Welcome. The purpose of this web site is to provide school-based teams with a research-based, dynamic multi-step approach to school violence mitigation utilizing professional threat assessment techniques to reduce aggressive student behavior in general and school shootings in particular. The techniques presented are based on the Secret Service's Safe School Initiative, and the FBI's The school shooter: A threat assessment perspective. The findings of these studies are efficiently organized to ease the complex task of threat assessment in the schools using the Adolescent & Child Urgent Threat Evaluation (ACUTE) and the Psychosocial Evaluation and Threat Risk Assessment (PETRA). This process is briefly outlined below. If you would like more detail, use the navigation buttons organized according to topic at the top of this page. Throughout the site, all red font is linked to provide access to the referenced material. The 2011 NASP Presentation link summarizes the material on this site.
Overview: Threat assessment is a five-step process of increasing intensity depending on the seriousness of the threatening behavior, as initially determined by the criteria of the Threat Assessment Matrix (bottom of linked page). This is a dynamic process, and as the investigation progresses you may find your assessment of the seriousness of the threat upgrades or downgrades. The process begins with the receipt of a threat by administrative personnel, who then begin to gather relevant information regarding the incident to guide initial and informal risk assessment. If the risk is considered to be sufficiently credible, the investigation moves to steps two and three. Step two is a formal threat assessment by personnel specifically trained for this task using the ACUTE. If this step confirms a moderate to high level of risk, then you should proceed to step three and conduct a psychosocial evaluation (step 3) to determine the social, emotional and ecological characteristics that might be underlying the threat, and to develop targeted interventions in these domains. Use of the PETRA is recommended in this step. The fourth step involves implementing protective interventions which may include discipline as well as therapeutic efforts to prevent threats of violence evolving into acts of violence. The final step is to document all actions taken and to schedule follow-up to check on the fidelity and efficacy of the interventions that were put in place. The PETRA Summary Form is a good way to document all phases of the threat assessment and school violence mitigation process.
Overview: Threat assessment is a five-step process of increasing intensity depending on the seriousness of the threatening behavior, as initially determined by the criteria of the Threat Assessment Matrix (bottom of linked page). This is a dynamic process, and as the investigation progresses you may find your assessment of the seriousness of the threat upgrades or downgrades. The process begins with the receipt of a threat by administrative personnel, who then begin to gather relevant information regarding the incident to guide initial and informal risk assessment. If the risk is considered to be sufficiently credible, the investigation moves to steps two and three. Step two is a formal threat assessment by personnel specifically trained for this task using the ACUTE. If this step confirms a moderate to high level of risk, then you should proceed to step three and conduct a psychosocial evaluation (step 3) to determine the social, emotional and ecological characteristics that might be underlying the threat, and to develop targeted interventions in these domains. Use of the PETRA is recommended in this step. The fourth step involves implementing protective interventions which may include discipline as well as therapeutic efforts to prevent threats of violence evolving into acts of violence. The final step is to document all actions taken and to schedule follow-up to check on the fidelity and efficacy of the interventions that were put in place. The PETRA Summary Form is a good way to document all phases of the threat assessment and school violence mitigation process.
The Threat Assessment Process. People seldom decide on the spur of the moment to solve a problem with violence. Rather, an act of school violence is progressive with warning signs along the way; a threat of violence is one such observable behavior reflecting progress or escalation toward a lethal act of violence such as a school shooting.
Psychosocial Evaluation. Perpetrators of lethal school violence tend to present with significant risk factors such as maladaptive emotional and/or behavioral characteristics that cluster in the domains of depression, aggression, alienation, egocentrism, the ecology of the home and school, and resilience characteristics such as coping and stress.
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Threat Response. Threats of violence, particularly a school shooting, should be considered a serious cry for help. It is important to address the threat itself, as well as any underlying social, emotional, and/or associated ecological factors to minimize the risk of a school shooting or other act of lethal violence. It is important that a well-planned administrative and therapeutic intervention addresses the needs of both the threatening student and the wider school community. A Safety & Supervision Plan is good place to start.
Follow-up & Monitoring. Thorough threat assessment procedures will yield important information regarding the nature of the threat, level of risk, and underlying social emotional difficulties. It is important to use this information to guide immediate action and implement targeted interventions in a timely manner to ensure the present and future safety of everyone on the school campus. A well-developed No Harm Contract can be a useful tool as part of a larger coordinated effort to reduce the risk of school violence.