Abstract
State governments and other agencies are resources that have the potential to provide leadership and guidance about school-based threat assessment practices. However, accessing information regarding threat assessment-related state mandates and recommendations can be a challenging and a time consuming task for school personnel as there is no single database or resource where that information is housed. Via internet searches covering all 50 United States, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the authors of this study identified state statutes, requirements, standards, and other recommendations for school-based threat assessment. Currently, only one state unambiguously and explicitly mandates threat assessment procedures and threat assessment teams. However, at least five other states have other statutes, standards, or procedures that imply the need for school-based threat assessment. Additionally, at least 39 states provided a quality web-based threat assessment resource for schools. Twenty-three of those resources were posted on state departments of education or public instruction web pages. At least 21 states have developed specific state guidance documents on school-based threat assessment. These resources can guide school-based mental health professionals as they prepare for conducting threat assessments in the school setting.
Similar content being viewed by others
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. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243450802332184.
Cornell, D. G. (2011). A developmental perspective on the Virginia student threat assessment guidelines. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2011(129), 43–59. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.386.
Cornell, D. (2015). Our schools are safe: challenging the misperception that schools are dangerous places. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85, 217. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000064.
Cornell, D., & Limber, S. P. (2015). Law and policy on the concept of bullying at school. American Psychologist, 70, 333–343. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038558.
Cornell, D., & Sheras, P. (2006). Guidelines for responding to student threats of violence. Longmont: Sopris West.
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. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016182.
Cornell, D., Maeng, J., Huang, F., Burnette, A., Datta, P., & Heilbrun, A. (2015). Threat assessment in Virginia schools: technical report of the threat assessment survey for 2013–2014. Charlottesville: Curry School of Education, University of Virginia https://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/sites/dcjs.virginia.gov/files/publications/law-enforcement/threat-assessment-virginia-schools-technical-report-threat-assessment-survey-2013-2014.pdf.
Fein, R., Vosskuil, B., Pollack, W., Borum, R., Modzeleski, W., & Reddy, M. (2004). Threat assessment in schools: a guide to managing threatening situations and to creating safe school climates. US Secret Service, National Threat Assessment Center. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/threatassessmentguide.pdf.
Gray, R. (2009). Columbine 10 years later: the state of school safety today. Campus Safety Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/Channel/School-Safety/Articles/2009/03/Columbine-10-Years-Later-The-State-of -School-Safety-Today.aspx.
Mitchell, M., & Palk, G. (2016). Traversing the space between threats and violence: a review of threat assessment guidelines. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 23, 863–871. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2016.1164638.
New York State Education Department (2001). Project SAVE- Safe Schools against violence in education:guidance document for school safety plans. Albany, NY. Retrieved from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/ssae/schoolsafety/save/documents/ProjectSave.pdf.
O'Toole, M. E. (2000). The school shooter: a threat assessment perspective. Quantico, VA: critical incident response group, FBI Academy. National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. Retrieved from https://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps54727/school_shooter.pdf.
Randazzo, M. R., & Cameron, J. K. (2012). From presidential protection to campus security: a brief history of threat assessment in North American schools and colleges. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 26, 277–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2012.711146.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2015 (NCES 2016–079). Retrieved from: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/ind_01.asp.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students. (2013). Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans. Washington, DC: Author Retrieved from http://rems.ed.gov/docs/REMS_K-12_Guide_508.pdf.
U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. (n.d.). Bomb threat response tool. Retrieved from www.threatplan.org.
Wong, M. (2007). Managing threats: safety lessons learned from school shootings. Unpublished manuscript. University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/UrbanED_Managing_Threats_MWongPhD.pdf.
Woodrum, W., & Goodrum, S. (2016). Report on the Arapahoe High School shooting: lessons learned on information sharing, threat assessment, and systems integrity. Retrieved from http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2016/0118/20160118_094748_AHS_Full_Report.pdf
Zhang, A., Musu-Gillette, L., & Oudekerk, B. A. (2016). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2015 (NCES 2016 079/NCJ 249758). 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 Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/iscs15.pdf.
Funding
This study was not funded by any grants.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
This article did not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Woitaszewski, S., Crepeau-Hobson, F., Conolly, C. et al. Rules, Requirements, and Resources for School-Based Threat Assessment: a Fifty State Analysis. Contemp School Psychol 22, 125–134 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-017-0161-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-017-0161-y