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Four years ago, a sixth grader in Rigby, Idaho, shot and injured two peers and a custodian at a middle school. The tragedy prompted school officials to reimagine what threat prevention looks like in the district.

Now, student-run Hope Squads uplift peers with homemade cards and assemblies. Volunteer fathers patrol hallways through Dads on Duty. A team of counselors, social workers and probation officers gathers to discuss and support struggling students. Thanks to a new cell phone ban, students are talking to each other more. The positive results of these combined efforts have been measurable.

鈥淲e鈥檝e helped change 鈥� lives,鈥� said Brianna Vasquez, a Rigby High senior and Hope Squad member. 鈥淚鈥檝e had friends who have been pulled out of the hole of depression and suicidal thoughts because of (the Hope Squad).鈥�

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The Education Reporting Collaborative, a coalition of eight newsrooms, is investigating the unintended consequences of AI-powered surveillance at schools. Members of the Collaborative are AL.com, The Associated Press, The Christian Science Monitor, The Dallas Morning News, The Hechinger Report, Idaho Education News, The Post and Courier in South Carolina, and The Seattle Times.

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America鈥檚 educators are working to prevent harm like Rigby’s shooting. Many U.S. districts have turned to technology 鈥� especially digital surveillance 鈥� as the antidote. Not everyone is sold on that approach, as there can be issues, including with privacy and security. Without broad agreement on which strategies work best, some districts are trying a combination of technology, on-the-ground threat assessment teams and mental health supports.

Jennifer DePaoli, a senior researcher at the Learning Policy Institute who has studied school safety, said a multi-pronged approach is 鈥渧ery sensible.鈥�

鈥楶eople are the solution鈥�

In Rigby, educators lean toward human interaction. Artificial intelligence and digital surveillance systems are perhaps less likely to identify who’s eating alone at lunch or withdrawing from friends.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all about culture,鈥� said Chad Martin, superintendent of Jefferson County School District in Rigby. 鈥淚t starts with that 鈥� just having a friend, having a group of friends, having a connection somewhere.鈥�

Rigby school leaders use technology to detect threats, including an app, STOPit, which allows students to anonymously report safety concerns, and surveillance software that monitors students鈥� keystrokes for troubling terms. Martin said those are helpful but must be used in concert with human-led initiatives.

The district鈥檚 version of a threat assessment team has been one of the most impactful tools, Martin said. In monthly group conversations, school staff may realize that a student who鈥檚 been missing class has a parent who was recently arrested, for example.

鈥淓verybody has a little piece of information,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淭he goal is to put those people in the same room and be able to paint a picture that can help us support kids.鈥�

Although Idaho doesn鈥檛 mandate . In 2024, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that have a threat assessment team.

A leading model, used by thousands of districts, is the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG). These were developed by forensic clinical psychologist Dewey Cornell after he spent years studying homicides committed by children or teens, including school shootings. He said digital surveillance technology can offer schools 鈥渁n illusion of safety and security.鈥�

With CSTAG, teams made up of school staff members use a multi-step process when threats emerge. The group might suspend or relocate a student while conducting mental health screenings, facilitating a law enforcement investigation and developing a safety plan.

If implemented correctly, Cornell said, this approach is less punitive and more rooted in intervention. Cornell co-authored in Florida, where threat assessment teams are mandatory, finding 鈥渓ow rates of school removal and very low rates of law enforcement actions.鈥�

鈥淚f you鈥檙e a school counselor and you can work with a troubled kid and help get them on the right track, you鈥檙e not just preventing a school shooting, but you鈥檙e more likely to be preventing a shooting that would occur somewhere else and maybe years in the future,鈥� he said.

Threat assessment teams aren鈥檛 immune from scrutiny. Complaints have emerged about them operating without student or parent knowledge, or without staff members to represent children with special needs, and about . The Learning Policy Institute’s DePaoli said more research is needed on whether they successfully identify threats and provide students with appropriate support.

Utah鈥檚 Jordan School District uses the CSTAG model. Travis Hamblin, director of student services, credits the 鈥渉uman connection鈥� with strengthening how the district handles threats, boosting student safety and well-being.

Earlier this school year, it received an alert through Bark, a digital monitoring tool that scans students鈥� school-issued Google suite accounts. It flagged a middle schooler who’d uploaded a hand-drawn picture of a gun.

Through the CSTAG decision-making process, the threat assessment team avoided unnecessarily escalating the situation by determining the student didn鈥檛 intend any harm, Hamblin said. They chalked it up to immaturity and asked the student to refrain from such drawings.

The district employs someone 鈥� a former administrator and counselor 鈥� to field the Bark alerts and communicate with school staff. Administrators from every Jordan school have undergone threat assessment training, along with select staff members.

鈥淎 digital tool for us is a tool. It鈥檚 not the solution,鈥� Hamblin said. 鈥淲e believe that people are the solution.鈥�

Student- and parent-led efforts in Idaho

In Rigby, one of those people is Ernie Chavez, whose height makes him stick out in a hallway streaming with middle schoolers. He鈥檚 with Dads on Duty, which brings in parents to help monitor and interact with students. Throughout the school, students reach out to Chavez for high-fives. On one February afternoon, he was greeted with applause and cheers.

Similarly, the district鈥檚 Hope Squads, in place since 2021, have become an active presence on campus. The student-led coalitions, across the U.S. and Canada, aim to foster connection and reduce the risk of suicide.

鈥淲e refer 鈥� students every year to counselors, and those students go from some of the worst moments in their life (to getting help),鈥� Vasquez said. 鈥淲e build the connection between adults and faculty to the student.鈥�

Hope Squad members notice peers who seem down or isolated and reach out with a greeting or handmade card. We 鈥渟how them that we care and they鈥檙e not alone,鈥� said member Dallas Waldron, a Rigby High senior.

The groups also plan special events 鈥� like a week of mental-health activities. Sophomore Emilie Raymond said the shooting showed 鈥減eople need to feel included and they need to find that hope.鈥�

Another change: a new cell phone ban. Before, students were 鈥渟itting in the corners, isolated, staring at a screen,鈥� said Ryan Erikson, Rigby Middle’s principal. Now, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e playing games, they鈥檙e goofing off 鈥� they鈥檙e actually conversing.鈥�

While the district鈥檚 approach to stemming violence is , 鈥渋t鈥檚 not perfect,鈥� said Martin, Jefferson鈥檚 superintendent. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still going to have things come up that we haven鈥檛 prepared for or weren鈥檛 on our radar. But we address them and just try to do whatever we can to support kids.鈥� ____ The Associated Press鈥� education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.