Actor

Action

Superintendent 

Select a School Violence Prevention Team (SVP Team) from throughout the community to include:

Building Principals (Building Principals are mandatory for successful implementation of a TSVP Plan).

District Safety Coordinator (see 4:170-AP1, Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan, Part C, District Safety  Coordinator and Safety Team; Responsibilities) 

Teachers

Law enforcement representatives

Board attorney

District psychologist(s)

Mental health workers and/or social service agencies

Faith leaders

Community members

Students

Chair and convene SVP Team meetings for the purpose of completing a District-level TSVP Plan.

Determine whether to recommend that the Board assess the District’s conditions for development and learning (see 7:180-AP1, Prevention, Identification, Investigation, and Response to Bullying and School Violence for resources and more discussion).

Inform School Board of the SVP Team’s progress and needs by adding information item to Board’s agendas as needed. 

SVP Team

Develop processes to identify, assess, and manage threatening communications and situations. 

Identify policies and procedures that possibly affect a TSVP Plan, including but not limited to:

1:20, District Organization, Operations, and Cooperative Agreements

2:150, Committees

2:240, Board Policy Development

3:40, Superintendent

3:60, Administrative Responsibility of the Building Principal

4:170, Safety

5:100, Staff Development Program

5:130, Responsibilities Concerning Internal Information

5:230, Maintaining Student Discipline

6:65, Student Social and Emotional Development

6:120, Education of Children with Disabilities

6:235, Access to Electronic Networks

7:20, Harassment of Students Prohibited

7:130, Student Rights and Responsibilities

7:140, Search and Seizure

7:150, Agency and Police Interviews

7:170, Vandalism

7:180, Preventing Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment

7:190, Student Discipline

7:200, Suspension Procedures

7:210, Expulsion Procedures

7:230, Misconduct by Students with Disabilities

7:250, Student Support Services

7:340, Student Records

8:10, Connection with the Community

8:95, Parental Involvement

8:100, Relations with Other Organizations and Agencies

Recommend, through the Superintendent, all policy changes to the School Board for consideration.  See policy 2:240, Board Policy Development.

Appoint Building Principals or designees as a “point of contact” to encourage and accept reports of threats.

Building Principal

Establishes and leads building level Threat Assessment Teams consisting of available personnel such as the Assistant Principal, School Counselor/School Psychologist, and School Law Enforcement/Resource Officer.  (The building level team composition can be adapted to meet the staffing patterns for different schools and may include other disciplines.) 

Ensures 4:170-AP1, Administrative Procedure - Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan, Part G, School Emergency Operation Plan (EOP), is available throughout schools (do not limit to office); distributes to and discusses with local law enforcement; regularly reviews plan with the building staff.

Publicizes and educates staff, parents/guardians, students, and community members:  (1) to report students and situations of concern to any school administrators or other authorities (i.e., local law enforcement), and (2) how school officials will address these concerns.  This can be accomplished by distributing 4:170-AP7,  Targeted School Violence Prevention Program and 7:180-AP1, E2, Be a Hero by Reporting Bullying and School Violence, and discussing what Threat Assessment Teams are and what they do when they learn of threats and/or school violence.

Assess the feasibility of forming an anonymous tip line and organizing its management.

When a tip or concern is raised, proceed with Threat Assessment - Phase One: Identification of Threat procedures.

Provide follow-up acknowledgements to those who provide information, e.g., “we appreciate your bringing this situation to our attention” or “we have carefully considered the information you shared with us.”

School Board

Monitor 4:170, Safety, and make changes recommended by the SVP Team.  See policy 2:240, Board Policy Development.

Provide both the SVP and Threat Assessment Teams with appropriate resources. This may include providing resources to and access for staff to professional development opportunities. These opportunities should train staff to properly respond to students who provide them with information about a threat or school safety concern.

Superintendent/Building Principal

Ensures the student disciplinary policies referred to in student handbooks notify students that threatening behavior could subject a student to disciplinary consequences.  See 7:180, Preventing Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment and 7:190, Student Discipline.

Ensures that staff responds to students who provide them with information about a threatening or disturbing situation.

Actor

Action

Superintendent, Building Principal, and SVP Team

Examines 4:170-AP1, Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan procedures and recommend any changes to existing procedures to Superintendent or District Safety Coordinator.

District Safety Coordinator

Meet with SVP Team to foster an understanding of what additional items the District’s Safety Team might add to its procedures to accomplish a response and recovery.

Add an agenda item to the 4:170-AP1, Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan, Part C, District Safety Coordinator and Safety Team; Responsibilities.  Safety Team meetings specific to Targeted School Violence; consider inviting the Board attorney and local law enforcement and emergency responders to this meeting.

Note: During a crisis, legal counsel will be a crucial part of crisis response and management (but not necessarily public relations and communication) because school officials must make split second decisions, often with legal consequences to the District; local law enforcement’s familiarity with the identity of the District’s legal counsel before a crisis occurs will assist with a faster connection between legal counsel and the school officials involved in the early stages of a Targeted School Violence Crisis and the immediate response to it.

Consider designating a trained public relations and communication manager to inform parents and the community during a crisis and to keep pace with social media information. 

Superintendent and Building Principal(s)

For crisis preparedness and response, ensure:

4:170-AP1, Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan, Part G, School Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) reflects each individual building’s needs.

4:170-AP1, Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan, Part F, School Safety Drill Plan, supports a TSVP Plan, specifically consider whether to add a law enforcement drill if the school does not already participate.

4:170-AP1, Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan, Parts G and H, reflects each building’s needs.  It also ensures that multiple copies of these plans exist, and it directs that appropriate persons have access to the plans, e.g., local law enforcement authorities, etc. One copy in the Building Principal’s office is insufficient.

For crisis recovery, ensures:

4:170-AP1, Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan, Parts I, J, and K, reflects District needs and that the Board attorney is aware of the plans.

Recommend to the District Safety Coordinator any other additional crisis recovery items that the safety team deems necessary.

Actor

Action

Anyone

Identifies student or situation to applicable Building Principal.

Building Principal (alone or with Threat Assessment Team)

Assesses the question: “How much time do we have?”  If time is critical, proceeds directly to the crisis management procedures outlined in 4:170-AP1, Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan (this procedure outlines when to involve law enforcement).

Notifies the Superintendent.

If 4:170-AP1, Comprehensive Safety and Security Plan is not immediately necessary, uses 4:170-AP7, E1, Threat Assessment Decision Tree, and follows steps to evaluate the threat (generally, a Building Principal can quickly resolve the first three steps without engaging the full Threat Assessment Team in a comprehensive threat assessment).

Step 1: Evaluate threat.

Using 4:170-AP7, E2, Threat Assessment Documentation and Response, thoroughly and promptly collects information and evaluates threat by:

1. Interviewing student with a standard set of questions and documenting the facts;

2. Notifying the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) (use 7:190-E1, Aggressive Behavior Reporting Letter and Form, when appropriate);

3. Notifying the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the target(s); and

4. Assessing the need for confidentiality of the information gathered from students and other witnesses during the threat assessment investigation and response phases.

Step 2: Decide whether threat is clearly transient or substantive.

Considers the context of how the threat was made and categorizes the level of risk as transient or substantive.  The most important distinction between transient and substantive threats is that substantive threats require protective action to prevent the threat from being carried out.  Serious discipline violations do not always constitute substantive threats.

Transient threats proceed to Step 3:  Respond to transient threat.

Substantive threats skip Step 3 and proceeding directly to Step 4:  Assess whether the substantive threat is serious or very serious, below using Threat Assessment - Phase Two: Investigation.

Step 3: Respond to transient threat.

When the threat is transient, the full threat assessment team does not need to perform a comprehensive threat assessment; determines appropriate management and discipline considerations and responds accordingly.  When a transient threat is sparked by an argument or conflict, may involve other Threat Assessment Team members to determine the appropriate management and discipline considerations to resolve the problem.

See policies 7:190, Student Discipline; 7:180, Preventing Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment; and/or 6:120, Education of Children with Disabilities. 

Actor

Action

Building Principal and Threat Assessment Team

Step 4: Assess substantive threat as serious or very serious.

Keep Superintendent informed.

Assess whether the threat is serious or very serious by examining the intended severity of the threatened injury/action.  Consult with notes on 4:170-AP7, E2, Threat Assessment Documentation and Response.

Serious threats (generally threats to physically harm) proceed to Step 5.

Very serious threats (generally threats involving the use of a weapon, murder, sexual assault, or severe injury to others) skip Step 5, proceeding directly to Step 6 below in Threat Assessment - Phase Three: Response, Local Law Enforcement.

Manage the student of concern; consider contacting the Board Attorney; and ensure discreteness of situation.  See, 7:130, Student Rights and Responsibilities; 7:140, Student Search and Seizure; 7:180, Preventing Bullying Intimidation and Harassment; 7:250 Student Support Services; and 7:250-AP2 Protocol for Responding to Students with Social Emotional, or Mental Health Problems.

Step 5: Respond to serious substantive threat.

Notify and protect all potential target(s) and notify their parent(s)/ guardians(s).  Use 4:170-AP7, E2, Threat Assessment Documentation and Response, to ensure that protective action reflects the circumstances of the threat.

Caution the student about the consequences of carrying out the threat and keep student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) informed.

Determine the appropriate management and discipline considerations to resolve the problem.  See 6:120, Education of Children with Disabilities; 7:190, Student Discipline; 7:200, Suspension Procedures; and 7:210, Expulsion Procedures.

Actor

Action

Building Principal and Threat Assessment Team in conjunction with Local Law Enforcement Investigators

Step 6: Respond to Very Serious Threat

Determine whether to conduct safety evaluation, psychological assessment, or law enforcement investigation.

Consider suspension to ensure immediate protection of all potential targets and notify their parent(s)/guardian(s).

Use 4:170-AP7, E2, Threat Assessment Documentation and Response, to ensure that protective action reflects the circumstances of the threat.

Refer student(s) for mental health evaluation; manage student(s); contact Board attorney; and ensure discreteness of situation.  7:200, Suspension Procedures; 7:250, Student Support Services; and 7:250-AP2, Protocol for Responding to Students with Social, Emotional, or Mental Health Problems.

Refer matter to the school resource officer and/or local law enforcement to investigate and engage other resources within the community.

School Resource Officer and/or Local Law Enforcement

Issue findings and recommendations of investigation to Threat Assessment Team.

Building Threat Assessment Team

Determine appropriate management and discipline; recommend suspension or expulsion based upon the findings and recommendations of local law enforcement.  See, 7:200, Suspension Procedures; 7:210, Expulsion Procedures; 7:250, Student Support Services; and 7:250-AP2, Protocol for Responding to Students with Social, Emotional, or Mental Health Problems.

Step 7: Implement a written safety plan.

If student returns to school, integrate findings and recommendations of investigation to create a written safety plan that responds to the incident through management and protection of potential target(s) while addressing students’ educational needs.  The plan should, among other things:

• Describe conditions the student must meet to return and stay in school;

• Implement procedures to monitor the student if he or she returns to the school;

• Include feedback from the student(s)’ parent(s)/guardian(s) (when appropriate); and

• Include other items as deemed appropriate by the Threat Assessment Team.

See 6:120, Education of Children with Disabilities; 7:250, Student Support Services; and 7:250-AP2, Protocol for Responding to Students with Social, Emotional or Mental Health Problems.