V-24: Student Threat Assessment

North Sanpete School District       

Statement of .............           

Board Policy with Guidelines

Policy Number: V-24

Effective Date: 09/20/2022

Revised Date:

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Board Policy with Guidelines

Subject: Student Threat Assessment

I. Purpose and Philosophy

Threat assessment’s primary goals are to prevent violence and resolve conflicts or problems that influence threatening behavior. School threat assessment guidelines allow a multidisciplinary team to distinguish non-serious threats (transient) from serious (substantive) and very serious (substantive) threats and to resolve threats appropriately. A multi-disciplinary team uses an evidence-based school threat assessment process consistent with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Rules R277-400 and R277-736 to identify, assess, and manage threats and prevent behaviors or conflicts from escalating into violence.

II. Definitions

A. The term "evidence-based" is defined in Utah Code Annotated 53G-18-211(1).

B. "Multi-disciplinary team" means a group of professionals from multiple disciplines who meet to pursue the common goal of evaluating and triaging the academic, social, emotional, physical, and/or behavioral needs of a student or group of students; creating individualized strategies and interventions to address the identified needs.

1. Multi-disciplinary teams are sometimes referred to as CARE teams, Multitiered System of Supports (MTSS) teams, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) teams, Threat Assessment teams, Student Assistance Teams (SATs), or Student Support teams (SSTs), etc. A school may have more than one multi-disciplinary team for different purposes.

C. "Threat" means an expression of intent to harm someone that is direct, indirect, or implied and may be spoken, written, or expressed in some other way.

1. A threat may be expressed/communicated behaviorally, verbally, visually, in writing, electronically, or through any other means; and is considered a threat regardless of whether it is observed or communicated directly to the target of the threat or observed by or communicated to a third party.

D. "Student Threat Assessment" means a prevention strategy that involves: (a) identifying student threats including to commit a violent act, (b) determining the seriousness of the threat, and (c) developing intervention plans that protect potential victims and address the underlying problem or conflict that stimulated the threatening behavior.

III. Training

A. The multi-disciplinary team at North Sanpete School District will receive training from a qualified professional (e.g., a Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) trainer, or other professionals trained in school threat assessment approved by a local school board) regarding the threat assessment process. This training will address:

1. the function of a multi-disciplinary team;

2. the violence prevention plan and strategies;

3. the evidence-based threat assessment processes;

4. the reporting process for threats;

5. the documentation and notification of threats;

6. the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 USC. Sec. 1232g;

7. the steps to cultivate a safe school climate; and

8. student Privacy and Data Protection.

B. The multi-disciplinary team members will receive the training outlined above prior to beginning work with the team.

IV. Structure of the Multidisciplinary Team

The school multi-disciplinary team (who uses an evidence-based threat assessment model) may include:

A. school administrative personnel;

B. local law enforcement or a school resource officer;

C. a mental health professional (i.e., school counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, or contracted mental health professional); and

D. an instructional coach, general education, or special education teacher.

V. The Function of the Multidisciplinary Team Members

Multi-disciplinary team members shall work collaboratively with each other, the school staff, and community agencies (as appropriate) to support the team’s purposes and maintain safety for all students and staff members. Please note, the Annual Privacy Notice must identify all multi-disciplinary team members as school officials.

A. School administrative personnel role:

1. serves as the designated team leader;

2. supports and holds team members accountable for roles and responsibilities;

3. assists the team with required training and resources;

4. supports parents, teachers, and other staff members regarding threat assessment;

5. oversees the team's documentation of threat assessment(s); and

6. ensures documentation is consistent with Student Privacy and Data Protection and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 USC. Sec. 1232g.

B. Local law enforcement or School Resource Officer role:

1. determines if a threat constitutes a criminal offense;

2. addresses the threat(s) that require immediate notification to law enforcement; and

3. assists in monitoring and supervising the subject and determining the need, if any, for law enforcement action.

C. Mental health professional role:

1. conducts a mental health interview;

2. provides mental health supports as determined by the provider’s credentials; and

3. links the team to community resources to support the parent(s) and student(s);

D. Instructional coach, general education teacher, and special education teacher role(s):

1. supports the team with understanding academic and social-emotional data and needs;

2. assists students’ classroom teachers in understanding the academic needs of students; and

3. reviews disciplinary reports of involved students.

VI. Actions Required if Threats Are Reported

A. All stakeholders (including students, teachers, administrators, parents, support staff, and community members) will understand the importance of reporting threats and know the following:

1. individual roles and responsibilities to report concerns;

2. what critical information to report;

3. where and how to report it.

B. Each reported threat will include:

1. the name of the complainant;

2. the name of the alleged offender (if known);

3. the date and location of the threat(s); and

4. a statement describing the threat(s), including names of witnesses (if known).

C. Each reported threat will be promptly investigated/triaged by a school administrator, and, in consultation with the multi-disciplinary team, the seriousness of the threat(s) will be determined.

D. The multi-disciplinary team shall develop, implement, and monitor an individualized plan to intervene with, address, and mitigate the risk.

1. The team shall assist the individual(s) who reported the threat, and any impacted staff or students, in accessing appropriate school and community-based resources for support and/or further intervention.

E. Verified threats shall result in interventions or consequences. Interventions or consequences include, but are not limited to:

1. implementation of best-practices that:

a. de-escalate, contain, control, and redirect the student away from plans and preparation for violence;

b. support the student with skills to engage with others, problem-solve, adapt, and improve coping skills and well-being;

2. application of steps in a discipline plan consistent with USBE Rule R277-609;

3. implementation of restorative justice practices consistent with USBE Rule R277-613;

4. obtaining consent from the involved student(s) and their parent(s)/guardian(s) before including the victim(s) in the process;

5. notification of the involved students' parent(s)/guardian(s) of restorative justice practices;

6. support for involved students using trauma-informed practices;

7. suspension or removal of a student from a school-sponsored team or activity; including school-sponsored transportation;

8. suspension or expulsion of a student from school or lesser disciplinary action as outlined in school policy; and

9. suspension or termination of an employee for cause or lesser disciplinary action consistent with Utah Code Annotated 53G-11-512.

F. The school will notify the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) if the student poses a threat of violence or physical harm to self or others or if the student is a potential victim.

1. The school will produce and maintain a record that verifies the parent(s)/guardian(s) were notified of the threat.

2. The school will not disclose the record described in Subsection D.1. to anyone unauthorized to receive it and will not use the record for purposes not allowed under the law.

G. The multi-disciplinary team shall maintain thorough documentation, including information gathered during incident management and ongoing monitoring.

1. The documentation shall comply with the LEA's policies, federal and state laws.

2.The documentation shall demonstrate the team's reasonable faith efforts to identify, investigate, assess, and manage threatening situations.

VII. Additional Reporting Actions

Multi-disciplinary team members must also include the following in reporting, as appropriate:

A. Procedures for the victim(s) and other involved individuals regarding:

1. protection from further concerning communication or behavior; and

2. supports for potential victims, and

3. assistance for the individual(s) who are being assessed.

B. Law enforcement reports of any threats that may constitute a criminal offense;

C. Procedures for a fair and timely opportunity for the accused to explain their actions; and

D. Procedures for providing due process rights:

1. licensed staff and local employee discipline policies before employee discipline (Utah Code Annotated 53G-11-501);

2. local policies (students) before long term (more than 10 days) student discipline de Annotated 53G-8-202).

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: Policy V-24 was originally titled Class Standing and was effective 10/26/1993. It was removed by Board vote 2/15/2022.