Should Casey Bresnik Have Been Enrolled?

While there may be many difficult questions facing both educational professionals and their students in the United States, there can be little doubt that the price of an education should not include ones sense of safety, let alone their life itself.



It is impossible to apply one explanation to the multitude of violent attacks plaguing the nation’s high schools, universities, and even grade schools. But there are many Americans who feel that the time has come for a more proactive approach to assuring such attacks become a thing of the past. They argue that the most effective weapon against the unpredictable actions of certain individuals is to require every student, faculty member, and school employee be asked to submit a background check prior to being allowed on school property.



From the horrific 1998 killing spree in Columbine, Colorado, to the more recent mass murder of more than 30 students and faculty members at Virginia Tech, violence in Americas educational institutions has become almost commonplace in recent years. Even so, when news that two educators at Metropolitan Community College, Penn Valley Campus (MCC-Penn Valley) had been attacked by a distraught and enraged student carrying a knife, there were many who felt the entire incident could have been easily avoided by requiring students submit to a background check.



The incident at MCC-Penn Valley has only helped to lend more credence to this idea, despite the voices of opposition claiming such tactics would constitute an unconstitutional invasion of privacy and could well set a precedent that opens the door for unintended consequences.


Fortunately, neither of the men, Al Dimmett Jr. and Mark James, were killed in the attack. But the attack itself reminded the public once again that part of living in a free and open society means living with certain risks that are somewhat difficult to predict or prepare for.



Fellow students and faculty members at MCC-Penn Valley describe 22 year old Casey Brezik as "quiet" and "a loner". Tattoos of the "anarchy symbol" on his arm, online social pages with posts describing violent thoughts and inner rage, and a generally unnerving demeanor, should have set off more than a few alarms among those Brezik had daily and weekly contact with.


But when Brezik burst into a computer lab that was one of the many scheduled stops during a state wide tour by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon as part of a new multi-million dollar initiative to expand access to the internet throughout Missouri, it was too late for pre-emptive action.



After using his knife to cut the throat of Dean of Instruction Al Dimmett, Brezik then cut MCC-Penn Valley Chancellor Mark James, as James attempted to subdue the assailant. Following emergency surgery on Tuesday, Dimmett was listed as being in "stable condition". James was treated and later released.



Although the entire incident lasted only minutes, the warning signs were visible prior to being enrolled at MCC-Penn Valley.  Moreover, there are many who believe that a mandatory background screening report supplied with his application for enrollment, would have been enough to have kept Casey Brezik from being enrolled and therefore stopped this incident from ever taking place.



The use of background screening in many types of businesses and industries is fairly common these days. However, most colleges and universities currently don’t require them except for healthcare students.  It’s difficult to argue with the point that a simple and inexpensive background screening would’ve been enough to help MCC-Penn Valley admissions staff to understand the past history and therefore the propensity for future problems caused by this particular student.  Educators can learn more about no cost student screening solutions here.