Dr. Jeffrey Sprague is a professor of special education and the director of the University of Oregon Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior. He directs research and demonstration projects related to positive supports and youth violence prevention.

In this presentation we will discuss the many and varied cyber attacks that have recently occurred in the higher ed community. We will discuss the perpetrators, the victims, the impact and how these institutions have evolved to meet this threat. Mitigation techniques and defense strategies will be covered as will a discussion of effective security…

Equipping today's children with 21st century skills for the digital age requires turning traditional classrooms into a digital-learning ecosystem and ensuring teachers have professional skills and unfettered access to tools they need for 21st century teaching and learning. School district networks are being used for instruction, business, and…

When parents of today's students were applying to colleges, they researched factors like location, financial aid, and majors. Physical safety was barely on the radar--it was assumed. A lot has changed since then, and today's prospective students and their parents are savvier about campus safety issues. College-age women are the demographic most…

This paper will discuss some assignments using freeware/shareware instructors can find on the Web to use to provide students with hands-on experience in this arena. Also, the college, Palm Beach State College, via a grant with the U.S. Department of Labor, has recently purchased a unique cyber security device that simulates cyber security attacks…

On April 20, 1999, two Columbine High School students walked into their school midday and killed 12 students and one teacher. Twenty-one other students were injured. All that had been normal came to an abrupt end. Education leaders in Jefferson County, Colorado, quickly realized they were laying the groundwork for a new normal. Colorado's…

This manuscript consists of three sections. Section one provides historical data on some 310 documented shootings that have taken place on school property within the United States. Section two discusses numerous risk factors associated with school shooters. Section three discusses numerous strategies for creating safe schools.

Each year, students in elementary and secondary education fall victim to unacceptable behaviors with sexual overtones, ranging from inappropriate touching and online conversations to physical sexual assault. Most schools have policies and procedures for keeping children safe from a range of threats and hazards, such as natural disasters, flu…

The Campus Crime Prevention Committee has compiled a list of university and college crime prevention agencies and resources, which includes contact information, links to agency crime prevention web pages, and a list of resources they offer (i.e., brochures, guides, PowerPoint programs, videos, etc.) as well as a spreadsheet showing organizations…

With nightmare visions of a gunman stalking school halls, districts often rush to hire police officers to patrol their campuses after news of a school shooting. Critics of that impulsive response, which has been in high gear nationwide since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in December, acknowledge the concern for student and staff…

This report describes the policies and programs implemented and reported through an institutional survey undertaken by Association of American Universities (AAU) member universities to prevent and respond to campus sexual assault and misconduct. Fifty-five of the 62 leading research universities that comprise AAU's membership completed the survey,…

Schools watch their students. Nearly every responsibility that schools shoulder includes an element of surveillance--from ensuring that preschoolers do not wander off, to keeping third graders on task, to stopping bullying and sexting. These responsibilities are not new, but schools' increased ability to monitor students continuously is. Despite…

School psychologists are often the first professionals to reach students with mental illness, and part of their role is to help identify threats that can lead to events such as the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which left 20 children and six adults dead, including school psychologist Mary Sherlach, who was one of the…

The highly publicized story of unfathomable abuse by Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, as well the unfathomable response of those with the power to stop it, makes it clear that abuse can happen anywhere--and that adults need to be vigilant and educated. All of those who oversee schools must also ensure that their faculty and staff are well…

As U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan works with other Obama administration officials on policy responses to the shootings at a Connecticut elementary school, he brings a personal and professional history that has acquainted him with the impact of gun violence. As schools chief in Chicago from 2001 to 2008, he was affected by the gun deaths…