NC had ‘credible information’ on more than 250 planned school attacks this school year
More than 250 credible threats of planned school attacks have been reported on North Carolina’s anonymous school safety tipline since the start of the school year, according to state officials.
Between Aug. 1, 2021 and May 31, 431 planned school attacks were reported on the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, according to Karen Fairley, executive director of the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools. Fairley told state lawmakers on Wednesday that 254 of those rose to the level of being classified as “life safety tips” because a person had the means to carry out the threat.
The number of planned school attacks was sobering information to state lawmakers who convened Wednesday’s meeting of the N.C. House Education Committee to hear Fairley’s update on school safety. The meeting came a week after a mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas resulted in the murders of 19 children and two adults.
“Our hopes and our prayers are that we do not get to a place in this country where our schools become prisons,” said state Rep. John Torbett, a Gaston County Republican and chairman of the committee. “But at this pace it seems like we’re getting there faster than we’re not, so we will continue to remain vigilant on providing the funds that we can possibly provide for our schools under school safety.”
‘Credible information’
Every North Carolina public school is required to have an anonymous reporting system for tips about a potential crisis such as school violence. Most district and charter schools use the “Say Something” system.
Fairley told lawmakers that she’s notified 24/7 whenever a “life safety tip” is reported. She said those tips involve a threat of substantial bodily harm or death.
“It’s credible information,” Fairley continued. “It’s clear, convincing evidence provided. The suspect has the means and intent to carry out the threat and it’s actionable.”
Planned school attacks make up a plurality of the 907 life safety tips reported this school year. Fairley said suicide/suicide ideation is in second with 185 tips, followed by cutting/self harm at 162, weapons at 101 and intent to harm someone at 36.
Threat assessment
Rising fears about school violence are occurring as public schools are now being required by lawmakers to create threat assessment teams to identify students who may be at risk of causing harm to themselves or to others.
Fairley said she will look at the data and “call it to the carpet” if she sees trends showing minority students are being overly assessed as threats. But Fairley also said that the threat assessment teams aren’t meant to be punitive.
“It’s here to help the children,” Fairley said. “It’s here to say to the children, ‘listen we hear you and we want to get you the help that you need so what we had in Texas the other day we won’t have in North Carolina.’”
The mass shooting in Texas comes at a time when Fairley said nearly a third of the state’s schools haven’t yet submitted to her office required risk management plans. Fairley told lawmakers “we won’t get as much resistance” now.
Rep. David Willis, a Union County Republican, said he’d be “happy to put them on Santa’s naughty list” if they don’t submit the plans.
“We’ll start making phone calls if we need to because every child and every parent deserves to be in a safe setting,” Willis said.
Say Something
There are three ways to submit an anonymous tip about a safety concern with your school, according to the website:
▪ Submit a tip through the website: sandyhookpromise.org/say-something-tips.
▪ Call the 24/7 Crisis Hotline Counselors at 1-844-5-SayNow.
▪ Download the mobile app and submit your tip through it.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 5:30 PM.
