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The Independent
09-04-2025
- The Independent
Schools relying on digital surveillance find security still takes a human touch
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. 'We've helped change … lives,' said Brianna Vasquez, a Rigby High senior and Hope Squad member. 'I've had friends who have been pulled out of the hole of depression and suicidal thoughts because of (the Hope Squad).' ___ 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 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. ___ America's educators are working to prevent harm like Rigby's shooting. Many U.S. districts have turned to technology — especially digital surveillance — 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 'very sensible.' ' People are the solution' 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. 'It's all about culture,' said Chad Martin, superintendent of Jefferson County School District in Rigby. 'It starts with that – just having a friend, having a group of friends, having a connection somewhere.' 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' keystrokes for troubling terms. Martin said those are helpful but must be used in concert with human-led initiatives. The district's 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's been missing class has a parent who was recently arrested, for example. 'Everybody has a little piece of information,' Martin said. 'The goal is to put those people in the same room and be able to paint a picture that can help us support kids.' Although Idaho doesn't mandate the use of in-school threat assessment teams, 11 states do. In 2024, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that 71% of U.S. public schools 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 'an illusion of safety and security.' 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 a recent study in Florida, where threat assessment teams are mandatory, finding 'low rates of school removal and very low rates of law enforcement actions.' 'If you're a school counselor and you can work with a troubled kid and help get them on the right track, you're not just preventing a school shooting, but you're more likely to be preventing a shooting that would occur somewhere else and maybe years in the future,' he said. Threat assessment teams aren't 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 discrimination against Black and Hispanic students. The Learning Policy Institute's DePaoli said more research is needed on whether they successfully identify threats and provide students with appropriate support. Utah's Jordan School District uses the CSTAG model. Travis Hamblin, director of student services, credits the 'human connection' 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' 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't intend any harm, Hamblin said. They chalked it up to immaturity and asked the student to refrain from such drawings. The district employs someone — a former administrator and counselor — 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. 'A digital tool for us is a tool. It's not the solution,' Hamblin said. 'We believe that people are the solution.' 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's 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's Hope Squads, in place since 2021, have become an active presence on campus. The student-led coalitions, implemented in thousands of schools across the U.S. and Canada, aim to foster connection and reduce the risk of suicide. 'We refer … students every year to counselors, and those students go from some of the worst moments in their life (to getting help),' Vasquez said. 'We build the connection between adults and faculty to the student.' Hope Squad members notice peers who seem down or isolated and reach out with a greeting or handmade card. We 'show them that we care and they're not alone,' said member Dallas Waldron, a Rigby High senior. The groups also plan special events — like a week of mental-health activities. Sophomore Emilie Raymond said the shooting showed 'people need to feel included and they need to find that hope.' Another change: a new cell phone ban. Before, students were 'sitting in the corners, isolated, staring at a screen,' said Ryan Erikson, Rigby Middle's principal. Now, 'they're playing games, they're goofing off … they're actually conversing.' While the district's approach to stemming violence is robust, 'it's not perfect,' said Martin, Jefferson's superintendent. 'We're still going to have things come up that we haven't prepared for or weren't on our radar. But we address them and just try to do whatever we can to support kids.' ____ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
09-04-2025
- Associated Press
Schools relying on digital surveillance find security still takes a human touch
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. 'We've helped change … lives,' said Brianna Vasquez, a Rigby High senior and Hope Squad member. 'I've had friends who have been pulled out of the hole of depression and suicidal thoughts because of (the Hope Squad).' ___ 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 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. ___ America's educators are working to prevent harm like Rigby's shooting. Many U.S. districts have turned to technology — especially digital surveillance — 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 'very sensible.' 'People are the solution' 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. 'It's all about culture,' said Chad Martin, superintendent of Jefferson County School District in Rigby. 'It starts with that – just having a friend, having a group of friends, having a connection somewhere.' 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' keystrokes for troubling terms. Martin said those are helpful but must be used in concert with human-led initiatives. The district's 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's been missing class has a parent who was recently arrested, for example. 'Everybody has a little piece of information,' Martin said. 'The goal is to put those people in the same room and be able to paint a picture that can help us support kids.' Although Idaho doesn't mandate the use of in-school threat assessment teams, 11 states do. In 2024, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that 71% of U.S. public schools 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 'an illusion of safety and security.' 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 a recent study in Florida, where threat assessment teams are mandatory, finding 'low rates of school removal and very low rates of law enforcement actions.' 'If you're a school counselor and you can work with a troubled kid and help get them on the right track, you're not just preventing a school shooting, but you're more likely to be preventing a shooting that would occur somewhere else and maybe years in the future,' he said. Threat assessment teams aren't 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 discrimination against Black and Hispanic students. The Learning Policy Institute's DePaoli said more research is needed on whether they successfully identify threats and provide students with appropriate support. Utah's Jordan School District uses the CSTAG model. Travis Hamblin, director of student services, credits the 'human connection' 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' 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't intend any harm, Hamblin said. They chalked it up to immaturity and asked the student to refrain from such drawings. The district employs someone — a former administrator and counselor — 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. 'A digital tool for us is a tool. It's not the solution,' Hamblin said. 'We believe that people are the solution.' 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's 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's Hope Squads, in place since 2021, have become an active presence on campus. The student-led coalitions, implemented in thousands of schools across the U.S. and Canada, aim to foster connection and reduce the risk of suicide. 'We refer … students every year to counselors, and those students go from some of the worst moments in their life (to getting help),' Vasquez said. 'We build the connection between adults and faculty to the student.' Hope Squad members notice peers who seem down or isolated and reach out with a greeting or handmade card. We 'show them that we care and they're not alone,' said member Dallas Waldron, a Rigby High senior. The groups also plan special events — like a week of mental-health activities. Sophomore Emilie Raymond said the shooting showed 'people need to feel included and they need to find that hope.' Another change: a new cell phone ban. Before, students were 'sitting in the corners, isolated, staring at a screen,' said Ryan Erikson, Rigby Middle's principal. Now, 'they're playing games, they're goofing off … they're actually conversing.' While the district's approach to stemming violence is robust, 'it's not perfect,' said Martin, Jefferson's superintendent. 'We're still going to have things come up that we haven't prepared for or weren't on our radar. But we address them and just try to do whatever we can to support kids.' ____ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Watchung business hit by gunfire, police investigating
WATCHUNG – Police are investigating following reports of shots fired Monday night. Watchung police responded around 9:39 p.m. Monday to a business on westbound Route 22 where officers found evidence of gunshot damage to the building of the business, said Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald. No injuries were reported, the prosecutor said, and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Watchung Borough Police Department at 908-756-3663 or via the STOPit app. Email: alewis@ Alexander Lewis is an award-winning reporter and photojournalist whose work spans many topics. This article originally appeared on Watchung NJ business hit by gunfire, police investigating
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
Arrests made in Hillsborough, Franklin home robberies of jewelry, coins
Three men have been arrested and charged with two home robberies in Franklin and Hillsborough in October, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald announced. Rodrigo Lopez, 42, of Bridgewater, Edison Jimenez-Castro, 35, of Manville, and Andres Moncaleano, 30, of Elizabeth, were charged with burglary, theft, conspiracy to commit burglary and possession of burglary tools. Jimenez-Castro and Moncaleano also were charged with conspiracy to commit theft. Around 9:52 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2024 Franklin police officers responded to a report of a burglary at a home on Second Street where they found someone entered through a broken second-floor window, McDonald said. Video surveillance found a suspect vehicle and the residents reported jewelry, coins and artwork missing, the prosecutor said. More: Bridgewater, Tewksbury police sued in federal court over child custody false imprisonment Around 8:19 p.m. a week later on Oct. 25 Hillsborough police officers responded to a report of a burglary on Brennan Way where they found broken glass in the second-floor rear window, the prosecutor said. Video surveillance found two individuals running from the home to a vehicle that was similar to the prior robbery, McDonald said, and homeowners also reported jewelry and coins missing. An investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Burglary Unit and Hillsborough and Franklin police departments found Lopez, Jimenez-Castro, and Moncaleano were the suspects. Lopez and Jimenez-Castro are in the Somerset County Jail, while Moncaleano is in Middlesex County Jail pending a detention hearing. Anyone with information should contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Burglary Unit at 908-231-7100 or via the STOPit app. Email: alewis@ Alexander Lewis is an award-winning reporter and photojournalist whose work spans many topics. This article originally appeared on Hillsborough, Franklin NJ home robbery suspects arrested
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
Parents charged with murdering son at NJ hotel
FRANKLIN (Somerset) - A mother has been charged with murder in the death of her 4-year-old son at a township hotel a year ago. Chamyr Harris, 26, of Linden, is also facing a charge of endangering the welfare of a child, according to Somerset County First Assistant Prosecutor Annemarie L. Mueller. Harris was arrested on Monday in Woodbridge without incident. The boy's father, Sean Tate, 36, of Woodbridge, was arrested on the same charges on Feb. 18. Both Harris and Tate are lodged in the Somerset County Jail. At about 3:24 p.m. Feb. 19, 2024 township police went to the unidentified hotel on a report of an unresponsive child. Tate told the officers that his son had fallen off a toilet two days previously and had hit his head on an air conditioning unit, Mueller said. More: Woodbridge man charged with murdering 4-year-old son in Franklin hotel Tate said he iced the injury before going to bed on Feb. 19. Tate told police that when he woke up, he learned from Harris that the child was unresponsive, and he called 911, according to the Prosecutor's Office. The child was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m. Medical personnel reported that the child was emaciated and appeared to have sustained multiple injuries to his body, Mueller said. The New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner's Office on Feb, 4 determined the death was a homicide. Mueller thanked members of the Middlesex County SORT team and the Woodbridge Police Department, and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Newark Field Office – Branchburg office for their assistance with the investigation. Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app. Email: mdeak@ This article originally appeared on Parents charged with murdering son at Franklin hotel
