THREAT AND RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE SCHOOLS

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THREAT AND RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE SCHOOLS

• VSBA CONFERENCE
• NOVEMBER 19, 2009
• BETTY COVINGTON, M.A.
• PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
• DUMFRIES DISTRICT
• AUDREY D. P. DAVIS, PH.D.
• CENTRAL OFFICE THREAT ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR
• MICHAEL D. KENNEY, A.C.S.W.
• THREAT ASSESSMENT SPECIALIST

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Prince William County

• Northern Virginia
• Conveniently Located in the Capital Region

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Our School Division

• 2nd largest school division in Virginia
• 88 schools
• 50th largest school division in the country
• 76,646 students enrolled
• Outstanding diversity
• 60.3 minority students enrolled

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PWCS Threat Assessment

• A systematic way to determine the students risk
  for violence toward others so that all students
  have a safe learning environment
• Two tiered assessment
• School-basedThreat
• Central OfficeRisk

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Regulation 777-1http//www.pwcs.edu/Admin/pwcs/ad
min_pdfs/R777-1.pdf

• Purpose
• Procedures
• Training
• Appropriate steps
• Administrators responsibilities
• Trouble shooting
• Expectations/Outcomes

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CHANGES TO THE REGULATION OVER THE YEARS

• DEFINE AND REDEFINE THE PURPOSE (NOT PSYCH EVAL,
  SPED EVAL, MENTAL HEALTH STATUS EXAM)
• DEFINE AND REDEFINE ACT VERSUS THREAT
• ENSURING THAT DUTY TO WARN EMPHASIZED
• SPECIFY STEPS AND RESPONSIBLE PARTIES
• DISTINQUISHING REGULATION APPROPRIATE FOR ALL
  LEVELS (ES, MS, HS)
• RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS REGARDING SPED STUDENTS
• REQUIRING CHILD STUDY FOR ALL STUDENTS (LOW OR
  SUBSTANTIVE) gt
• REQUIRING CS FOR SUBSTANTIVE

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Beginning a School-based Assessment

• Specific incident involving a threat
• Identify incident
• Drawing, verbal, physical, or written threat,
  including any threats using electronic devices
• Obtain as much information as possible
• Immediate response to a threat
• ASAP have the school-level meeting
• If substantive, student should be out of school
  until central office assessment is complete

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Types of Threats

• No question who is intended victim
• If/then If/or
• Left questioning if it was threat and who is
  intended victim

• Direct
• Conditional
• Veiled

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The Plan

• Are there behaviors of concern?
• Lit fires
• Hurt animals
• Bullying
• Fights
• Threats
• Weapons

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What Information to Review at the School Based
Assessment

• Incident report
• Discipline history
• Behavior Intervention plan
• Interview information
• Child Study notes or evaluations

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• PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL
• SCHOOL-BASED THREAT ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET
• Date of Incident________________ Date of Threat
  Assessment_______________
• Student Name_________________ Student Number
  __________________
• ______ The students parents (and student, if 18
  years or older) have been provided with a copy of
  the Explanation of the Threat Assessment Process
  and the corresponding School Board Regulation.
• Describe Threat ________________________________
  _________________________
• Information Reviewed
• ____ Incident Report, Discipline History
• ____ Behavior Intervention Plan (if on file)
• ____ Information supplied by the parent(s), child
• ____ Information supplied by collateral
  interviews with witnesses
• ____ Home Visit
• ____ Other Evaluative material if student is in
  Special Education
• Committee Determination

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• Threat Assessment Intake Form
• Student Name ____________________________________
  ________ DOB _________
• School___________________________________________
  ______________________
• Date of Threat___________________________________
  ________________________
• Please describe threat
• __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  ___
• Did student specify who they would harm? (If so
  please describe, using specific names)
• __________________________________________________
  ______________________
• __________________________________________________
  ______________________
• Does this student have access to this
  person/persons/etc.?
• __________________________________________________
  ______________________
• __________________________________________________
  ______________________
• Did student specify what weapon/device they would
  use? (If so please describe)
• __________________________________________________
  ______________________
• __________________________________________________
  ______________________

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• Prince William County Schools
• Explanation of Threat Assessment Process
• Student_________________________________________
  ________________________
• School__________________________________________
  _______________________
• In an effort to maximize the safety of Prince
  William County students and ensure their fair and
  equitable treatment, Prince William County
  Schools adopted the FBIs National Center for the
  Analysis of Violent Crime threat assessment
  model. This model provides a systematic way to
  determine the students risk for violence toward
  others. The model involves an assessment of the
  students behavior and personality traits as well
  as family, school, and social functioning.
• When a school obtains indications of a potential
  threat to another student, staff member or a
  building, the principal will assign discipline
  based on the incident. The local school
  assessment team will also assess the level of
  threat potential. If the threat potential is
  considered to be above a low level then, the
  Central Office Threat Assessment Team will
  conduct a further, more in-depth threat
  assessment. As part of that assessment,
  interviews may be conducted with the student, any
  student witnesses, parents, and school personnel.
  The central team will make a determination of
  the level of threat and present a summary report
  along with recommendations to the school and
  parent(s).
• Your child has been referred for a threat
  assessment. Every effort will be made to
  complete the assessment process in a timely
  manner. Your signature below indicates your
  understanding of the threat assessment process
  and your cooperation with that process. If you
  have questions about the threat assessment
  process, please contact the Central Office Threat
  Assessment Coordinator and/or the Supervisor of
  Social Workers, Psychologists, and Visiting
  Teachers. If you choose not to participate in
  the threat assessment process, the school will
  proceed with all necessary actions to maintain
  the safety of the school community and
  enforcement of the PWC Code of Behavior.
• _________________________ _____________________
• Parents Printed Name Parents Signature
• Date_____________

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General Answers toComplicated Situations

• Worksheet is necessary
• Intake form helpful
• Zero Tolerance policy regarding threats
• Refer to Code of Behavior
• Threat Assessment Brochure
• Removed from school
• May be suspensions, furloughs, etc.
• Student Educational Record should be available
• If school team is uncomfortable or uncertain,
  Central Office TA team available for second
  opinion

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Other Important Procedural Issues

• Threat Assessment Process letter and brochure
  sent to parent
• Data entered into the Referral, Discipline,
  Incident and Injury Reporting (REDII) system
• Threat identified as low or more than low
• Central Office Assessments often conducted with
  students seeking readmission and if school
  committee cannot reach a consensus
• Parent of any potential victim will be notified
  of threat by
• School Administrator(s)

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Central Office Assessments Include

• Assessment tools
• Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth
  (SAVRY)
• Behavior Assessment System for Children-2
  (BASC-2)
• Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory
  (NAS-PI)
• Conduct Disorder Scale
• 4 Prong assessment
• Personality, family, school, and social

• Review of file
• Clinical Interview with parent(s) and child
• Clinical Interview with child alone
• Clinical Interview with parent alone

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Mental Health Exam

• Formal assessment
• Specific tasks
• Way to communicate findings
• Clear about concerns
• Can be unrealistic in school

• Informal assessment
• Interview
• No required questions
• Can be flexible
• Must be aware of symptoms or concerns
• Confident in collaborative relationships

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Formal Assessment One examplehttp//www.nmaging
.state.nm.us/pdf_files/Mini_Mental_Status_Exam.pdf
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Interviewing 101

• Ask open ended questions, i.e. Tell me about
• Dont predetermine the answer, i.e. You are sad,
  right?
• If the student struggles,
• provide options a, b or c
• Another way to provide options is
• make a suggestion and gauge the response

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What do we look for during an interview?
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What can you expect from Central Office
Assessment?

• Report
• History
• Low, moderate, or high risk
• Recommendations
• School based
• Home based

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Other Interventions

• Counseling-anger management, assertiveness
  training
• Social Skills
• Mentor
• Goal building/future planning
• Bullying Intervention
• Mediation/Conflict Resolution

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Additional information

• The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School
  Initiative Implications for The Prevention of
  School Attacks in The United States
• Threat Assessment in Schools A Guide to Managing
  Situations and To Creating Safe School Climates
• http//www.secretservice.gov/ntac.shtml
• The Virginia Model for Student Threat Assessment
• http//youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu/threat
  -assessment/student-threat-assessment.html

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Case Example

• New location, same behavior
• Enrolled without records home-instruction
• Discipline history form completed
• Escalating problems

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Threat Assessment Statisticsfrom a random sample
of 50 cases
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Threat Assessment Statistics (continued)
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Adaptations for Other Districts

• Trainings for administrators in threat assessment
• Include lead teachers
• Collaborations with law enforcement
  professionals/risk management
• Identify community based professionals to do risk
  assessment
• Ensure reliability/validity

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Important Last Thoughts

• Never sure what information will uncover
• Not a discipline procedure
• Want to assist before we see them as middle or
  high school students
• Intervention/Prevention
• Teaching prosocial skills