April 16, 2022 marks the 15th anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy, one of the most deadly mass shootings in U.S. history, which took the lives of 32 members of the Virginia Tech community and wounded 17 others. We remember the individuals that were lost and honor those whose futures were forever changed by the horrific violence that took place that day.
The Virginia Tech tragedy shifted the way schools think about the well-being and safety of their communities and called for the need for a centralized system of response. NABITA formed in response to the lessons learned from this tragedy to provide support, education, and resources to school professionals who endeavor every day to make their institutions safer. NABITA continues to apply what was gleaned from that day and work toward helping school-based professionals identify, assess, and mitigate risk factors associated with violence to prevent future violence from occurring. Significant progress has been made in the behavioral intervention and threat assessment field, though much more work remains to be done in working toward supporting the well-being of our community members and creating safer education environments. We hope you will join us in honoring the victims and survivors of the Virginia Tech tragedy and in working toward a future without violence.
Please visit the We Remember VT site to learn more about how Virginia Tech honors and remembers the victims.