Safety is Personal – Lesson Learned as a Survivor of the Virginia Tech Tragedy

Kristina Anderson’s PrepTalk, “Safety is Personal: Lessons Learned as a Survivor of the Virginia Tech Tragedy,” begins with her experience of the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007. She translates her experience into a focus on the importance of threat assessments in schools to identify and mitigate potential threats. She explains that it’s important to improve physical safety, but it’s just as important to encourage people to monitor their environment and to build a supportive culture in a school.

Anderson founded the The Koshka Foundation for Safe Schools, a non-profit dedicated to helping local community and school stakeholders work together to prevent, respond, and heal in the aftermath of school violence.

Related Resources:

• PrepTalks Discussion Guide: School Safety – Michele Gay and Kristina Anderson
• The Koshka Foundation for Safe Schools
• Safe and Sound Schools
• Department of Education Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools
• Department of Homeland Security
  • Active Shooter Preparedness
  • K-12 School Security: A Guide for Preventing and Protecting against Gun Violence
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Active Shooter Resources
  • Violence Prevention Against Schools, Enhancement through Law Enforcement Partnerships
• Ready.gov – Active Shooter Resources

Q & A Session

PrepTalks are given by subject-matter experts and thoughts leaders to spread new ideas, spark conversation, and promote innovative leadership for the issues confronting emergency managers now and over the next 20 years.  For more information and more talks, see https://www.fema.gov/preptalks