LA County Asks Students to Help Spot Warning Signs of School Violence
County officials are encouraging students, not just school staff, to report concerning peer behavior to the School Threat Assessment Response Team, which has expanded from 10 to 42 clinicians.
By Amy Swan · · Originally reported by Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles County school and mental health officials are turning to students themselves as a way to detect and head off campus violence, as concern grows over mental health in classrooms.
At the El Rancho Youth Center Boys and Girls Club in Pico Rivera on Friday, Supervisor Janice Hahn joined school and city officials to urge students to use the county's School Threat Assessment Response Team, known as START. The program helps evaluate and respond to potential threats at schools.
Hahn said young people who have carried out school violence often mentioned or discussed their plans beforehand, frequently with other students or on social media. "So we need to make sure that students who witness these early signs know about the START Program and know that they have trusted adults that they can call," she said.
START is staffed by mental health professionals trained in risk assessment, who work with law enforcement and schools to reduce threats. For years, the program was aimed mainly at school staff. Officials are now pushing students to take part in watching out for their peers.
L.A. County Department of Mental Health Director Lisa Wong said giving students a role can be empowering. "One of the most powerful weapons we have is the ability for our young people to have some agency in their own hands to feel like they don't just have to wait around for something scary to happen and be anxious about it but there's something they can do to be a part of the solution," she said. She added that the goal is to put the tool in the hands of those who usually notice warning signs before anyone else does.
Dr. Nichola Beliz, the program's lead clinician, said clinicians concentrate on a student's behavior rather than words when judging whether someone may be a danger to themselves or others. Examples include a fascination with past mass shooters or a preoccupation with the military or white supremacist ideology.
"Basically what we do is collect more data to see the level of risk at that point," Beliz said. Interventions vary, she explained, but the person answering the phone can guide the caller toward the right next step, whether that means contacting local police or reaching mental health partners in the community.
Alongside the new emphasis on students, the program has grown from 10 clinicians answering calls countywide to 42. The outreach campaign includes social media ads, a public service announcement from school shooting survivor Mia Tretta, and posters in 200 high schools encouraging students to contact START if they see worrisome or threatening behavior by a classmate.
The campaign's tagline, "If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't," came out of focus groups with students at Saugus and Arcadia high schools.
People can reach START by calling (213) 739-5565 or emailing [email protected], which will anonymously connect them with a mental health professional to assess the situation. A text messaging service is also in development.
