“Other over-the-top reactions to students who pose no real threat — such as a 7-year-old in Baltimore who was suspended for shaping a gun out of a Pop-Tart — could be prevented with evidence-based threat evaluation training, says Amy Klinger, director of programs for the nonprofit Educators’ School Safety Network, which she says has trained tens of thousands of educators across the country.
When a leadership failure like this happens, it usually comes down to a lack of training, says Klinger. “This could have been resolved in an hour, with no media, no trauma to the kid, no criticism to the teacher.””