Description of the Situation of Concern: Briefly describe the nature of the behavior or threatening situation, including the source of information, where and when the incident(s) occurred, who was involved, and how the concern was brought to the attention of staff.
- Step 1: Secure Safety and Make Notifications, as Needed
- Locate the student(s) of concern immediately until safety procedures are initiated and assessment process is activated. If student is at school, keep under constant adult supervision (restrict access to coat, backpack, locker, etc.). Ensure that a student of concern is treated appropriately; any allegations regarding the behavior or perceived dangerousness of the student may be unfounded.
- If the student cannot be located or detained and the threat is believed to pose an imminent threat of harm to others, call 911, the School Resource Officer, or local law enforcement. Immediately contact your School Site Supervisor.
- Notify the School Site Supervisor and discuss any other immediate safety measures necessary.
- Notify the School Resource Officer or local law enforcement and request their participation in the process as needed.
- If indicated, conduct a search of the student, locker, backpack, and car (if applicable) on school property, following the district search policy (Board Policy 5144.1, Sec. E)
- Notify parent/guardian as soon as possible and inform him/her of the initiation of behavioral threat assessment process.
- Step 2: Assemble the Threat Assessment Team:
Membership of the school Behavioral Threat Assessment (BTM) team should be multi-disciplinary and include no less than three trained members, with at least two being on-site. Provide the name of team members. Contact your School Site Supervisor or an Associate Superintendent for a consultation at any time in this process.
- Step 3: Gather Information from Multiple Data Sources:
Gather information about the facts that drew attention to the student, the situation, and the targets. Keep originals of all student written or artistic communications and copies of any online communication and attached to BTM form.
- Check sources of information gathered and reviewed.
- Current school academic, health, & discipline records
- Previous school academic, health, & discipline records
- Internet and social networking histories
- Written, artistic, or other student produced material
- Other
- Step 3a: Student of Concern Interview
Use these questions as a guide for the interview. Modify and add to these questions, as appropriate to the situation and the developmental level of the student. Use any student produced material (social media posts, writing, drawings, etc.) as a basis for additional questioning. Take time to build rapport and listen carefully. Remember that the purpose of this interview is to evaluate the student's threat and behavior in context, so that you can determine what the student meant and whether the student has any intention of carrying out any threat or act of violence. Use open ended questions. Do not promise confidentiality to the student, because in a potentially dangerous situation you cannot keep information confidential that is needed to protect others. It is recommended to use two BTM team members for interview, when possible.
- Do you know I want to talk with you today?
- What happened today when you were at (place of incident)?
- What exactly did you say or go? (Write down student's exact words.)
- So, what has been going on in your life these past days and weeks? (Follow up with other questions, as indicated.)
- So, how has school been going? (Use follow-up questioning.) Do you have other interests or involvement in activities outside of the classroom or school?
- How are things at home?
- How are things with other kids, friends, etc.?
- So, when you have difficult times, how do you usually handle things? What makes you feel better?
- Have you ever had times when you felt so mad or sad that you thought about hurting yourself in any way? Have you ever tried? Have you been thinking about it lately? (If indicated, continue with suicide assessment to assess lethality or history.)
- Back to the reason we are talking today, what did you mean when you said or did that? What were you thinking about? (If you have student writing or drawing samples, use that as a basis of your questioning. Ask about specific words, images, etc.)
- How do you think (the person who was threatened or saw/heard behavior) feels about what you said or did? (See if the student believes it frightened or intimidated the person who was threatened.)
- What was the reason you said or did that? What were you thinking about? (Find out if there is a prior conflict of history to this threat or behavior of concern.)
- Do you understand why people are concerned about your behavior, writings, drawings, etc.?
- What do you like to do when you aren't in school? How do you spend your free time?
- What types of video games do you play? Movies? TV? Social media interests/activity?
- Tell me about your ability with firearms or other weapons. Have you had firearms training? What else do you know about (other weapons/incidents mentioned)?
- How are you feeling about this incident and the fact that your parents (police, etc.) have been called?
- What are you thinking about doing now? (Ask if the student intends to carry out the threat.)
- Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?
Teacher/Staff Interviews: Interview staff members who witnessed the threat or behavior of concern, and/or have specific knowledge regarding the student or the situation that would help in the inquiry. Use these questions as a foundation for the interview. Modify, add to these questions, or use paper version of form as appropriate to the situation. The purpose of this interview is to evaluate the student's threat in context, so that you can determine what the student meant by the threat and whether the student has any intention of carrying out the threat. Use any student produced material as a basis for additional questioning. Parent/Guardian Interviews: Use these questions as a guide for the interview. Modify or add to them as appropriate to the situation. Take time to build rapport and listen carefully. The interviewer should make it clear to the student's parent/guardian that the objective of the threat assessment inquiry is not only to help prevent targeted school violence, but also to help their child and protect the safety of their child as well as others. Seek the help of the student's parents in understanding the student's actions and interests. The purpose of this interview is to evaluate the student's threat and behavior in context, so that you can determine what the student meant and whether the student has any intention of carrying out any threat or act of violence. Use open ended questions and follow up questioning where needed. Witness/Other Student Interviews: Use these questions as a guide for the interview. Modify or add to them as appropriate to the situation. Take time to build rapport and listen carefully. The interviewer should make it clear to the student's parent/guardian that the objective of the threat assessment inquiry is not only to help prevent targeted school violence, but also to help their child and protect the safety of their child as well as others. Seek the help of the student's parents in understanding the student's actions and interests. The purpose of this interview is to evaluate the student's threat and behavior in context, so that you can determine what the student meant and whether the student has any intention of carrying out any threat or act of violence. Use open ended questions and follow up questioning where needed. Outside Sources of Information: Check, provide name of contact, person contacting, and relevant details. Release of Information (ROI) is not needed for juvenile justice or law enforcement. If there are outside mental health providers, obtain a signed ROI from parent/guardian to gather or provide information. If ROI is not able to be obtained, indicate reason.
- Step 4: Secret Service Themes
Gather a variety of information from diverse sources. The Behavioral Threat Management (BTM) team should then review and assess the available information using the following key themes and questions. Use the information related to these themes and questions to determine the seriousness of the threat or behaviors and the elements of an appropriate action and support plan best suited to this student and situation.
- Step 5: Determine the Level of Concern leading to the BTM Action and Support Plan
Gather a variety of information from diverse sources. The Behavioral Threat Management (BTM) team should then review and assess the available information using the following key themes and questions. Use the information
- Low Concern
- If there is enough reliable information to consider the themes and confident answers, and The information is convincing to the team that the student does not pose a threat of targeted school violence nor display any indicators of proactive violence, then The threat assessment team may conclude the behavioral threat assessment inquiry at this time, develop the Action and Support Plan using typical interventions and resources, and continue monitoring.
- Moderate Concern - Referral and Planning of Support Services and Monitoring:
- The Behavioral Threat Management (BTM) team concludes that the student/situation does not pose an imminent threat of targeted violence at this time, but there is need of assistance with problems or behaviors to reduce future risk of violence. A BTM Action and Support Plan must be developed and documented. In this case, the BTM team should work with school and district administrators, school and district services, family members, community partners, and others to ensure that these individuals receive assistance, continued support, and monitoring.
- If the student is currently receiving special education services or has a 504 plan, include a review of the current plan. Please note that an IEP process is separate from both the behavioral threat assessment and a BTM Action and Support Plan.
- High Concern - Referral to Law Enforcement for Investigation or to Mental/Behavioral Health Professionals for Immediate Evaluation and/or Hold when information suggests that a crime as occurred or there is cause for immediate intervention or prevent harm.
- Referral to Law Enforcement for Investigation or to Mental/Behavioral Health Professionals for Immediate Evaluation and/or Hold when information suggests that a crime has occurred or there is cause for immediate intervention to prevent harm.
- If there is sufficient information for the threat assessment team to be reasonably certain that the student poses a threat to self or others, or The student appears to be on a path to attack, then The team should immediately refer to the appropriate local law enforcement agency for criminal investigation or to mental/behavioral professionals for evaluation and/or hold. A district level review will be conducted before the student returns to school. A re-entry meeting must be conducted before the student returns to school to develop a school and community-based Action and Support Plan. The plan should establish review dates, provide connection to school district, community mental health professionals, and provide monitoring measures.
Step 6: Action & Support Plan
Use this form after the School Behavioral Threat Assessment to develop a plan to respond to and manage the threat and to monitor and support the student. With the input of all Behavior Threat Assessment Team members, the parent/guardian, and student decide on a course of action and support. Please check the boxes that apply and provide detailed information for each item checked. Enter text to describe each action or intervention of support, person responsible, and timeline, if applicable.
Immediate Actions:
Prior to developing an Action & Support plan, the team should immediately consider the following:
- Law enforcement involvement, as needed
- Search of student, locker, car, home, etc.
- Parent/guardian contacted (Record parent/guardian names and phone numbers, who contacted them, and any relevant notes taken.)
- Intended victim warned and/or parents/guardian notified (Record parent/guardian names and phone numbers, who contacted them, and any relevant notes taken.)
- Alert staff members, as needed
- Suicide Risk Assessment conducted, as indicated
- Referral to mental health facility/provider (Release should be signed by parent for communication.)
- Other action taken for safety
Disciplinary Actions or Consequences:
- Parents have signed permission to gather and share information with community partners, such as counselors and therapists
- Law enforcement referral to juvenile justice
- Other disciplinary actions/consequences for actions
Monitoring and Supervision Interventions:
For each item below, please include specific information regarding what steps will be taken, who is responsible, and the time frame for completion.
Step 7: Continue monitoring of the student and the effectiveness of the BTM action and support plan. Revise as needed.
Set a date for review of the plan and its effectiveness, and follow-up as needed. Transition the short-term plan to a longer-term plan, when indicated. Reevaluate the plan and the system process, as needed. Note: Contact your School Site Supervisor or the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction for consultation at any time in this process.