ZERO TOLERANCE is a collaborative effort undertaken by Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSB) and George Mason University (GMU) intended to enable individual schools throughout the United States to better address their continuing vulnerabilities to school shootings. 

The Zero Tolerance program is not a replacement, but a supplement to security/law enforcement.

Among the things that differentiate ZERO TOLERANCE from other school safety programs is our focus on directly encouraging those with the greatest stake in preventing school violence to play an active role in the safety of their own school.

The logic model below identifies the critical components of our program and places them in a framework that illustrates the contribution that we believe the ZERO TOLERANCE program can make:

  • The model emphasizes the long-term IMPACT that we share with all school safety programs.
  • The OUTCOMES that are directly attributed to the ZERO TOLERANCE program emphasize the elimination of reduction of existing VULNERABILITIES.
  • The five areas that our research has identified as VULNERABILITIES have accounted for nearly every school shooting in America.
  • The model includes a listing of our aggressive PROGRAM, which includes a national database, self-assessment training, workshops, focus groups, and conferences, along with long-term support from information technology.

Differing from a traditional threat assessment, the key to the approach herein suggested is that it is driven by in-depth and candid self-assessments. Traditional threat assessments and safety programs are certainly needed and quite valuable, but they often do not provide the insight and personal commitment associated with a self-assessment. CONSIDER:

  • Self-assessments are performed by those who work on-site at the school and have a direct exposure of both the issues and the environment.
  • Self-assessments are made known to the highest authority in the organization.
  • Self-assessments lead directly to de#nitive self-correction.
  • Self-assessments leave an undisputable record of accountability.

Ongoing self-assessments provide a tool that gauges a school’s readiness to intervene prior to an act of violence. Our research team has reviewed every school shooting incident in the US since 1999 and has identi#ed #ve categories of vulnerabilities that have played a significant part in each.

In conducting a candid self-assessment, school personnel should focus specifically on the #ve areas of vulnerability noted below. When completed, the self-assessment should provide answers to the following questions:

  • Social Work/Mental Health: Is our school able to identify and assist all troubled students?
  • Intelligence: Does our school have a process/protocol for collecting/evaluating all relevant information?
  • School Administration: Are our school administrators able to address the vulnerabilities and take corrective action?
  • External Environment and Community Climate: Does our school encourage reporting and dialogue from the surrounding community?
  • Security: Do our school’s security measures address all the physical vulnerabilities at our school?