Skip to main content

The Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines: An Empirically Supported Violence Prevention Strategy

Abstract

The Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines were developed in response to U.S. government studies recommending that schools should adopt a threat assessment approach to prevent school shootings. The Virginia Guidelines prepare school-based teams of school administrators, mental health professionals, and law enforcement officers to investigate and resolve student threats of violence using a standard decision tree. Simpler cases involving transient threats are resolved quickly while complex, substantive threats require a more extensive evaluation and development of a safety plan. Two field tests and three controlled studies demonstrated that threat assessment is a safe, efficient, and practical procedure that can reduce the use of long-term suspension from school and improve important qualities of school climate.

Keywords

  • Mental Health Professional
  • School Climate
  • Intervention School
  • Safety Plan
  • School Authority

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-5526-4_17
  • Chapter length: 22 pages
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
eBook
USD   149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • ISBN: 978-1-4614-5526-4
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
Softcover Book
USD   199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Hardcover Book
USD   279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Fig. 17.1

References

  • Allen, K., Cornell, D., Lorek, E., & Sheras, P. (2008). Response of school personnel to student threat assessment training. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 19, 319–332. doi: 10.1080/09243450802332184

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force. (2008). Are zero tolerance policies effective in the schools? An evidentiary review and recommendations. American Psychologist, 63, 852–862. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.63.9.852.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Borum, R., Bartel, P., & Forth, A. (2002). Manual for the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borum, R., Cornell, D., Modzeleski, W., & Jimerson, S. R. (2010). What can be done about school shootings? A review of the evidence. Educational Researcher, 39, 27–37. doi: 10.3102/0013189X09357620.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Borum, R., Fein, R., Vossekuil, B., & Berglund, J. (1999). Threat assessment: Defining an approach for evaluating risk of targeted violence. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 17, 323–337.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Brank, E. M., Woolard, J. L., Brown, V. E., Fondacaro, M., Luescher, J. L., Chinn, R. G., et al. (2007). Will they tell? Weapons reporting by middle-school youth. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 5, 125–146.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, S. (2011). The role of law enforcement in schools: The Virginia experience—A practitioner report. New Directions for Youth Development, 129, 89–102.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Cornell, D. (2006). School violence: Fears versus facts. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cornell, D., & Allen, K. (2011). Development, evaluation, and future directions of the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines. Journal of School Violence, 10, 88–106.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Cornell, D., Allen, K., & Fan, X. (2012). A randomized controlled study of the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines in grades K-12. School Psychology Review, 41, 100–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cornell, D., Gregory, A., & Fan, X. (2011). Reductions in long-term suspensions following adoption of the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines. Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, 95, 175–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cornell, D., & Sheras, P. (2006). Guidelines for responding to student threats of violence. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cornell, D., Sheras, P., Gregory, A., & Fan, X. (2009). A retrospective study of school safety conditions in high schools using the Virginia Threat Assessment Guidelines versus alternative approaches. School Psychology Quarterly, 24, 119–129. doi: 10.1037/a0016182.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Cornell, D., Sheras, P., Kaplan, S., McConville, D., Posey, J., Levy-Elkon, A., et al. (2004). Guidelines for student threat assessment: Field-test findings. School Psychology Review, 33, 527–546.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dusenbury, L., Brannigan, R., Falco, M., & Hansen, W. (2003). A review of research on fidelity of implementation: Implications for drug abuse prevention in school settings. Health Education Research, 18, 237–256.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Dwyer, K., Osher, D., & Warger, C. (1998). Early warning, timely response: A guide to safe schools. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eliot, M., Cornell, D., Gregory, A., & Fan, X. (2010). Supportive school climate and student willingness to seek help for bullying and threats of violence. Journal of School Psychology, 48, 533–553.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Fein, R. A., Vossekuil, B., Pollack, W. S., Borum, R., Modzeleski, W., & Reddy, M. (2002). Threat assessment in schools: A guide to managing threatening situations and creating safe school climates. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, and U.S. Secret Service, National Threat Assessment Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregory, A., Cornell, D., Fan, X., Sheras, P., Shih, T., & Huang, F. (2010). Authoritative school discipline: High school practices associated with lower student bullying and victimization. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 483–496.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Hallfors, D., & Godette, D. (2007). Will the principles of effectiveness improve prevention practice? Early findings from a diffusion study. Health Education Research, 17, 461–470.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Heilbrun, K. (1997). Prediction versus management models relevant to risk assessment: The importance of legal decision-making context. Law and Human Behavior, 21, 347–359.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Heilbrun, K., Dvoskin, J., & Heilbrun, A. (2009). Toward preventing future tragedies: Mass killings on college campuses, public health, and threat/risk assessment. Psychological Injury and Law, 2, 93–99.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Kostinsky, S., Bixler, E., & Kettl, P. (2001). Threats of school violence in Pennsylvania after media coverage of the Columbine High School massacre. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 155, 994–1001. Retrieved November 8, 2012 from http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/.

  • Kupchik, A. (2010). Homeroom security: School discipline in an age of fear. New York: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Modzeleski, W., Feucht, T., Rand, M., Hall, J., Simon, T., Butler, L., et al. (2008). School-associated student homicides—United States, 1992–2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 57(2), 33–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monahan, J., Steadman, H., Silver, E., Appelbaum, P., Robbins, P., Mulvey, E., et al. (2001). Rethinking risk assessment: The MacArthur study of mental disorder and violence. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mulvey, E. P., & Cauffman, E. (2001). The inherent limits of predicting school violence. American Psychologist, 56, 797–802.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Neiman, S., & DeVoe, J. F. (2009). Crime, violence, discipline, and safety in U.S. public schools: Findings from the school survey on crime and safety: 2007–08, NCES 2009-326. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nekvasil, E., & Cornell, D. (2012). Student reports of peer threats of violence: Prevalence and outcomes. Journal of School Violence, 11, 357–375.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Toole, M. E. (2000). The school shooter: A threat assessment perspective. Quantico, VA: National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reddy, M., Borum, R., Berglund, J., Vossekuil, B., Fein, R., & Modzeleski, W. (2001). Evaluating risk for targeted violence in schools: Comparing risk assessment, threat assessment, and other approaches. Psychology in the Schools, 38, 157–172.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Robers, S., Zhang, J., & Truman, J. (2010). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2010, NCES 2011-002/NCJ 230812. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, K. W., & Mendelsohn, M. (2000). Profiling potentially violent youth: Statistical and conceptual problems. Children’s Services: Social Policy, Research, and Practice, 3, 147–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singer, M., & Flannery, D. (2000). The relationship between children’s threats of violence and violent behaviors. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 154, 785–790. Retrieved November 8, 2012 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10922274.

  • Skeem, J., & Monahan, J. (2011). Current directions in violence risk assessment. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20, 38–42. http://cdp.sagepub.com/content/20/1/38.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Rethinking risk assessment: The MacArthur study of mental disorder and violence . New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skiba, R. J., & Peterson, R. (1999). The dark side of zero-tolerance: Can punishment lead to safe schools? Phi Delta Kappan, 80, 372–382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strong, K., & Cornell, D. (2008). Student threat assessment in Memphis City Schools: A descriptive report. Behavioral Disorders, 34, 42–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Syvertsen, A. K., Flanagan, C. A., & Stout, M. D. (2009). Code of silence: Students’ perceptions of school climate and willingness to intervene in a peer’s dangerous plan. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101, 219–232. doi: 10.1037/a0013246.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Urbina, I. (2009). It’s a fork, it’s a spoon, it’s a … weapon? New York Times. Retrieved October 12 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/education/12discipline.html.

  • Van Dyke, R., & Schroeder, J. (2006). Implementation of the Dallas threat of violence risk assessment. In S. R. Jimerson & M. J. Furlong (Eds.), The handbook of school violence and school safety (pp. 603–616). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vossekuil, B., Fein, R. A., Reddy, M., Borum, R., & Modzeleski, W. (2002). The final report and findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the prevention of school attacks in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dewey Cornell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Cornell, D. (2013). The Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines: An Empirically Supported Violence Prevention Strategy. In: Böckler, N., Seeger, T., Sitzer, P., Heitmeyer, W. (eds) School Shootings. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5526-4_17

Download citation