Chris Dorn - Innocent Targets: When Terrorism Comes to School

The terrorist attack that killed more than 300 schoolchildren, teachers and parents in Russia shocked the conscience of the world in 2004. Clearly, there are lessons to be learned from this and other atrocities. However, there is a dangerous tendency to focus too much on past terrorism scenarios when deciding how to address future concerns for our schools. In addition, focusing too much on terrorism in emergency planning puts facilities in danger of over-stratification of their emergency response. While it is always crucial that we examine previous events and learn from them, research by Safe Havens International shows that focusing on a scenario-driven approach is having a detrimental effect on many communities. Chris Dorn will share some of the practical findings from their research as they apply to the audience and discuss why a functional approach can lead to dual-use solutions with a more effective end result.