As many schools complete their first full month of classes, a report from Wayne State University researchers says that Michigan schools are well prepared for crisis. Part of the preparedness is a direct result of Public Act 102, passed last year by the state Legislature to enhance Michigan School preparedness following a series of shootings at Pearle, Miss., West Paducah, Ky., Jonesboro Ark., and Littleton, Colo. The legislation was passed before the shooting death of six-year-old Kayla Rowland on Feb. 29 at a Mt. Morris, Michigan elementary school.

Researchers from WSU's department of communication and its Center for Peace and Conflict Studies surveyed 140 school districts in Michigan and examined 74 school crisis plans. "With very few exceptions" He said Matthew Seeger, department of communication, "the schools have carefully thought through the contingencies necessary to respond appropriately to these sudden, surprising, and severe threats."

Results from the 140 participating Michigan School districts indicate that 76.1 percent of the districts had crisis plans before the mandate of Public Act 102 and 72.7 percent of the districts with a plan reported having used it.

"The fact that most, but not all schools had crisis plans before the mandate of PA 102 indicates the importance of state initiatives in this area," said Elizabeth Barton from the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies.

The plans mandated by state legislation were constructed largely by committees (79.6 percent). Groups most often consulted in the creation of the crisis plans included internal staff (administrators, 67.9 percent, and teachers 58.6 percent) followed by local (53.6 percent) and county (52.6 percent) law enforcement and school counselors (52.1 percent). More than 90 percent of the plans included contingencies for armed students, suspected armed students, weapons on school property, death or homicide, bomb threat, explosions, sexual assault, unauthorized removal of students, threat of suicide, attempted suicide and for a school intruder. Of the responding schools, 73.6 percent indicated experience with at least some form of crisis.

Consistent with national trends, bomb threats were the most common, with 48.4 percent of the responding districts indicating having experienced them, followed by death of a student at 25.3 percent. Rumors, death of staff members, weapons (other than guns) on school property and suicides were reported as occurring in 5.5 percent of the responding districts.

Not surprisingly, violent episodes such as armed students, criminal sexual assault, or drive-by shootings were very uncommon, reported by only 1.1 percent of the districts. In terms of perception of risk, 37.2 percent of the responding districts indicated that they face moderate or high crisis-related risk, while 2.9 percent indicated no risk.

"Schools are struggling with defining risk in an era of zero tolerance," said Barton. "Administrators, teachers and parents must be vigilant yet flexible in considering what behaviors signal threat. Wearing black clothing and sunglasses does not always signal violent intentions."

The state-mandated crisis planning generally was viewed positively by school administrators, with 72.5 percent rating the planning as somewhat to extremely helpful in risk reduction and 89.5 percent rating the process somewhat to very helpful in responding appropriately to a crisis. Respondents were somewhat more circumspect with regard to the planning's usefulness in avoiding crises, with only 70.3 percent indicating that the process was somewhat to very helpful.

"It's very unpleasant for anyone to consider the possibility of a crisis, particularly with such precious commodities as our children," said Seeger. "But thinking about the unthinkable is one of the best ways to be prepared. The cost of not being prepared is simply too great."