School Violence Prevention

ROB: WELL THERE IS NOT ONLY A STRONG LINK BETWEEN BULLYING AND SUICIDE, BUT BULLYING AND HOMICIDE. ACCORDING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, OVER TWO-THIRDS OF SCHOOL SHOOTINGS CAN BE TIED BACK TO THE SHOOTER HAVING BEEN PICKED ON. IT'S A TRAGIC RESPONSE, AND ONE THAT SCHOOLS STILL HAVE TO PREPARE FOR; WHICH IS WHY INDIAN CAPITOL TECHNOLOGY CENTER HELD A MOCK DRILL ON THEIR TAHLEQUAH CAMPUS; AND OUR COURTENAY DEHOFF WAS THERE TO WITNESS IT. COURTENAY DEHOFF: SINCE THE INFAMOUS ATTACK ON COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL SHOOK THE NATION MANY YEARS AGO, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS HAVE BEEN ON THE RISE, AND NOW STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN TO PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED. NATS: THREE GUN SHOTS. COURTENAY: IT'S A GUT WRENCHING SCENE. NATS: HANDS OVER YOUR HEADS; GET UP; COME OUT, ONE AT A TIME. COURTENAY: AND ANY STUDENT'S WORST NIGHTMARE. NATS: YOU MIGHT TAKE CONTROL OF HIM. COURTENAY: WHEN A TYPICAL DAY AT SCHOOL TURNS INTO A FIGHT FOR THEIR LIFE, AS A GUNMAN OPENS FIRE ON CAMPUS. NATS: RIGHT INSIDE THE DOOR. RONNIE HOLLUBY: I KEPT HEARING THE TERMS, NOT IF IT HAPPENS, BUT WHEN IT HAPPENS. COURTENAY: IT WAS DECEMBER 6TH, 1999, WHEN RONNIE HOLLUBY'S LIFE CHANGED FOREVER. RONNIE: IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY. WAS PROBABLY THINKING MORE OF GETTING OFF THAT AFTERNOON AND GOING HOME AND HAVING BIRTHDAY CAKE. YOU'VE GOT TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. AND, UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAD ONE THAT DAY. COURTENAY: ONE OF HOLLUBY'S FORMER STUDENTS CAME TO SCHOOL IN THE SMALL RURAL TOWN OF FORT GIBSON, OKLAHOMA, AND BEGAN SHOOTING. HE FIRED ONCE, AND I SAW HIM, AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS BLANK OR NOT. AND HE JUST STARTED GOING, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. POLICE SAID THE BOY HAD CELEBRATED HIS 14TH BIRTHDAY OVER THE WEEKEND AND HAD SHOWN NO PREVIOUS SIGNS OF TROUBLE BEFORE 8:00 MONDAY MORNING. COURTENAY: AND AFTER IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE, FIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS LAY WOUNDED. BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE IF NOT FOR THE QUICK THINKING OF HOLLUBY. HOLLUBY: YOU LOOK OUT THERE AND THESE KIDS ARE RUNNING AND SCREAMING AND RUNNING IN. AND YOU LOOK UP AND YOU SEE SOMEBODY THAT'S NOT RUNNING, IT CATCHES YOUR ATTENTION. AND SO THEN THAT'S WHEN I GOT TO LOOKING AND I SAW THAT HE HAD THE GUN OVER TO HIS SIDE AND WAS TRYING TO HIDE IT FROM ME. I'D HAD HIM IN CLASS, AND SO, I MIGHT HAVE BEEN A FOOL, BUT I OPENED THE DOOR AND WENT TO CONVERSING WITH HIM. COURTENAY: HOLLUBY WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET THE STUDENT TO PUT THE GUN DOWN. TRAGEDY HE RE-LIVES TO HELP TEACH SCHOOL OFFICIALS TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. ROBIN ROBERTS IS INDIAN CAPITAL'S CAMPUS DIRECTOR. ROBIN ROBERTS: WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING THAT WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, THAT ADDED A LITTLE BIT OF EMOTION INTO THE SITUATION, WHERE WE COULD EXPERIENCE THAT ASPECT OF IT. WE HAD A LONGER LOCKDOWN THIS TIME THAN WHAT WE NORMALLY HAVE. WE WERE LOCKED DOWN FOR OVER AN HOUR. COURTENAY: BUT TRAINING LIKE THIS, IS NOT JUST FOR THE STUDENTS. GARY DOTSON: IF YOU DON'T TRAIN, YOU CAN'T BE PREPARED. COURTENAY: POLICE OFFICERS, SWAT TEAMS, THE BOMB SQUAD, AND OTHER EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAMS DESCENDED ON THE CAMPUS LEARNING TO WORK TOGETHER WHEN THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS. OFFICER, GARY DOTSON. DOTSON: PART OF THE PROBLEM, AND YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR THIS IN ANY EXERCISE IS COMMUNICATION. WE HAD A COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN. WE LET THEM GO AHEAD AND PLAY OUT THE ROLE WITH THE COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN SO THEY COULD SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. IN REAL LIFE, WE WOULD TRY AND CORRECT IT DURING THE ACTUAL EVENT. COURTENAY: AN EVENT THAT IS BECOMING ALL TOO COMMON. DOTSON: WE HATE TO SAY IT, BUT THE WAY THE WORLD IS GOING, THREATS ARE OUT THERE EVERY DAY AND THE PERSON YOU LEAST EXPECT IT TO BE. A LOT OF IT WE TIE BACK TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE HOME, FAMILY LIFE, AND IT BLEEDS OVER INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. COURTENAY: GARY DAVIS OF THE OKLAHOMA OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY AGREES THE ENTIRE CULTURE HAS CHANGED. GARY DAVIS: IT'S NOT ONLY BEEN IN SCHOOLS; IT'S ALSO BEEN IN WORK PLACES AND PLACES THAT THEY FELT THEY WERE SECURE, AND SO IT IS AN AWARENESS PROGRAM THAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO HAVE. IF THEY SEE SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT, THEY REPORT IT TO SOMEONE, A PERSON THAT IS NOT ACTING LIKE THEY NORMALLY DO, TO GET THOSE CLUES AND TRY TO PREVENT IT. AND THEN IF IT DOES HAPPEN, THAT WE HAVE THE SKILLS AND ABILITIES AND THE PLANS IN PLACE TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM QUICKLY AND SWIFTLY. COURTENAY: BUT AMONGST THE CHAOS TODAY, THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLE MAY BELONG TO THE TEACHERS. NATS: COMAND POST, COMAND POST, ONE-TEN, WE BELIEVE WE HAVE AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE. NATS: WE NEED THE BOMB SQUAD ON SCENE; NATS: WE WILL BE EVACING ALL HOSTAGES, REPEAT EVACING ALL HOSTAGES. COURTENAY: AND IT STARTS LONG BEFORE AN EMERGENCY IS EVER DECLARED. ROBIN: BEFORE TODAY'S EVENT, OUR PRIMARY ROLE IS FOR US TO KNOW OUR PEOPLE AND BE FAMILIAR WITH OUR STUDENTS; AND MOST OF THE TIME, THE DATA SHOWS THAT STUDENTS MAKE COMMENTS TO PEOPLE BEFORE THEY GET TO THIS POINT. IT'S A CRY FOR HELP AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT, IS HELPING PEOPLE. IT'S ALWAYS, TUNE INTO THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND THOSE COMMENTS AND LET'S DIVE A LITTLE DEEPER. AND OCCASIONALLY WE MAY EVEN WANT TO REFER SOMEBODY ON TO PROFESSIONAL HELP WHERE THEY CAN GET SOMETHING THAT WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE. BUT WE'RE THE ONES THAT ARE OUT HERE ON THE FRONT LINE THAT ARE SEEING THOSE THINGS; AND WE NEED TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO THEM AND GET PEOPLE THE HELP THAT THEY NEED, SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO ACT OUT IN THESE WAYS. COURTENAY: SHINING LIGHT ON AN ISSUE THAT THOSE INVOLVED IN THE DRILL HOPE THEY NEVER HAVE TO FACE. COURTENAY: ACCORDING TO THE SECRET SERVICE REPORT, MORE THAN 30 MAJOR SCHOOL SHOOTING EVENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE 1974 HAVE BEEN REMARKABLY SIMILAR; IN ALMOST ALL CASES, THE ATTACKERS WERE MALE, HAD PLANNED THE ATTACK IN ADVANCE, AND TARGETED FELLOW STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.