The 7 Warning Signs Teachers Miss Before School Violence
- CrisisWire
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
By Warren Pulley, CrisisWire Threat Assessment Expert
In 81% of school violence cases, the attacker told someone about their plans before acting. Teachers, counselors, or peers knew something was wrong—but didn't recognize the warning signs until it was too late.
After testing ballistic security systems for ABC7 Los Angeles and implementing threat assessment programs across K-12 districts, I've seen the same pattern repeatedly: the information exists, but educators aren't trained to connect the dots. Schools invest thousands in cameras and lockdown drills while missing the behavioral indicators that predict violence weeks or months in advance.
The Secret Service research detailed in my Threat Assessment Handbook proves violence is rarely impulsive. Attackers follow observable pathways from grievance to planning to action. Teachers witness these stages daily but lack frameworks to assess whether concerning behavior represents actual threats.
Here are the seven warning signs educators consistently miss—and what to do when you see them.
Warning Sign #1: Fixation on Previous Violence
What it looks like: Students who repeatedly reference Columbine, Sandy Hook, or other mass attacks. They research shooter manifestos, watch attack footage, or express admiration for perpetrators.
Why teachers miss it: Educators assume students are processing trauma or expressing morbid curiosity. They rationalize that "lots of kids are interested in true crime."
The reality: Fixation differs from curiosity. Students on pathways to violence study previous attacks as instruction manuals—analyzing what worked, what failed, and how to "succeed" where others didn't.
What to do: Document the behavior and report to your school's threat assessment team. As I detail in Campus Under Siege: School Safety Strategies, fixation combined with other indicators requires immediate assessment.
Warning Sign #2: Leakage About Violent Intentions
What it looks like: Students who hint at future violence through social media posts, essays, artwork, or direct statements like "you'll see what happens" or "don't come to school tomorrow."
Why teachers miss it: They interpret vague statements as hyperbole or attention-seeking. They worry about overreacting to dramatic teenagers.
The reality: The FBI's research shows that in targeted school violence cases, attackers communicated their intentions beforehand in 93% of incidents. This "leakage" isn't accidental—it's part of the pathway to violence.
What to do: Never dismiss threatening statements as jokes. My published research on school threat assessments provides assessment protocols for evaluating whether leakage represents substantive threats requiring intervention.
Warning Sign #3: Recent Significant Loss or Humiliation
What it looks like: Breakups, academic failures, social rejection, family crises, or public embarrassment that trigger intense emotional responses.
Why teachers miss it: Schools see hundreds of students experiencing losses daily. It's impossible to monitor everyone going through difficulties.
The reality: Loss alone doesn't predict violence. But when combined with other warning signs—especially fixation, isolation, or weapon access—it becomes a critical accelerant. The student who was resilient six months ago may not be resilient after compounding losses.
What to do: Track students experiencing significant losses and monitor for behavioral changes. The frameworks in The Prepared Leader help threat assessment teams prioritize cases based on multiple concurrent risk factors.
Warning Sign #4: Pathway Behaviors (Research and Planning)
What it looks like: Students researching security weaknesses, asking about emergency procedures, taking photos of exits, or practicing with weapons. They may visit shooting ranges, acquire tactical gear, or create attack timelines.
Why teachers miss it: These behaviors occur outside school or aren't directly observed. When noticed, they're rationalized as legitimate interests in firearms, military service, or security careers.
The reality: Pathway behaviors indicate movement from ideation to implementation. A student thinking about violence is different from one actively planning it. This is the window where intervention prevents tragedy.
What to do: Any observation of planning behavior requires immediate threat assessment. Contact CrisisWire at crisiswire@proton.me for emergency consultation if you observe these indicators combined with other warning signs.
Warning Sign #5: Increased Isolation and Withdrawal
What it looks like: Previously social students who suddenly withdraw from friends, activities, and normal routines. They eat lunch alone, stop attending events, and disengage from academics.
Why teachers miss it: Adolescent social dynamics shift constantly. Teachers assume withdrawn students are navigating typical teenage challenges or prefer solitude.
The reality: Isolation is both a warning sign and a vulnerability factor. Students disconnected from support systems have fewer protective influences interrupting pathways to violence. When isolation combines with grievance and weapon access, risk escalates significantly.
What to do: Assign trusted adults to conduct welfare checks with isolated students. The behavioral intervention strategies I developed—detailed at bit.ly/crisiswire—focus on reconnecting at-risk students with support systems before isolation deepens.
Warning Sign #6: Concerning Digital Footprint
What it looks like: Social media accounts featuring weapons, violent imagery, manifestos, or countdown timers. Posts expressing hopelessness, hatred toward specific groups, or fascination with martyrdom.
Why teachers miss it: Many educators don't monitor students' social media, believing it's outside their jurisdiction or invades privacy. Others see concerning posts but don't know reporting protocols.
The reality: Digital leakage is now the primary warning channel. Students broadcast intentions online where peers—not adults—see them first. Schools need systems for students to report concerning content safely and anonymously.
What to do: Establish clear reporting mechanisms and train students to recognize warning signs. When ABC7 documented the security systems I tested, physical barriers were part of comprehensive approaches that include digital monitoring protocols.
Warning Sign #7: Expressed Interest in Weapons Combined with Access
What it looks like: Students who discuss weapons frequently, show photos of firearms they can access, or bring weapon-related items to school (even non-functional replicas).
Why teachers miss it: In communities where hunting and firearms are common, teachers normalize weapon interest. They distinguish between "responsible gun culture" and threats.
The reality: Weapon interest alone isn't predictive. But when combined with grievance, isolation, and planning behaviors, access to weapons transforms ideation into capability. This intersection requires immediate assessment.
What to do: Never assume weapon access is harmless when other indicators are present. My research on evidence-based school security demonstrates that behavioral assessment prevents more attacks than armed guards by identifying threats before weapons reach campuses.
What Teachers Must Do Now
This Week:
Review your class rosters for students exhibiting multiple warning signs
Document concerning behaviors with dates, witnesses, and specific statements
Report observations to school administrators or threat assessment teams
Familiarize yourself with your district's threat reporting protocols
This Month:
Request threat assessment training for all faculty
Establish anonymous reporting systems for students
Coordinate with counselors to monitor at-risk students
Review case management procedures for concerning individuals
Resources:
Watch free training: Behavioral Threat Assessment Fundamentals
Read comprehensive frameworks: School Threat Assessments 2025
Download prevention guides at CrisisWire Blog
The Intervention Window
Here's what 40 years preventing violence has taught me: violence is rarely sudden.
The student who commits an attack next month is showing warning signs today. Teachers see these indicators but lack training to recognize patterns or authority to act on concerns.
This isn't about profiling students or creating surveillance states. It's about establishing systems where observed warning signs trigger assessment rather than rationalization.
Where multiple concerning behaviors prompt intervention rather than waiting for tragedy.
The methodologies documented by NPR when they covered security implementations I evaluated integrate physical security with behavioral assessment because preventing violence requires both.
Don't wait for perfect certainty before reporting concerns. Threat assessment teams can investigate and rule out risks. But they can't assess threats they don't know about.
If you see multiple warning signs in a student, contact your school's threat assessment team immediately. If your district lacks formal protocols, contact CrisisWire at crisiswire@proton.me or bit.ly/crisiswire for consultation on establishing evidence-based threat assessment programs.
The life you save may be your own.
About Warren Pulley
Warren Pulley is a CrisisWire Threat Assessment Expert with 40 years of experience spanning the U.S. Air Force, LAPD, Baghdad Embassy Protection operations, and campus safety programs.
Featured in ABC7 Los Angeles and NPR's LAist for his expertise in school security systems, his methodologies are detailed in five published books including The Prepared Leader, Threat Assessment Handbook, and Campus Under Siege. His research is available at Academia.edu.
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