Toward Developing a Comprehensive, Model School Behavioral Threat Assessment Program

• In Event: Assessing Threats to Prevent Violence at K-12 Schools

Abstract

Through funding from two separate but related US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance STOP School Violence grants, the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) is working to develop a comprehensive, model threat assessment training and technical assistance program for school districts across the state. The overall goal of the program is to increase school safety by: 1) training districts on best practices for conducting school threat assessments; 2) supplementing foundational behavioral threat assessment principles with digital threat assessment training; 3) and ensuring successful implementation of threat assessment programs in schools by providing an array of ongoing technical assistance services. The TxSSC is working with 17 school districts across Texas to collect certain data elements specific to threat types, multidisciplinary team composition, assessment processes, and fidelity of implementation. The data indicate the most prevalent threats in schools are threats of violence; team structure, composition, and functionality vary across schools; and teams face a variety of challenges implementing assessment processes.

Authors

• Kathy Martinez-Prather, Texas School Safety Center, Texas State University

• Shawna R. White, Texas School Safety Center, Texas State University