F57DAAC777DF6EB9872583AE00504D8C Hearing Summary

Senator Todd invited the first presenters to the table: Dr. Sarah Goodrum, Department Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Northern Colorado, and Dr. Beverly Kingston, Director for the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) at the University of Colorado Boulder, came to the table.  They distributed a copy of their presentation to the committee (Attachment A).  Dr. Kingston provided background information about CSPV.  Dr. Goodrum talked about the process by which the Colorado School Safety Guide was updated for the Colorado Attorney General's Office.  The guide can be found here: https://coag.gov/sites/default/files/coloradoag_schoolsafetyguide_final_electronic.pdf

Dr. Goodrum talked about the need to develop a standard prevention protocol similar to the standard response protocol developed by the I Love You Guys Foundation.  She provided detail about the standard response protocol and explained that it's been implemented in more than 25,000 schools across the country.  She continued to discuss lessons learned through her research, including that mass shootings, bullying victimization, physical fights, suicidal ideation, and actual suicides are all on the rise in the U.S.  She told the committee that the root causes of these issues related to issues with school and community climate, information sharing, and a lack of social emotional skills.  Dr. Goodrum discussed the work and findings of the Columbine Review Commission in 2001, the work done by the U.S. Secret Service in 2004, and the findings in the Arapahoe Report in 2016, which examined the shooting at Arapahoe High School.  The presenters distributed an additional handout (Attachment B) and reviewed the information on the handout.

Dr. Goodrum explained that the pattern of events and circumstances leading up to the majority of school shootings are the same.  She said that we already know what works to prevent violence, we have the knowledge, and just need to work to implement what works.  Dr. Kingston summarized what is known from the research on preventing violence, which is identifying and addressing the warning signs and moving upstream to prevent young people from engaging in violence in the first place and other problem behaviors.  She talked about the impact of leadership turnover in schools on youth violence and stated that a comprehensive approach to school safety offers the greatest potential for preventing youth violence and promoting mental health and behavioral health.  She discussed the need for a comprehensive approach between schools, law enforcement, mental health, human services, and early childhood education providers.

The presenters told the committee that the foundation of school safety rests in creating cultures and climates of safety, respect, and emotional support in schools.  They said that kids are not going to learn well if they feel unsafe in school and discussed the elements of school climates/domains that are measured through climate surveys.  Dr. Kingston talked about the Safe Communities Safe Schools model (interventions and systems to support safe schools), which integrates the recommendations from Columbine Review Commission in a way that is actionable in schools.  Dr. Goodrum reiterated the need to develop and implement a standard prevention protocol to bridge the gap between research and practice.  The presenters distributed additional handouts to the committee (Attachments C through F) and talked about recommended policy action steps.  They answered questions from the committee.

The presenters continued to answer questions from the committee.