Dr. Poland Presents Lecture on Safeguarding our Children

In February 2005, Dr. Scott Poland presented on Crisis Intervention. Topics such as leading causes of death in children, profiles of perpetrators, and techniques for dealing with the aftereffects of traumatic events in the schools were discussed. Dr. Poland reported three leading causes of death in children: accidents, homicides, and suicides.

With school shootings occurring more frequently, there is an increasing number of homicides and suicides. Students have to ask, “Why are kids killing kids?” This question has plagued many professionals within the school system. In an attempt to address such issues, the US Secret Service completed a study on school shootings and reported the following findings: There is no one profile that fits the perpetrators, Almost all perpetrators discussed their plans before committing the act, and many perpetrators were suicidal and victims of bullying.

These findings have caused researchers to ask the question, “How detrimental is bullying to students?” With the field continuously attempting to control bullying with peer mediation teams, zero tolerance policies, and curriculums that incorporate antibullying components, students are still facing the after effects of the homicides and suicides alone. Dr. Poland discussed his experiences assisting schools after school shootings.

The presentation was highly informative and empowering. Dr. Poland provided perspectives of the individual students and faculty members involved in school shootings. For that reason, several suggestions were made to help recognize that everybody needs a little time to take a step back and ask, “Why?” and “What do we do now?”

• Recognize that children often mirror adults’ responses to trauma.
• Recognize students’ developmental level when communicating to them about traumatic events.
• Provide opportunities for students to talk about the event and the aftereffects.
• Provide opportunities for students to be involved in ceremonies, rituals, and other memorial projects.
• Find time to be with children. “Reach out, and don’t preach to them.”
• Assist in making schools more aware of crisis intervention approaches.

Dr. Poland currently is employed as the Director of the Department of Psychological Services in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District in Houston, Texas. His contributions to the field over the last 25 years include numerous papers, presentations, and publications that address issues such as crisis intervention, youth violence, and school suicides. He has demonstrated leadership by serving on boards for organizations such as the National Emergency Assistance Team to the U.S. Department of Education Crisis Team. In 2000, he served as the president of the National Association of School Psychologists. He has been and continues to be a driving force in the field of School Psychology.

Jane Lineman

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