Prevention of homicidal violence in schools in Germany: The Berlin Leaking Project and the Networks Against School Shootings Project (NETWASS)

Abstract

Since 1999, Germany has experienced at least twelve serious cases of targeted school violence. This article describes two projects designed to fill the gap between universal prevention and emergency response in preventing severe forms of school violence in Germany. The Berlin Leaking Project examined the viability of preventive efforts based on early identification of leaking behavior that often precedes targeted school attacks. Leaking refers to any behavior or communication that indicates a student is preparing to carry out a violent attack. This would include explicit or implied threats of violence, apparent fascination with prior acts of violence such as Columbine, and any evidence of planning or preparation to carry out an attack. The NETWASS project will test a training program and intervention strategy based on those findings, examining the usefulness of a threat assessment approach to prevent violence by training teachers to recognize leaking behavior by students. This approach is extended by training teachers on a larger scale to identify leaking and then having a school-based team evaluate the student and initiate appropriate interventions, such as mental health services, and in some cases, law enforcement action.

Prevention of Targeted School Violence by Responding to Students' Psychosocial Crises: The NETWASS Program

“…However, due to organizational differences in national school systems, none of the U.S. prevention models seemed appropriate to copy in German schools without extensive modifications. As a result, the “Networks Against School Shootings (NETWASS)” program was developed (Leuschner et al., ; Scheithauer, Leuschner & NETWASS Research Group, 2014)—a threat assessment approach derived in part from the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines (Cornell & Sheras, ) with modifications to make it suitable for the legal and administrative circumstances in the German federal states. It combines the advantages of a threat assessment approach with a more general model of prevention for emergency situations in schools (e.g., targeted school violence) through early interventions with students experiencing a psychosocial crisis.…”

“…Leakage can be an indicator of a personal psychosocial crisis with negative psychosocial, emotional, or developmental consequences. However, leakage does not necessarily lead to a violent act but presents an opportunity for detecting students who need attention and support, provided that significant persons in the student's environment recognize these warning behaviors and take appropriate action to investigate the situation and provide assistance (Leuschner et al., ).…”

“…Schools are vulnerable targets for student attacks with institution‐specific risk factors (Fox & Harding, ), but they provide valuable opportunities for prevention and intervention, because they are an environment where crisis symptoms and warning behavior become apparent. Adequate identification and evaluation of student crises is challenged by, first, a lack of knowledge of targeted school violence among school staff, as well as a lack of knowledge about violence‐related warning behaviors and symptoms of psychosocial crisis (Leuschner et al., ). Second, a school culture that does not allow systematic and open exchange of information fosters information fragmentation and a code of silence among students (Fein et al., ; Syvertsen, Flanagan, & Stout, ; Vossekuil et al., ).…”

Kill one or kill them all? Differences between single and multiple victim school attacks

“…In recent years, there have been some promising efforts to reach this goal (Cornell and Sheras, 2006;Leuschner et al, 2011). Practitioners should be made aware of differences in warning signs and pre-attack behaviours between SV-offenders and MV-offenders in order to respond appropriately during the threat management process.…”

Student Crisis Prevention in Schools: The NETWorks Against School Shootings Program (NETWASS) – An Approach Suitable for the Prevention of Violent Extremism?

“…Within the last twenty years student-perpetrated shootings at schools emerged as a worldwide phenomenon. With more than twelve incidents, Germany has experienced more serious attacks targeting schools than any nation other than the United States (Bondü, Cornell, & Scheithauer, 2011) resulting in the deaths of 20 teachers and 16 students (Leuschner et al, 2011). Incidents of severe targeted school violence such as school shootings are planned violent acts at a school committed by current or former students with the intention to kill at least one person associated with the school context (Bondü & Scheithauer, 2014a, b, c;.…”