School safety, security, and violence prevention resource

In my first posting I discussed the Principles of (Student) Separation, focusing mostly on the psychological and physiological implications of SNS (Sympathetic Nervous System) activation , including the loss of Cerebral Cortex accessing, auditory exclusion, visual narrowing, and, among other dysfunctions, the loss of a student’s ability to process the inevitable consequences of his or her actions. I proposed that the end result would be a high probability of injury to any teacher or other authority figure attempting to break up a fight or separate fighting students.

In this post, however, I will propose a cluster of time proven effective principles and techniques that, if followed, will allow teachers to separate fighting students in a simple, effective and safe manner.

There are three Principles Of Separation, including:

1) Always Approach From the Rear. A common sense principle which advocates avoiding the high-injury “Combat Zone” existing between the combatants.

2) Separate Quickly To a Position Of Control. Separation techniques must be performed dynamically and quickly for good reasons. First, displacing a violent and adrenalized student’s balance is a function of moving his/her center of gravity beyond the width of his or her stance. If the move is done slowly, the student can easily maintain his or her balance by stepping in the direction of the move. If performed quickly, though, the student’s balance is sisplaced before he or she can react. Separation must also be done quickly so that the controlled student – who is virtually defenseless when the teacher is employing the technique – can be moved out of the combat zone to a safe zone before he can be struck again by the other student.

3) Provide Continuous Commands To “Stop Fighting.” Good verbal direction and commands play a crucial role in defusing a volatile situation, even though both fighting students are undergoing severe Auditory Exclusion. Despite the affects of SNS Activation, continuous and aggressive commands can and will break through even the staunchest case of Auditory Exclusion and can even trigger a Stimulus-Response reaction of de-escalation. These verbal commands will also serve notice (to back off) to any of the gathered students who may be thinking of joining the fray. The command, “Stop Fighting!” should be used repetitively when the teacher is first approaching the violent students. However, once the Separation Technique is executed, the command should change to “Stop fighting. I am a Teacher!” and it should be repeated until the student realizes he or she is out of danger. Slow, calm and professional language is always a crucial element in any de-escalation of violence or aggression in and out of the classroom. There will me much more on the Mastery of Professional Language in a Classroom Crisis in future posts.

DSM SEPARATION TECHNIQUES

The Torso Rotation is a technique that can be used to separate both small children and teenagers. For Grade School students, the TR Technique can be executed by the teacher – who approaches from the rear – placing one hand on the child’s closest bicep/elbow and the other hand on the child’s opposite shoulder. The student is then dynamically rotated out of the Combat Zone through a combination of pulling the bicep back and down while simultaneously pushing the opposite shoulder forward. For Larger Students, the approach and hand positions are the same, but now the intervener pushes the bicep/elbow across and down the student’s chest while pulling back on the shoulder. Both of these techniques work like a dream. Trust me.

One note about the TR Technique, though. It was designed primarily for smaller students and for teenagers who were not violent. It will not work on teenagers who are grappling clothing, or where the student is significantly larger and stronger than the teacher.

For those dangerous situations we have two other unique Student Separation Techniques – The Infra Orbitol Pressure Point Balance Displacement Technique and the Rear Shoulder Pull Technique.

I will discuss both in my next posting.

Don't miss another post -- subscribe by email or RSS today!