Mohandie, speaking before the small crowd of teachers, community activists, school administrators and parents, told the story of the destruction in Michigan and noted that before destroying the school, board treasurer Andrew Kehoe destroyed his own home as well. Nothing was left of his home except a fence rail, Mohandie said. On that fence rail were written the words Criminals are made, not born. The quote set the tone for the forum as Mohandie spoke of contributing factors to school violence and how they can be assessed and prevented. Mohandie said there are myths surrounding school violence.
Denial is the worst enemy.
Realistic awareness, not paranoia, increases school safety. The idea that it can t happen here died in Columbine. Mohandie said that the idea that someone is either dangerous or not dangerous is not complex enough and that there was a need for a collaborative, inter-agency threat assessment team. We re teaching people at schools how to assess threats, to decide whether there is enough evidence to suggest movement from violent thought to violent action, he said. According to research by the Secret Service, in 75 percent of cases studied somebody was aware that there was a potential for violence.