Any school can fall victim to hate-motivated acts, including violence. Sometimes there seem to be no warning signs. However, many times there are signals that a school is nurturing a culture that elevates the risk for harassment of some students and various forms of violence. From changes in the community that may influence students` behavior to peer, staff, and systemic attitudes that discourage respect, schools should be on alert for the following warning signs:

Members of one or a few powerful student social cliques control virtually all student leadership positions within the school

Dominance of the means of voicing student opinion by a small group may leave other students feeling they have no voice within the system (i.e. through student government, school media). The critical issue is that all students feel that they (or students they perceived to be like themselves) have a realistic opportunity to play a leadership role or to access channels of communication on issues of concern to them; the issue is not whether the students actually take advantage of the opportunity.

Local history of youth violence

Once a major incident or even a series of minor incidents of violence occur in a community, the odds of more violence are enhanced. Some types of violence, such as gang violence or cross-school violence, can spawn retribution. Other forms of violence and intimidation (such as an actual school shooting or a bomb threat) can inspire copycat actions.

Little or no social interaction among students across racial, ethnic, or socio-economic class lines

Even though academic classes within a school may contain cross-sections of students, students may be self-segregating outside of class. This self-segregation can occur in the formal context of clubs, organizations, or teams, or informally in the social circles seen in the cafeteria or outside of school hours. In either case, the self-segregation of students may be caused by overt biasing by one or more groups (including faculty advisors or coaches) or simply through a long-history of segregated patterns of association within the school or surrounding community.

Faculty, staff, and/or administrators fall prey to the status "logic" of student cliques

Cliques seem to be an inevitable part of childhood, in particular in the middle and high school years. However, the power and potentially negative consequences of cliques is magnified when adults within a school appear to reinforce clique structures. For students who conceive themselves as members of an influential clique, adult reinforcement can appear to sanction bullying or harassment of other students. For students who are excluded from the "in" group, adult reinforcement of clique structures redoubles feelings of isolation and alienation.

Presence of gangs within the larger community

Educators may not be fully aware of the dynamics of gangs within the local community. As such, educators may overlook insignia, jargon, or even clothing choices that signal gang activity within a school. School officials should consult frequently with local law enforcement officials to keep abreast of trends in gang activity in the community so that they may be vigilant for any signs of gang-related behavior within the school.

Recent demographic changes within the immediate community or in nearby areas

Historically, Americans of all ages have been more prone to hatred and violence during times of social and economic change. Significant demographic changes in an area (i.e. an up-turn in immigration or mass layoffs from a local factory) create a social and emotional cauldron in which fear easily turns to hatred. In such cases, the nature of the change usually foretells which students in a school may be targeted, such as children of a particular race. Similarly, major national or international events (such as an urban riot or a war) tend to heighten tensions among various groups in virtually all geographic areas and, thus, increase the likelihood of violence in almost all communities.

Hazing traditions

Although most schools formally prohibit all forms of hazing, hazing still occurs informally in many schools. From homecoming traditions that pit one grade-level against another to dress-up days, even "safe," sanctioned school traditions can get out of hand if not carefully supervised. More problematic are the traditions that have moved off school property and outside of school hours as hazing laws have tightened. Schools may not have authority to stop such events. But that does not mean they must remain silent about such events. When school authorities appear to "look the other way" by making no comment before or after a hazing tradition, they may signal to students that they condone the behavior.

Presence of harassing graffiti

Bathroom stall doors, lockers, desktops, and walls often provide significant evidence of students` attitudes about other students, as groups or as individuals. Graffiti that demeans or dehumanizes may make an entire group of students feel afraid. Consider this: if some of the graffiti often found on school lockers were to be spray painted on a home or business, local police likely would investigate the case as a hate crime.

Use of demeaning terms by adult authority figures

Sadly, some adults who work within our schools intentionally or unintentionally use terms that foster disrespect. A coach who motivates adolescent male players to run faster by chiding that they are running like "girls" or "pansies" is a coach who, intentionally or not, is encouraging his players in chauvinistic and homophobic attitudes.

Circumvention of security systems

These days, most schools have some form of security-from locked doors to metal detectors to full police presence. Too often, however, as time passes without an incident, the school becomes lax in actually using the system. Locked doors are propped open; metal detectors sit idle; the liaison officer only randomly checks identification. A student considering a significant act of violence will look for and make use of those cracks in the system.

This list of warning signs is not exhaustive; other factors may indicate a heightened risk of violence in particular situations. The presence of any or all of these warning signs also does not indicate that hateful behaviors or violence necessarily will erupt within a school. Educators are advised to use this list only as a framework for evaluating local conditions and creating their own comprehensive list of warning signs based on their knowledge of their school and coupled with input from relevant local authorities.