Prevention is the Key to School Safety
Updated on: October 1, 2025
Published on: October 15, 2025
Prevention is the Key to School Safety
School safety is more than metal detectors and lockdown drills. While reactive measures have their place, the most effective strategy is the one that seeks to prevent violence before it occurs.
Violence prevention begins with a mindset shift. Before asking how to respond to threats, schools should explore how to leverage systems already in place to help to prevent violent acts. This means identifying concerning behaviors early, supporting students holistically, and building an environment of trust and care. Behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) teams play central role in this prevention-first approach. These multidisciplinary teams—often composed of educators, mental health professionals, law enforcement, and youth-serving agencies—work together to assess risk and intervene before harm occurs.
The SK Cascade Model: A Framework for Collaborative Prevention
Building on the prevention-first approach, the SK Cascade Model offers a structured framework for collaborative prevention. Developed by John Van Dreal while working for the Salem-Keizer School District in Oregon, the SK Cascade Model is the only BTAM model developed by K-12 educators for educators, making it understandable and actionable for school districts. The model is distinguished by its explicit focus on involving mental-health professionals, law enforcement, juvenile justice, and other outside agencies to evaluate threats and provide individualized support to students who display a range of behaviors, from explicitly making threats to presenting concerning behaviors that have been warning signs of violence.
Rather than isolating students through suspension or expulsion, the SK Cascade Model helps schools connect students to resources, empowers staff to recognize warning signs, and engages the larger community. School safety extends beyond the classroom. By engaging the full ecosystem around a student, schools can intervene earlier and more effectively.
Reframing Discipline
In alignment with the SK Cascade Model, reframing discipline through a preventive lens is crucial. Traditional discipline often focuses on punishment, such as suspensions, expulsions, or legal consequences. But a prevention-first mindset reframes discipline as an opportunity for connection and growth. Instead of asking, “How do we punish this behavior?” schools must ask, “What does this student need to succeed?”
This shift reduces recidivism, aligns with restorative practices, embeds checks against bias, and promotes equity-conscious decision-making.
The SK Cascade Model helps schools institutionalize care; by investing in multi-agency partnerships, shared training, and trauma-informed practices, districts can build stronger safety nets and cultivate a culture of shared responsibility.
Transforming safety strategy requires more than just implementing a threat assessment model—it’s about doing it right. We partner with districts to build BTAM systems rooted in strong policy, well-trained teams, and equity at every step. Let’s work together to create safer, more supportive schools.
