety.gov. This official United States Government website provides resources designed to help schools prevent and mitigate targeted violence incidents.  The following link serves as a starting point for learning about targeted violence and helping schools with their targeted violence protection plan.

Averting Targeted School Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Plots Against Schools.   The United States Secret Service stresses that prevention and early intervention are paramount.  The 67 averted school attack plots contained in this report demonstrates that there are always intervention points available before a student’s behavior escalates to violence.

Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence.   The United States Secret Service studied 41 incidents of targets school violence that occurred at K-12 schools in the United States from 2008-2017.  The analysis from this report suggests that many of those tragedies could have been prevented and supports the importance of schools establishing comprehensive targeted violence prevention programs recommended by the Secret Service.