Dear Colleagues:

Violence and abuse in American society are public health issues that concern all people in our society. As this report goes to press, some areas of the state are reporting record levels of homicides and other violent crimes. Never has it been more important for us, as Minnesotans and citizens of our country, to take an active role in helping to end violence and abuse by helping victims find safety, perpetrators to change their behavior, and social institutions, from the family network to formal organizations, to respond differently to this problem.

Minnesotans have long been leaders in creatively addressing the most difficult social problems of our society. People from around the world look to the numerous "Minnesota models", be they in chemical dependency, child welfare, or violence and abuse. It is in this tradition that Senator Jane Ranum and her colleagues at the Minnesota Legislature envisioned Minnesota leadership on the issue of professional education in violence and abuse and funded the initial activities of the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse.

This report brings together the work of over one hundred Minnesota professionals concerned with higher education's response to issues of violence and abuse in our society. Task force members represent the diverse communities of our state, including a variety of professions, personal histories, ethnic and racial groups, and roles. The task forces and their individual recommendations cover four specific, interdisciplinary sets of professions: law; health services; human services; and education. The task forces have worked hard to produce practical and timely recommendations in the six months they have deliberated. Their work speaks for itself.

This report is a culmination of the task forces' work, but it is also a starting point. Now the hard work of implementing these recommendations begins. We welcome your participation in the next steps of this change process.

Sincerely,

Christine Imbra, Executive Director Jeffrey L. Edleson, Jeffrey L. Edleson Professor and Principal Investigator

A report of this magnitude and scope is rarely written by one person. Responding to Violence: Educating Minnesota Professionals for the Future is no exception. I believe that if it were not for the support, confidence and encouragement of many people this report would look much different than it does today.

First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Senator Jane Ranum for having a vision and for being able to articulate that vision to her colleagues in the Minnesota State Legislature. The Legislature put Minnesota at the vanguard once again by providing funds for the nation's first Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse. I would also like to extend my thanks to Nancy Bunnett, Senior Policy Analyst for the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office. Ms. Bunnett was involved in every stage of the grant and remained enthusiastic about the Center's activities throughout its initial year.

In addition, I would like to thank Jeffrey Edleson, Social Work Professor, and Jamie Tiedemann, Sexual Violence Program Director, both at the University of Minnesota, for writing the grant and for having a clear understanding of the potential impact a Center of this nature could have on Minnesota professionals. Their stellar support allowed me and the Center's staff to create a project we could all be proud of.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank the Center's staff and Advisory Board members for their assistance, friendship and support this past year. Their commitment to this process enabled task force members to perform their job efficiently and effectively.

Christine Imbra October 1995

The Minnesota Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse was established in 1994 with funds from the 1993 Minnesota Omnibus Crime Bill. The Center is a program of the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board (now the Higher Education Services Office) and is located at the University of Minnesota.

A major activity of the Center included the development of four task forces: Law; Health Services; Human Services; and Education. The task forces were charged with reviewing, revising and recommending violence education in nine professional higher education programs:

Task force members examined preparation, licensing, and continuing education and developed an intervention strategy in the form of Recommendations and Strategies for implementation. Recommendations are advisory in nature, yet task force members chose to use the word "will" instead of "should" to provide an aspirational tone. It is the wish of task force members that the recommendations are read with the spirit of that tone in mind.

Several critical themes emerged across professions and task forces:

These critical themes helped set the philosophical framework for the development of the recommendations and apply to all nine professions studied in this report. Some of the professions included these general themes in their recommendations and others felt that a statement in their introduction would help set the tone of their report.

Mission

The Center's primary mission is to revise the preparation, licensing and continuing education of a wide range of Minnesota professionals on issues of violence and abuse.

Outcomes

When professionals intervene they will be more likely to:

Purpose and Scope

The Minnesota Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse works in cooperation with organizations statewide to develop higher education programs that prepare professionals to provide safety and services to victims of violence, hold perpetrators accountable for their actions, and address the root causes of violence. The Center serves as a resource to all Minnesota higher education institutions and to selected professional licensing agencies.

The work of the Center is to promote professional and general education about prevention, extent, causes, and interventions for all types of violence. Violence is understood to include not only violent "street" crimes, but also domestic violence, rape, child abuse and neglect, abuse of vulnerable adults, harassment based on gender, race or sexual orientation, hate/bias crimes, sexual exploitation of clients, and all other forms of violence, abuse and harassment.

Activities

Task Forces

Task forces evaluated professions within the following four professional areas: law; education; health services; and human services. The focus was on training and licensure of lawyers, law enforcement officers, nurses, physicians, psychologists, social workers, teachers, school administrators and guidance counselors. Task forces assessed and recommended changes in current professional programs, licensing and accreditation standards relating to professional responsiblities in addressing violence, abuse and harassment. Plans and recommendations for revising the preparation, licensing and continuing education of professionals will become the future work of the Center. The Center will assist all of the professions in formulating the integration of recommended training for their members by providing a list of trainers, curriculum and resources on all forms of violence, abuse and harassment.

Clearinghouse

The Center has developed an electronic Clearinghouse of information that can assist faculty and staff in developing higher education curricula on violence and abuse. The Clearinghouse supports professional education for working with victims/survivors and perpetrators. Information in the Clearinghouse is available to people in higher education statewide and includes resources to assist all Minnersota colleges, universities and career schools. The Clearinghouse showcases information developed or written by state and national experts on violence and harassment. Staff of the Center maintain existing entries and input new information and resources regularly.

Conferences

The Center will facilitate and co-sponsor conferences on topics related to violence and abuse that are initiated by institutions of higher education in collaboration with community-based Minnesota organizations. The Center will convene a statewide conference focused on "Higher Education's Role in Ending Violence and Abuse." This conference will feature academic, professional and community representatives and will highlight ways in which higher education can play multiple roles in ending violence and abuse.

Outreach

Staff are committed to holding Center events and activities in various locations throughout Minnesota. Regionals meetings will be convened annually in order to provide access to and input from professionals in each region. Constituents in the state have access to the Center through electronic networking, a newsletter, a statewide toll free telephone and membership on various committees.

Members of the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse Advisory Board include:

Mary Albrecht, MN Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Nancy Biele, Consultant - Violence Prevention

Nancy Bunnett, MN Higher Education Services Office

Judith Canney, Minneapolis Technical College

Barbara Carson, Mankato State University,

Melvin Carter, St. Paul Police Department

Jeffrey Edleson, University of Minnesota

Marti Erickson, University of Minnesota

Susan Furstenberg, University of Minnesota

Eng Her, Hmong Minnesota Association

Susan Lowe, Minneapolis Community College

Mario Prada, University of Minnesota - Crookston

Jane Ranum, MN State Senate

Barbara Shank, University of St. Thomas

Matthea Little Smith, MN Coalition for Battered Women

Debra Smith-McGee, Medical Institute of Minnesota

Donald Streufert, Center for Reducing Rural Violence

Carol Sullivan, MN Department of Education

Jamie Tiedemann, University of Minnesota

Mary Trippler, U. S. Department of Justice

Paul Tschida, University of Minnesota

Sheila Wellstone, Senator Wellstone's Office

The Minnesota State Legislature passed legislation in 1992 directing the Higher Education Coordinating Board (now the Higher Education Services Office) to survey recent college graduates in the state and evaluate the adequacy of the professional education they had received about violence and abuse. In February 1993 the Inventory of Post-Secondary Courses on Violence and Abuse* was published by the Higher Education Coordinating Board. A task force of higher education and licensing board representatives reviewed the survey results as well as an inventory of current courses on violence and abuse. Their recommendation to the State Legislature, found in the Report of the Task Force on Professional Education about Violence and Abuse,** was to establish a Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse.

The Legislature recognized the critical role of professional education in preparing graduates to be part of the state's strategy to reduce violence, abuse, and harassment by supporting the task force's recommendation. Legislation and funding to establish the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse was part of the 1993 Minnesota Omnibus Crime bill.

Following the establishment of the Center in mid-1994, a plan was developed and implemented to systematically review nine professions for adequacy of violence prevention education and to determine if students were adequately prepared for their professional work as it pertained to violence-related issues.

Over a six month period in 1995 the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse convened four Task Forces: Law; Education; Health Services; and Human Services. These Task Forces were the culmination of a three year effort by the Higher Education Coordinating Board to ascertain the level of preparation students in Minnesota's higher education system received on violence prevention education and training. Once it was determined that student preparation in Minnesota higher education institutions is limited in the area of violence prevention education and training, each task force devoted considerable time and attention to the development of recommendations for revisions in student preparation, licensing and continuing education.

This report provides an overview of the work of the Task Forces, beginning with the Charge and ending with Recommendations for Change.

*The complete report can be obtained from the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office

** The complete report can be obtained from the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office

The Task Forces were charged with:

Violence education in nine professional higher education programs:

Task Force members examined:

and developed an intervention strategy in the form of recommendations and strategies for implementation.

The Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse anticipates that when professionals are adequately prepared to intervene they will be more likely to:

It is with this thought in mind that the spirit of the Task Force work was established and sustained.

The Higher Education Coordinating Board conducted the initial survey of recent Minnesota college graduates, Recent Graduates Survey of Professional Education about Violence and Abuse: Results and Technical Report,* to determine the adequacy of preparation they received on violence issues (See Appendix A).

Table 1 illustrates the need for education on violence issues.

*The complete report can be obtained form the Minnesota Center for Survey Research.

**These professions were combined because they have small numbers of recent graduates who are employed in their professions.

Over three hundred fifty (350) persons were nominated for the four Task Forces, which were organized by professional affiliation.

Each Task Force was composed of higher education faculty, practitioners, students, representatives from community organizations, licensing agencies, and citizen representatives. An effort was made to include a diverse group of people on each Task Force. Table 2 indicates gender, geographic and racial/ethnic diversity.

Members were also selected to represent a diverse range of organizations as indicated by the Task Force member list that follows (See Appendix B for a list of task force members by task force):

Task Force Members

Jerry Abbott, Bemidji Area Schools

Jim Ambuehl, Morrison County Sheriff's Department

Larry Anderson, University of Minnesota Police

Stephanie Anderson, University of Minnesota - Medical Student

William Anderson, Minnesota Board of Social Work

Richard Auld, Board of Medical Practice

Roberta Ballot, University of Minnesota Hospital &Clinic

Jan Bilden, Grand Rapids Public Schools

Lee Bird, St. Cloud State University

John Blanch, St. Cloud State University

Gaylia Borror, Winona State University

Don Bradel, Bemidji State University

Mary Brandl, Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Willie Bridges, Hennepin County Attorney's Office

Kathy Carr, Bemidji State University Criminal Justice Student

Millie Caspersen, Hennepin County Medical Center

Bonnie Clairmont, Sexual Offense Services of Ramsey County

Michael Cline, Ramsey Family Physicians

Peg Corneille, Minnesota Board of Law Examiners

Richard Crawford, Minnesota Department of Corrections

Pat Cretilli, Mankato State University

Mike Cromett, William Mitchell College of Law

Laurie Desiderato, Bemidji State University

George Droubie, Minnesota Department of Education

Pam Elliott, Abbott and Associates

Adella Espelien, Minnesota Nurses Association

Patricia Frazier, University of Minnesota

Lou Fuller, Minnesota Department of Health

Lila George, Bemidji State University

Al Holloway, Model Cities Family Development Center

Jan Leslie Holtz, College of St. Benedict

Eileen Hudon, Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women

Ann Ibs, William Mitchell College of Law - Student

Barbara E. D. Johnson, Minnesota Board of Nursing

Roberta Jones, Hennepin County Attorney's Office

Mary Nell Kaiser, St. Paul Public Schools

Vivian Klauber, Normandale Community College

Mary Kay Klein, Benshoof &Klein, P.A.

Judith Knutson, College of St. Benedict

Trudy Kunkel, Mankato Department of Public Safety

Julie Landsman, Minneapolis Public Schools

John Laux/Peg Strand, Peace Officer Standards and Training Board

Jean Leicester, Winona State University

Harvey Linder, Minnesota Board of Psychology

Steve Lorenz, Range Technical College

William McGee, Hennepin County Attorney's Office

Michael McGrane, Wilder Community Assistance Program

Tim McGuire, Family Service Inc.

Geneva Middleton, Normandale Community College

Jeanette Milgrom, Walk-In Counseling Center

Mindy Mitnick, Uptown Mental Health Center

Ed Nadolny, Woodland Center

Darcia Narvaez, University of Minnesota

Willie Nesbit, Lakewood Community College

Maurice Nins, Jr., Save Our Sons, Inc.

Nadya Parker, University of Minnesota - Doctoral Student

Michele Peterson, University of Minnesota - Medical Student

Margaret Dexheimer Pharris, University of Minnesota - Doctoral Student

David Power, University of Minnesota

Mary Nell Preisler, Private Practice - Mediator

Pat Prinzevalle, Alexandra House

Michelle Proft, St. Cloud State University - Graduate Student

Elaine Prom, Minnesota Board of Teaching

Renee Rau, OSB, University of St. Thomas - Graduate Student

Sharon Rice Vaughan, Metropolitan State University

Nancy Riestenberg, Minnesota Department of Education

Karen Ristau, University of St. Thomas

Lloyd Rivers, Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association

Mark Schmitz, St. Cloud State University - Graduate Student

Jane Schulz, Minneapolis Public Schools

Nancy Schwartz, Dunwoody Institute

Joanne Seaberg, WomanKind

Barbara Shank, University of St. Thomas

Marjory Singher, Sexual Offense Services

Susan Smith-Cunnien, University of St. Thomas

Kate Steffens, Bemidji State University

Sonya Steven, Hennepin County Attorney?s Office

Judy TeBeest, 6W Community Corrections

Bo Thao, Hmong Youth Association

Renee Van Gorp, Fridley Public Schools

Mark S. Vukelich, Minnesota Medical Association

Ike Welborn, Ramsey Action Programs

Denise Wilder, Association of Minnesota Women Psychologists

Oliver Williams, University of Minnesota

Cindy Wold, University of Minnesota - Student

Beth Zemsky, University of Minnesota

Three meetings were conducted before this report was written and disseminated.

Each Task Force met for two days in April, one day in June, and one day in September. The first meeting was an overnight retreat to give members the opportunity to get to know each other as well as to provide them with a solid understanding of their charge.

Task Force members studied the two reports disseminated by the Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Rules and Statutes governing the related licensing agencies. Task Force members were also asked to examine current information on coursework, licensing and continuing education to determine if students were adequately prepared in the professional areas they were assigned (eg: The Law Task Force studied information from Law schools and Law Enforcement programs).

Table 3 provides an overview of the licensing, curriculum and continuing education requirements for the nine professions studied in this report.

A working definition of violence was given to Task Force members before beginning their work. The Minnesota Violence Prevention Advisory Task Force Report* of January 1995 defines violence as:

Words and actions that hurt people. Violence is the abusive or unjust exercise of power, intimidation, harassment, and/or the threatened or actual use of force which results in or has a high likelihood of causing hurt, fear, injury, suffering, or death.

Each task force approached this definition in a different way; some modified the definition while others simply referred to it periodically throughout their work.

Violence, for the purpose of the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse, is understood to include not only violent "street" crimes, but also domestic violence, rape, child abuse and neglect, abuse of vulnerable adults, harassment based on gender, race, sexual orientation, hate/bias crimes, sexual exploitation of clients, and all other forms of violence, abuse and harassment.

*The complete report can be obtained from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety

The four task force groups each approached their charge in a different way. However, all developed recommendations that involve higher education institutions, licensing agencies and continuing education providers. In addition, some recommendations include statements focused on the Minnesota State Legislature as well as professional associations/organizations.

The nine individual reports each focus on a specific profession and include:

Fifty-six (56) recommendations were made, although no fixed number was expected. The number of recommendations is based on task force members' perceptions of the needs of their specific field. Table 4 illustrates the total number of recommendations per profession and in which area the recommendations were made. Recommendations made in Preparation will be of interest to higher education institutions. Recommendations made in Licensing and Continuing Education will be of interest to licensing boards and professional associations.

Emerging Themes

Several critical themes emerged across professions and task forces:

These critical themes helped set the philosophical framework for the development of the recommendations and apply to all nine professions studied in this report. Some of the professions included these general themes in their recommendations and others felt that a statement in their introduction would help set the tone of their report.

Two Final Points:

First, the reader should know that task force members struggled with word usage when designing their recommendations. Although "should" may have been more appropriate as a directive for making recommendations, "will" was chosen to articulate that these recommendations are aspirational in nature. We implore the reader not to ignore the content of the recommendations simply because of the word "will." We do not have a mandate, nor do we wish to offend anyone. We simply felt strongly about our charge.

Second, the list of "strategies" following each recommendation is certainly not exhaustive. We encourage the reader to develop and design additional strategies, if necessary, to assure that the recommendations are implemented. In addition, the reader is encouraged to review the Executive Summary for a list of all 56 recommendations, many of which are pertinent to all professions studied.

Introduction

In meeting its charge to prevent and respond to violence through the education of professionals who are likely to work with victims/survivors and offenders, the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse appropriately focused the attention of one of its task forces on the training and education of lawyers.

Lawyers are accorded status and power through their admission to the bar. They can make a significant impact on society through their actions as attorneys and citizens. Even in the face of contemporary disillusionment over the justice system and its faults, they are looked upon to establish and uphold the aspirational, ethical mores of our society as "ministers of justice."

While such a perspective on lawyering may well seem archaic to some, it is in fact reflected in the view of lawyers incorporated into the preamble to The Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct for Lawyers, which states:

A lawyer is....a public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice....As a member of a learned profession, a lawyer should cultivate knowledge of the law beyond its use for clients, employ that knowledge in reform of the law, and work to strengthen legal education.

Thus, lawyers play a critical role in shaping our culture's direction. They can be significant actors in working toward a less violent society.

The Law Task Force reviewed surveys of recent law graduates by the Higher Education Coordinating Board and also reviewed course offerings from Minnesota law schools. Both reflected the same pattern: integrated training as to issues of violence and abuse identification and prevention is significantly lacking in current law school and continuing education curricula. While acknowledging the need for specific law-related course content in those venues, the Law Task Force nonetheless strongly endorses specific training that will better enable lawyers-throughout all aspects of their professional life-to understand, identify and address the causes of violence and abuse.

Sonya Steven, Attorney Law Task Force Member

Preparation

Recommendation #1: Minnesota's law schools will offer a comprehensive curriculum that prepares law school students to understand, identify and address the causes and effects of violence and abuse.

Rationale: Eighty percent (80%) of recent law school graduates responding to the Higher Education Coordinating Board survey stated their work has required them to understand issues related to violence and abuse (See Appendix A).

Strategies: Law school curriculum on violence and abuse issues will include:

Recommendation #2: Minnesota's law schools will design and offer internship opportunities/experiences relating to violence and abuse for all law school students.

Rationale: Internships in organizations that work with victims/survivors and perpetrators of violent crime will enhance the skills component of curriculum that is not currently found in existing coursework.

Strategies:

Recommendation #3: Minnesota's law schools will encourage and support at least one faculty member who has expertise in violence education.

Rationale: Identifying and designating one or more faculty member(s) with the knowledge base and understanding of violence issues would provide resources at each law school.

Strategies:

Recommendation #4: Law school admissions officers will ask all potential law school students if they have ever been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a violent crime.

Rationale: Standards for admission to law school should be high. Asking about criminal background at this stage would reinforce the expectation that attorneys will be held to the highest standards.

Strategies:

Licensing

Recommendation #1: All applicants to the Bar will be required to disclose criminal convictions. All practicing attorneys will be required to report criminal convictions prior to license renewal.

Rationale: Attorneys are perceived as community leaders, dedicated to upholding the law, and as such, should be worthy of holding a license.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: Appropriate certification boards will create a specialization in law relative to crimes of violence which requires specific education.

Rationale: Violence in our society is escalating. Creating a specialization in this area would: assure citizens of attorney competency; provide support for attorneys interested in this issue; recognize the importance of violence issues in the study of law; and provide other attorneys with colleagues that are resources.

Strategies:

Continuing Education

Recommendation #1: Providers who produce "Bridge the Gap" programs for recent law school graduates will include a section on violence and abuse issues.

Rationale: Although not mandatory, many attorneys attend this course. Including a section on violence and abuse would give new attorneys one more opportunity to gain knowledge in this area.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: The Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse or a similar organization will provide resources for law school and continuing legal education faculty, students and attorneys to access information on violence and abuse issues.

Rationale: A single center that would act as a clearinghouse for faculty, students and attorneys would provide easy access and up-to-date information on violence issues.

Strategies:

Recommendation #3: The Continuing Legal Education Board will expand their course approval criteria so that courses/workshops addressing violence and abuse education that relate to the practice of law are recognized for credit.

Rationale: Current credit approval criteria may exclude violence and abuse curricula. Expanding criteria would allow for more continuing legal education credit around violence issues.

Strategy: The Continuing Legal Education Board will review and expand criteria to include training related to violence and abuse issues.

Recommendation #4: Minnesota's providers of continuing legal education will sponsor/provide more quality programs on violence and abuse issues.

Rationale: Attorneys have recognized a shortage of quality workshops/courses on violence issues available to attend.

Strategy: The Continuing Legal Education Board will contact continuing legal education providers and request that they make an effort to provide quality programs in the area of violence and abuse and to make certain that programs are current and taught by competent, experienced persons.

Introduction

The Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse describes itself in part, as working with organizations to develop higher education programs that prepare professionals to provide safety and services to victims/survivors of violence, hold perpetrators accountable for their actions and address the root causes of violence.

As with many of our social ills, law enforcement is the gateway to government's response to the call for help. With rare exception, if law enforcement, as a first responder, does not answer the call in an appropriate manner, that which follows may at best be inadequate or in the least find no subsequent response taking place. Law enforcement officials respond to much more than visible injuries when confronted with issues of violence. The responding peace officer must be prepared to offer options to the victim, deal with the emotional and psychological trauma of the moment, understand the cultural differences of those seeking help, and be knowledgeable about the other important issues involving violence.

All involved in this issue of violence have an important role to play with law enforcement: the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board must adopt realistic and effective learning objectives; higher education must equip candidates with proper foundation; and administrators must continually train and update their police and peace officers on state-of-the-art responses.

A collaborative response to violence from these entities built on understanding, compassion and training will ensure the response from law enforcement will always be the best humankind can offer.

John Laux, Executive Director, Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training Law Task Force Member

Preparation

Recommendation #1: Law enforcement faculty will be knowledgeable about current violence issues and know how to turn theory into practice.

Rationale: Law enforcement is a direct-service field and faculty need to provide students with a realistic view of what to expect as a licensed peace officer in the areas of violence and abuse.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: The Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Board will review current curriculum objectives relating to violence and abuse to determine if they are translating into effective law enforcement practice.

Rationale: Although learning objectives currently address some violence and abuse issues, there is a concern among law enforcement professionals that learning objectives which currently address violence and abuse issues do not include sensitivity and understanding of this issue in practice.

Strategies:

Recommendation #3: Minnesota's law enforcement schools will create experiential learning opportunities in areas related to violence and abuse for law enforcement students.

Rationale: The more exposure a student has to appropriate interventions in violent situations, the more adequately prepared s/he will be for duty.

Strategies:

Licensing

Recommendation #1: The P.O.S.T. Board will define "conduct unbecoming an officer" which will include patterns of physical, sexual or emotional abuse or harassment, even short of a criminal conviction.

Rationale: The citizens of Minnesota must be assured that officers are held to the highest standard.

Strategy: The P.O.S.T. Board will amend their Rules to include this recommendation.

Continuing Education

Recommendation #1: A comprehensive continuing education curriculum will be developed to address violence and abuse issues.

Rationale: Ninety-three percent (93%) of new law enforcement officers responding to the Higher Education Coordinating Board survey stated their work required them to have an understanding of violence and abuse issues (See Appendix A).

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: The P.O.S.T. Board will centralize information about violence and abuse training available for licensed peace officers for continuing education credit.

Rationale: Peace officers will be able to access information on violence and abuse in an efficient and easy manner. Currently, there is not a central location that houses this information.

Strategies:

Introduction

Nurses, regardless of their educational preparation, scope of practice, or practice setting can expect to frequently interact with victims and perpetrators of violence and abuse. Assessment, planning, providing care and evaluation are the essential actions carried out by nurses, who work either independently or in collaboration with other health team members to maximize the health potential of individuals and populations. Increasingly in their practices, nurses are responsible for the primary care of individuals and primary prevention and health promotion efforts in communities. In this capacity, nurses play a significant role in preventing, assessing, and treating victims of violence.

Recognizing the need for nurses to be adequately prepared to intervene in situations where involvement in violent behavior is an issue, the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board surveyed 187 nurses, identified through licensing board records, who are currently employed as nurses and who graduated within the past five years with a nursing degree from a Minnesota institution of higher education. The survey was designed to determine nurses? sense of preparedness in dealing with situations involving violence and to develop a plan to adequately educate nursing professionals so that they understand the prevalence and causes of violence and respond appropriately to the victims, survivors and perpetrators of violence for whom it is their duty to care.

The survey results indicated that seventy-seven percent (77%) of nurses reported being in a work environment requiring an understanding of violence, abuse or harassment. Between sixty and eighty percent (60%-80%) of nurses surveyed reported feeling inadequately prepared by their nursing education to work with victims and offenders, deal with hate crimes and racism and prevent violence, abuse, and harassment. The areas deemed "most important" in developing future curricula by the nurses surveyed were: child abuse and neglect; abuse of vulnerable adults; identification and prevention of violence, abuse, and harassment; and sexual violence. A survey of all of the schools of nursing in Minnesota showed that all but one program preparing registered nurses and two programs preparing practical nurses offer courses that include violence and abuse issues.

In developing recommendations, the Health Services Task Force discovered that nursing is unique in the way essential curricula is mandated. Unlike boards governing other professions, the Minnesota Board of Nursing stipulates a set of necessary nursing abilities. Under this system, schools of nursing are given complete autonomy in determining the method in which they will prepare their students to meet the essential nursing outcomes. These outcomes are evaluated directly as well as by scores on the national licensing exam. Therefore, in order to impact curricula, it is essential that the items on the nursing licensing exam include questions assessing adequacy of knowledge regarding the prevention and treatment of violence, abuse and harassment and that the necessary nursing abilities stipulated in the Rules Relating to the Minnesota Board of Nursing include abilities related to violence prevention, assessment and treatment.

A working task force group of nurses developed the following set of recommendations for state-wide changes in nursing preparation, licensing and continuing education so that adequate training of all nurses could be assured in the areas of violence prevention and the treatment of victims, survivors and perpetrators of violent acts.

Roberta Ballot, Nurse Margaret Dexheimier Pharris, Nurse Health Services Task Force

Preparation

Recommendation #1: Key nursing abilities on issues of violence and abuse will be included and integrated into existing nursing outcomes, as appropriate for the scope of practice.

Rationale: Currently there are no specific requirements for violence and abuse educational outcomes in nursing school, yet seventy-seven percent (77%) of recent nursing graduates responding to the Higher Education Coordinating Board survey stated their work has required them to understand issues related to violence and abuse (See Appendix A).

Strategy: Key nursing abilities will include:

Recommendation #2: All nursing students will attend self-awareness strategizing seminars addressing violence and abuse as part of their educational curriculum.

Rationale: It is recognized that persons entering helping fields often have their own issues to address and if these issues are not explored they may interfere in practice.

Strategies:

Licensing

Recommendation #1: The National Council of State Boards of Nursing will be requested to include questions addressing violence and abuse in the Job Analysis Study so they could potentially be included on the National Board Exam.

Rationale: One identifiable way to impact nursing program outcomes is to include questions pertaining to violence and abuse on the licensing exam. This would reinforce the importance of violence and abuse education.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) in conjunction with other health associations will lobby for the Legislature to create a statute that would mandate workplace environments that are free of physical violence and verbal abuse (similar to OSHA standards).

Rationale: The MNA contract with Twin Cities hospitals provides a model for safe workplace environments, free of physical violence and verbal abuse. This contract will be used as a statewide model because nurses are at the primary, secondary, and tertiary level of violence prevention.

Strategies:

Recommendation #3: In the Rules Relating to the Minnesota Board of Nursing definitions and abilities will be made to include violence and abuse.

Rationale: Adding definitions and abilities to the Rules ensures that nursing programs will include this topic in their curriculum.

Strategies:

Continuing Education

Recommendation #1: A statewide directory of resources will be developed of continuing education providers for health care professionals in the areas of violence and abuse.

Rationale: There is currently a tremendous amount of variety in how education is, and can be, delivered. Nursing educators need to know how to access programs and what continuing education programs are available on this issue.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: With regard to key nursing abilities (Recommendation #1 - Preparation, continuing education courses will address ethics, racial, cultural and sexual orientation sensitivity, utilizing case discussion and practical clinical guidelines.

Rationale: Requiring continuing education providers to include these areas in their programming will ensure that standards and quality are established and maintained.

Strategies:

Introduction

Violence in America has been recognized as both an epidemic and as a public health emergency. The morbidity and mortality from interpersonal violence continues to climb. It is estimated that up to twenty-five to thirty-five percent (25% to 35%) of women who seek care in emergency departments are there as a result of domestic violence. In very few of these cases is domestic violence identified by physicians as a factor in their presenting condition.

Physicians in nearly every field of medicine are in a unique position to recognize the manifestations of violence, be advocates for its victims/survivors, and provide the necessary intervention. The American Medical Association, state medical associations (notably the Minnesota Medical Association), and numerous medical specialty organizations have recognized the magnitude of the problem of violence and are promoting and supporting educational programs to increase physician knowledge of the causes, manifestations and harmful effects of interpersonal violence.

The survey conducted by the Higher Education Coordinating Board polled recent medical school graduates in Minnesota to evaluate the professional education these graduates received regarding violence and abuse. Eighty-six percent (86%) of the respondents recognized that an understanding of violence, abuse and harassment is needed to do their jobs. Many violence issues were seen by these individuals as very important to the education of physicians. The top five issues identified as needing more emphasis were: the identification of violence, abuse, and harassment; child abuse and neglect; abuse and harassment; domestic abuse; and abuse of vulnerable adults.

The physicians group of the Health Services Task Force of the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse was charged with the task of determining the adequacy of violence and abuse education in the preparation (medical school and residency training), licensing and continuing education of physicians. Based on that review, the task force has made recommendations and advised strategies for meeting these education needs.

John Blanch, Physician Health Services Task Force Member

Preparation

Recommendation #1: Education on violence and abuse will be a part of every medical student's and resident physician's education.

Rationale: Information impacts behavior; giving medical students the language, vocabulary, sensitivity and questions to ask will assure a more accurate patient history, diagnosis and treatment plan.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: The Board of Medical Practice and the Minnesota Medical Association will work with the state medical schools to infuse issues of medical jurisprudence, including issues of violence and abuse, into medical school curriculum.

Rationale: Given that there is no Minnesota State Medical Exam, the task force felt Minnesota medical schools should be the initial focus of discussion on this topic.

Strategy: The Board of Medical Practice and the Minnesota Medical Association will meet with representatives of medical schools to implement this recommendation.

Licensing

Recommendation #1: The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice will work with the Minnesota Medical Association in contacting the American Medical Association and the Federation of State Medical Boards to urge the inclusion of items related to violence and abuse in future standardized professional examinations.

Rationale: Eighty-six percent (86%) of new physicians surveyed by the Higher Education Coordinating Board stated their work required them to understand issues related to violence and abuse (See Appendix A).

Strategy: The Board of Medical Practice will assign someone to review and implement this recommendation.

Continuing Education

Recommendation #1: The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice will strongly encourage health professionals, employers and professional associations to create incentives for all practitioners to take continuing education violence prevention training.

Rationale: All physicians interface with violence and abuse. Incentives create more of a cooperative effort among associations, employers and practitioners.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: All specialty boards will include violence and abuse in their educational and testing requirements.

Rationale: Within each specialty a significant number of patients will be affected by violence and abuse.

Strategies:

Introduction

Violence, abuse and harassment are issues that all psychologists encounter in their work. Wherever psychologists work--in clinical, organizational or academic settings--knowledge about violence, its causes and effects is an essential part of our job. All psychologists must be prepared to address these concerns with their clients, students, trainees, and colleagues.

However, there is startlingly little coursework on violence in the curriculum of Minnesota graduate training programs in psychology. Almost three-quarters of recent graduates from advanced degree programs in psychology report that they did not gain knowledge about violence, abuse and harassment from coursework. These recent graduates overwhelmingly describe the need to develop more graduate coursework on violence-related issues for future psychologists.

Most psychologists currently working were not offered violence-related coursework in their graduate training. These psychologists need continuing education opportunities to obtain and maintain the knowledge and skills to work with violence and abuse related issues.

As a profession we must recognize the urgent need for psychology to identify and intervene in violence at individual, family, institutional and cultural levels. The goal of psychologists on the Human Services Task Force in offering the following recommendations, is to increase the likelihood that we will be able to address that need responsibly and effectively.

Mindy Mitnick, Psychologist Denise Wilder, Psychologist Human Services Task Force Members

Preparation

Recommendation #1: Psychology students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels will be educated on violence and abuse issues through coursework and/or other learning opportunities including practica, internships, research opportunities and independent study.

Rationale: Violence is a pervasive social issue. One hundred percent (100%) of the new psychologists surveyed by the Higher Education Coordinating Board stated that their work has required them to understand issues related to violence, yet they did not receive adequate training in this area (See Appendix A).

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: Each higher education institution in Minnesota will ensure the assessment of their psychology faculty's expertise on violence issues.

Rationale: Instructors teaching psychology courses must have knowledge about violence issues or experience in delivering such course work in order to give students a realistic view of the profession.

Strategies:

Licensing

Recommendation #1: In order to be re-licensed in the state of Minnesota, a psychologist must have four (4) hours of continuing education on violence and abuse issues per renewal period.

Rationale: Most Task Force members felt that it was important that at least ten percent (10%) of the continuing education requirement be devoted to violence and abuse issues in order to correct the deficiency in coursework preparation and ensure that psychologists are current in this field.

Strategies:

Continuing Education

Recommendation #1: Continuing education courses on violence and abuse will be more diverse and accessible to psychologists around the state.

Rationale: Given that violence and abuse are a statewide problem, and access to continuing education is important, courses should be offered that are more diverse and accessible to professionals statewide.

Strategies:

Introduction

Social work strives to understand people within their situation. It has recognized the importance of understanding how people and their environments affect each other. Environments which are abusive or violent have a violent impact on the people who live within them: people who are violent have a destructive impact on the environments they occupy.

Violence is endemic to our society. When considering the separate processes of learning and applying what one has learned, it is important for social workers to bear the following principles in mind:

The profession's tradition of meeting people where they are compels social workers to continue the process of knowledge building about the interaction between abusive environments, violent people and those affected by them. The purpose of such knowledge-building is to better understand and more effectively intervene with people who are in violent and abusive situations.

The ultimate aim of better understanding and effective intervention is change. We live in a society which needs to change its habit of resorting to violence to establish and maintain relationships.

Understand. Intervene. Change. The recommendations of the Social Work professionals on the Human Services Task Force reflect the importance of this process and embody a spirit of urgency directed to all those in human service who desire to make a difference in responding to violence and abuse. We must continually train ourselves to recognize and change situations of violence and abuse. By doing so, perhaps we will help our society arrive at that point described by the German poet Schiller in which "Peace is rarely denied to the peaceful."

Tim McGuire, Social Worker Human Services Task Force Member

Preparation

Recommendation #1: Social work students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels will be educated on violence and abuse issues through coursework and/or other learning opportunities including practica, internships, research opportunities and independent study.

Rationale: Ninety-eight percent (98%) of recent social work graduates surveyed by the Higher Education Coordinating Board stated their work has required them to understand issues related to violence and abuse (See Appendix A). Implementing this recommendation will provide students with a comprehensive curriculum on violence education.

Strategies:

Licensing

Recommendation #1: The Minnesota Board of Social Work will work to ensure that applicants for a social work license are tested on knowledge of violence and abuse-related issues, including mandated reporting laws.

Rationale: Social workers spend a significant amount of time working with victims and offenders of violent crime. Before being allowed to practice, they should be tested for competency in this area.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: In order to be re-licensed in the state of Minnesota, a social worker must have ten percent (10%) of continuing education units on violence and abuse issues per renewal period.

Rationale: Mandating continuing education units provides some assurance that all social workers are exposed to the issue of violence and abuse.

Strategies:

Continuing Education

Recommendation #1: The Board of Social Work will recognize service learning on violence-related issues and allow continuing education units to be used for experiential learning.

Rationale: Experiential learning is a valid and valuable form of learning about violence and abuse and should be credited toward a social worker's continuing education requirement.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: Continuing education courses on violence and abuse will be of high quality, diverse and accessible to all social workers.

Rationale: Given that violence and abuse are a statewide problem, and access to continuing education statewide is important, courses should be offered that are more diverse, of higher quality and more easily accessible to professionals statewide (ex: financially, geographically, to persons with disabilities, etc.)

Strategies:

Introduction

There is no question in the minds of thoughtful citizens of any political persuasion in the United States that violence in this country is at a dangerous level. This understanding, combined with the fact that there is an increase in violent crimes committed by young people, makes violence prevention and conflict resolution education a number one priority for all institutions from pre-school to college.

Despite the urgency of our situation as classroom teachers and as teacher trainers, there is neither a required course in violence prevention nor required continuing education work in methods of dealing with abuse and neglect. In a survey conducted by the Higher Education Coordinating Board eighty-seven percent (87%) of educators saw the necessity for developing new courses and workshops in the areas of child abuse and neglect, prevention of violence and harassment, sexual violence and racial and cultural sensitivity. Their top issue, above all the others, however, was the need for further work in the identification of violence, abuse and harassment.

Educators are giving us a mandate to find useful ways to help them in their classrooms, be they new teachers or those with many years behind them. At the present moment teachers have to learn about these issues on their own, while at the same time, their work in the schools has required them to understand issues related to violence and abuse.

There are many ways to help teachers: training in peer mediation techniques, classroom management techniques, workshops in identification of abused children and reporting procedures. Changing general attitudes toward women and young people of color can also be part of instruction in prevention of violence. Mentoring, community involvement and parent support groups are several ways schools can reach out to their local districts and neighborhoods for help. It is no longer just a question of such coursework being a frill, or an add-on in our work in the classrooms of this country. The conclusion of the educators on this Task Force was that violence prevention education is basic to successful education for all teachers and for all students in our schools. The rate at which young people are resorting to violence, the availability of weapons and the climate of our country at present make such education a top priority for all of us who are concerned about our students, and our sons and daughters.

Julie Landsman, Teacher Education Task Force Member

Preparation

Recommendation #1: Students enrolled in higher education teacher preparation programs will be required to take a course on violence education.

Rationale: Eighty-six percent (86%) of recent teacher education graduates surveyed by the Higher Education Coordinating Board responded that their work requires them to have an understanding of issues related to violence and abuse (See Appendix A).

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: Service learning will be a part of all teacher preparation programs with an emphasis on prevention strategies for violence and abuse.

Rationale: Service learning creates real life experiences for students that impacts classroom learning and enhances the lives of others.

Strategies:

Licensing

Recommendation #1: The Board of Teaching will revoke the teaching license of any teacher who is physically, sexually or emotionally abusive or exhibits a repeated pattern of harassing behavior, if all forms of appropriate remediation have failed.

Rationale: Teachers have an ethical responsibility to students, colleagues and parents to perform their duties in a professional, non-abusive manner.

Strategy: The Board of Teaching will adopt a protocol that teachers will report to their supervisors a colleague who is demonstrating abusive/harassive behavior.

Recommendation #2: Any teacher who was schooled outside of Minnesota will not be licensed until they have attended violence education training in Minnesota.

Rationale: The expectation is that all teachers in Minnesota have pertinent and equivalent training on violence education issues.

Strategies:

Continuing Education

Recommendation #1: Continuing education for teachers will be restructured into "content areas," one of which would include violence education.

Rationale: Currently, there is no structure for one hundred twenty-five (125) clock hours of continuing education across school districts. A structure would provide assurance that teachers were competent in certain areas.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: Minnesota schools will develop strategies to create a service learning model for teachers that would put Minnesota at the vanguard in violence prevention and community building.

Rationale: Teachers have expressed that service learning provides them with an opportunity to rejuvenate and to integrate themselves into the communities of their students. Teachers all over the state would enter their communities and become more in touch with and part of their students' lives, families, recreational centers, churches, etc.

Strategies:

Introduction

Increasingly, violence in the schools is becoming a major concern. Flyers announcing educational meetings are, with more frequency, addressing the issues of violence and abuse in the schools. There is hardly a meeting for school administrators that does not address the issue. Communities all over America are considering new ways of combating violence in the schools. Legislation is being proposed in nearly every state and schools are building new policies and regulations to deal with these serious problems.

You could not have a meeting of teachers without the subject being addressed. Eighty-five percent (85%) of the recent teacher education graduates said their work has required them to understand issues related to violence and abuse.

The Gallup Company, a company with a long history of polling people about a number of subjects, indicates a growing concern on the part of parents about violence in the schools. At a recent meeting of sixty (60) school superintendents at the University of Southern California, it was a topic of concern. Although the focus of this meeting was technology, most wanted to discuss violence in the schools. When asked about the agenda for the next year, most indicated an interest in addressing this growing problem. One superintendent from the east indicated that he felt it was time to place uniformed officers in his secondary schools as a deterrent to violence.

With this in mind, a committee of school professionals sponsored by the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse has been meeting to consider making recommendations to the Board of Teaching regarding the preparation of school administrators, and the licensure and relicensure of school administrators in the area of violence and abuse. All members of the committee agree that more needs to be done to ensure proper training in this area.

The public school system in America is at risk because of a number of factors. One of them is the increase of violence in the schools. Placing two or three thousand young people under one roof, many of whom come from dysfunctional homes, is a formula for trouble. School people are not trained to meet the new demand placed on them by these new problems. Therefore, it is critical that new administrators are prepared to address school violence. Because most of the practicing school administrators have not had any training in the subject, it is critical they be required to learn new skills, attitudes and behaviors. This can only happen through licensure requirements.

Our children deserve schools where they are free to learn in a setting free of violence and abuse. Parents expect their children to attend schools free of violence and abuse. This effort by the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse aims to make this happen for each and every child and family in Minnesota.

Jerry Abbott, Assistant Superintendent Education Task Force Member

Preparation

Recommendation #1: School administrators will have coursework on violence and abuse issues in their educational preparation.

Rationale: Ninety-eight percent (98%) of school administrators responding to a survey conducted by the Higher Education Coordinating Board stated that their work experience required them to have an understanding of violence and abuse issues (See Appendix A).

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: Faculty teaching in school administrator programs will be knowledgeable and prepared to teach violence and abuse courses.

Rationale: Given that school administrators will be at the forefront in providing information and expertise on violence intervention to their local schools, their learning must be provided by adequately prepared professionals and in an open and tolerant atmosphere.

Strategies:

Licensing

Recommendation #1: Rules and statutes governing principals and superintendents will be reviewed to infuse violence and abuse issues.

Rationale: There are currently no specific rules that address violence and abuse. The Task Force felt it was important to add this issue to the rules.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: The State Board of Education will revoke the license of any school administrator who is physically, sexually or emotionally abusive or who exhibits a repeated pattern of harassing behavior, if all forms of appropriate remediation have failed.

Rationale: School administrators have an ethical responsibility to students, colleagues and parents to perform their duties in a professional, non-abusive manner.

Strategy: The Board of Education will adopt a protocol that school personnel will report to their supervisors, or local Board of Education, any school administrator who is demonstrating abusive/harassive behavior.

Continuing Education

Recommendation #1: Continuing education providers will offer high quality courses on violence and abuse.

Rationale: There are currently courses on violence and abuse, but there is some concern about quality. An expectation of high quality would force continuing education providers to deliver training and conferences that meet this expectation.

Strategies:

Recommendation #2: The State Board of Education, Board of Teaching and school administrators will support the development of a model for service learning as an effective violence prevention strategy for students and teachers.

Rationale: Service learning experiences would get students and teachers into the community, which is an effective violence prevention strategy. School administrators felt they and their schools needed to be more in touch with families and communities.

strategies:

Recommendation #3: School Administrators will be required to take ten percent (10%) of their continuing education credits in violence and abuse education and ten percent (10%) of their continuing education credits in diversity, including but not limited to race, culture and sexual orientation, per renewal period.

Rationale: There is a need for school administrators to be more knowledgeable in these areas with the escalation in violence and diverse student/staff populations in schools.

strategies:

Introduction

In this age of ever increasing fiscal restraint, schools are being called on to provide many more non-academic services for students, teachers, administrators and the community. More often than not, these services have been reactive rather than proactive. A "band-aid" approach to crisis intervention in schools is a trend of the mid-1990's.

Help comes after a suicide and not before. Gang task forces are commissioned only after many thousands of our children have been lost to them. Runaway hot lines are established after the fact; yet causative factors which necessitated their existence are not examined or treated.

The Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse Task Force seeks to address the issues of violence and abuse within a preventative framework by recommending that all Minnesota elementary schools with populations greater than three hundred (300) students in grades K-5 be required to provide a developmental guidance program to be implemented by a licensed elementary counselor.

Elementary guidance is designed specifically to be preventative in nature by providing organized coursework of guidance and counseling services based on children?s developmental needs and which helps all children achieve their greatest academic, social, and personal potential (Glosoff and Koprowicz, 1993).

The elementary guidance program consists of six areas which directly impact on children in the school environment.

The most important part of these preventative functions is in the area of classroom guidance. It is through developmental guidance lessons that children learn to value and respect themselves as well as to learn that violent acts against themselves or others is not acceptable. Kindergarten children learn about alcoholism, domestic abuse, how to deal with divorce, stress management techniques, how to make friends, problem-solving techniques, decision making skills, and many more life skills that will enhance their well-being and academic success.

By the time children reach sixth grade they have completed a comprehensive sequenced program of developmental guidance which not only gives them knowledge about violence and abuse but also coping skills. Every effort will be made to provide immediate service to children and families in crisis. This may include individual and/or group counseling as well as making appropriate referrals when indicated.

The Education Task Force of the Higher Education Center Against Violence and Abuse has many recommendations to make, but the most important recommendation is for elementary school counselors to be placed in every Minnesota school. Our children are our greatest hope for the future. It is critical that they be healthy and strong and capable of addressing conflict and crisis as well as violence and abuse in a proactive rather than reactive manner. Through the use of a comprehensive elementary guidance curricula it is believed that children will gain knowledge and skills necessary to grow and prosper in the twenty-first century.

Nell Kaiser, Guidance Counselor Gaylia Borror, Associate Professor Education Task Force Members

Preparation

Recommendation #1: Effective violence education programming for guidance counselors will include knowledge, skills and dispositions on violence issues.

Rationale: Guidance counselor programs will be designed, developed and implemented to assure that violence education and prevention components are addressed, particularly since ninety-eight percent (98%) of new guidance counselors responding to the Higher Education Coordinating Board survey stated that their work requires them to have an understanding of violence and abuse issues (See Appendix A).

Strategies:

Licensing

Recommendation #1: The Board of Teaching will revoke both the teaching and counseling license of any guidance counselor who is physically, sexually or emotionally abusive or exhibits a repeated pattern of harassing behavior, if all forms of appropriate remediation have failed.

Rationale: Guidance counselors have an ethical responsibility to students, colleagues and parents to perform their duties in a professional, non-abusive manner.

Strategy: The Board of Teaching and State Department of Education will adopt a protocol that guidance counselors and teachers will report to their supervisors a colleague who is demonstrating abusive/harassing behavior.

Recommendation #2: Guidance counselors will have two functions related to violence education in schools:

Rationale: All schools in the state of Minnesota should have a guidance counselor on staff in order to help provide a safe, non-violent environment for students and staff. Providing training on violence prevention and awareness would be a step toward early prevention strategies.

Strategies:

Recommendation #3: In order to maintain a license, guidance counselors in the state of Minnesota will attain twenty-five (25) hours of continuing education units in violence education and training per renewal period.

Rationale: A significant amount of a guidance counselor's job will require attention to violence issues.

Strategies:

Recommendation #4: The Board of Teaching Rules regarding guidance counselors will be amended to include language that pertains to violence prevention and intervention.

Rationale: Rules set the standard of expectations for guidance counselors.

Strategies:

Continuing Education

Recommendation #1: Continuing education for guidance counselors will include performing community-based violence prevention education.

Rationale: Guidance counselors need to become more familiar with the communities in which they work and live. Families also need an opportunity to work with guidance counselors outside the school setting.

Strategy: The Board of Teaching will require that guidance counselors volunteer at least twelve (12) hours in the community, providing violence prevention education and training per renewal period.