Responding to shootings in my school district: Commitment to crisis prevention and intervention

This narrative provides an overview of three school shootings that occurred from 1985 to 1992 in the Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District in Houston, Texas, where I worked as the Director of Psychological Services. It describes my personal response and the improved district crisis prevention and intervention resulting from these tragic shootings. The third shooting was the only one that resulted in a death. The victim was a staff member who I knew personally very well. I will recount the initial reactions to each shooting and the efforts to assist the affected staff and students. Additionally, the narrative describes the creation of building crisis teams with designated liaisons, and how the planning and training resulted in a comprehensive team response to the third shooting.