From the Course:
Assess & Progress: Spotting & Stopping Threats

Filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner, were found murdered in Los Angeles on December 14, 2025. According to law enforcement, both suffered fatal stab wounds. Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested on suspicion of murder as the investigation continues.

This case is a sad reminder of something that is often overlooked during student safety assessments: Parents and family members can be victims of their children too. 

When assessing threats, the focus is usually on the school. That focus is necessary, but incomplete. History shows that violence often begins at home, and in some cases, family members are the first people harmed. 

This is not rare. 

In many cases involving school violence, family members were murdered prior to the event:

• Kip Kinkel – mother and father
• Luke Woodham – mother
• Jeffrey Weiss – grandfather and grandfather’s girlfriend
• Andrew Kehoe – wife
• Alvaro Castillo – stepfather
• Adam Lanza – mother
• Jeffrey Osborne – stepfather
• Charles Whitman – mother and wife
• John Zawahri – brother and father
• Mainak Sarkar – ex-wife
• And others

A student who poses a risk to others may also pose a risk to their family. Their safety must be considered when determining threat level and next steps.

7 Questions for Parents

Begin by centering the conversation on concern for the family’s safety.
Your tone should be direct, respectful, and rooted in care. 

Then ask: 

Parents often minimize fear or harm when asked casually.
Structured, direct questions allow you to hear what may otherwise go unspoken. 

If the parent adamantly denies the student is a risk to their family, follow up with: 

If a parent answers yes or hesitates, follow up with: 

These follow-up questions are not confrontational.
They provide insight into the family dynamics and help guide your next steps. 

One of the strongest indicators of a person’s willingness to use violence in the future is prior use of violence. Not everyone who has used violence will do so again, but it remains a meaningful risk factor that must inform your safety response. 

Student safety assessments are about protecting people. If we fail to ask about the safety of parents and family members, our protection may be too low and our intervention too limited. 

Strictly speaking, looking after families may not be listed as part of your duties. But it is part of doing an assessment right.