Threat Assessment Focuses on Prevention
Implementing threat assessment and documenting various concerning student behaviors and other suspicious activities gives authorities and school personnel the information they need to prevent violence before it occurs. Schools should establish a continuously monitored reporting system that allows for anonymous submissions. Implementing a threat assessment program, or a multidisciplinary group process, to evaluate these reports and respond to threats can significantly reduce violence, including mass casualty attacks. All of this can be overwhelming to an administrator. This is the first of several blog posts providing important information to school administrators as to how to get started in threat assessment.
The intent is to identify a potential threat prior to a violent act and providing support for that student or individual. In order to accomplish this, an open line of communication most be established. The challenge is this communication has confidential material, this makes the process more challenging. For those familiar with google docs, envision a doc for each student that is determined as a risk or needing support.
All staff members who come in contact with each student would have access to the document where concerning behavior is shared, when it is observed. I’m not suggesting that this should be the method of communicating, but the communication is the most challenging part for educators who have too many tasks put on their plate to begin with.
Form a Team
This is where it all starts, establishing your team which is our next topic for discussion. Select and form a threat assessment team of professionals who are interesting in being a part of the assessment process. Your team should include administrators, teachers, school counselors, law enforcement, and mental health providers. A variety of backgrounds is important to provide diversity. Having a diverse team that includes administrators, teachers, school counselors, law enforcement, and mental health providers is crucial for effectively addressing school safety concerns. Each member brings a unique perspective and expertise, which is essential for creating a comprehensive approach to threat assessment and response.
Administrators can provide leadership and policy guidance, teachers can offer insights into student behavior and classroom dynamics, school counselors and mental health providers can address the emotional and psychological needs of students, and law enforcement can ensure security and legal compliance. This multidisciplinary approach not only helps in identifying and mitigating potential threats but also fosters a supportive and safe school environment for all students.
Communication
An important task to consider or establish is the communication method between your staff and team. Confidentiality is important as is timely communication of concerning behavior. We are not trying to overcomplicate the process, but if it’s not user friendly your staff will not relay important information. Your team will assist with this process in selecting a method(s) of communication that your staff can access easily and send to team member(s) easily.
Train Together
Schedule regular times that the team will meet and educate each other on the process. How will staff communicate concerns? What behavior are those which should be shared or documented? Who will receive this information? Can we assure the information will be confidential. These are just a few questions the team will be tasked with answering as they begin to create a threat assessment plan.
Create a Plan
Written procedures for the threat assessment process are essential. How will the team gain access to all communications from staff? Who determines when the team will convene to discuss a concerning student, and how does that process work? What avenues of support can you offer a student identified as needing help? What options do you have? These questions should be answered in your plan. Clearly state each team member’s responsibilities and how the threat assessment referral process will work. Again, remember this plan is created to help and support kids. Once the plan is complete it will be shared with your stakeholders.
Share the Plan
All school administrators understand that school safety is created with everyone’s help. Once your plan is complete, share it with your students, parents, staff and patrons. This is a good opportunity to reinforce the “see something, say something” philosophy. We all play a part in keeping everyone safe, parents included. It’s also important to provide a method of anonymous reporting of threats and concerning behavior as well.
Put Your Plan in to Practice
Now it’s time to begin the process of monitoring student behavior. Before threat assessment, multiple teachers may have observed concerning behavior from a student but, failed to relay that information to anyone. Threat assessment allows our team to “connect the dots” on concerning behavior. We now have the ability to monitor behavior form a holistic viewpoint. This provides the threat assessment team a much more accurate picture of student behavior.
Provide Support
Undoubtedly, you will have opportunities where students need help and support. They may not realize or acknowledge the need, but it will exist. With a goal of helping kids, your assessment team will be better received to others during this process.
Evaluate Your Plan
Just like any skill, we improve with practice. As you discover better ways to communicate, update and implement your plan accordingly. Collaboration will spark new ideas and lead to a more effective team. Measuring the success of threat assessment can be challenging, but consider evaluating it by the number of students who have received help and support.
Many students need help and lack support at home. It’s crucial to identify and support them before they reach a breaking point. Teachers, who care deeply about their students, are ideal for this task. While threat assessment is well-managed, it requires administrators to initiate it. Begin your school threat assessment plan today and contribute to preventing violence.
Look for our next post coming soon that will discuss the behaviors that we might look for when identifying concerning behavior. Our goal is to provide you the ability to start the assessment process. If you need assistance, reach out to us at team@locknowapp.com
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