[Pinoy Criminology] Prevent violence before it enters the classroom: A free assessment tool

The Philippine School Violence Risk and Vulnerability Assessment contains 72 straightforward indicators for school administrators to examine their school’s vulnerabilities in an easy, practical, and systematic way The rise in violent incidents and bullying in Philippine schools necessitates urgent intervention, as violence often starts with ignored warning signs. The Philippine School Violence Risk and Vulnerability Assessment is a free tool designed to help school administrators identify vulnerabilities and implement preventive measures. The PSVRVA includes 72 indicators covering various aspects of school safety and provides recommendations tailored to local conditions, emphasizing early action rather than labeling students. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. The increasing number of violent incidents, threats, bullying cases, cyberattacks, weapon-related concerns, and conflicts affecting Philippine schools demands immediate attention. School violence does not begin only when somebody brings a weapon onto campus. It often begins quietly — with bullying ignored, threats dismissed as jokes, distressed students left unsupported, unsafe spaces poorly supervised, and warning signs lost between teachers, parents, and administrators. Prevention must therefore begin before violence happens. I have created a free assessment tool! The Philippine School Violence Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (PSVRVA) gives school administrators an easy, practical, and systematic way to examine their school’s vulnerabilities. It contains 72 straightforward indicators covering leadership, child protection, school climate, bullying, mental health, threat assessment, family involvement, community conditions, cyber violence, weapon access, physical security, emergency preparedness, and post-incident recovery. Each item is scored from 0 to 4. The automated workbook calculates domain scores, identifies the school’s overall vulnerability level, highlights urgent concerns, and recommends practical actions. A critical override ensures that serious threats, weapon access, abuse, suicidal crises, and emergency failures are never concealed by an otherwise favorable average. The accompanying administrator’s manual explains every step in simple language. It identifies the following: Evidence schools should examine People who should participate Actions required at every risk level Philippine institutions that can assist. Its recommendations recognize local realities, including limited counselors, overcrowded schools, barangay structures, child protection committees, local government units, family circumstances, and uneven access to mental health services. The PSVRVA is free to use. Schools may adapt it to their size, location, resources, and educational level. It is not designed to label students or predict who will become violent. It is designed to help institutions recognize weaknesses and act early. Because good security responds to violence. Good prevention keeps violence from happening. Scan the QR Codes to access the manual and the tool here: If your school administrators are interested to be trained on how to use the tool, you can sign up here. – Rappler.com Raymund E. Narag, PhD, is an associate professor in criminology and criminal justice at the School of Justice and Public Safety, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. The author originally posted this to Facebook on August 21, 2026. How does this make you feel? Loading