Walla Walla first district in Eastern Washington to develop student threat assessment program
This year, Walla Walla Public Schools became the first school district in Eastern Washington to develop a comprehensive Student Safety Assessment Team model. This model utilizes a team approach, including drawing upon community experts, to assess potential school threats.
The process requires building level teams to assess and screen the potential threats using a proven approach and standardized documentation forms. If the building level team needs additional support, the situation is then sent on to the district level team for help. Information sharing is a key component of this program.
The Student Safety Assessment Team model is based on best practices and is endorsed nationally by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Secret Service and at the state level by OSPI and ESD 123.
This week the district conducted a districtwide training designed to teach school and district level teams how to use the protocols. Martin Speckmaier, a retired law enforcement veteran and school safety expert who specializes in the development and training of student threat assessment teams for schools, campuses, districts, and school communities, led the training.
Special thanks to ESD 123 for granting Walla Walla Public Schools funds for this training and the required supporting materials. The training was very successful. Also thanks to Assistant Personnel Director Liz Campeau for providing the leadership for this valuable program.
The establishment of the Student Safety Assessment Team model is aligned with the core elements of the district’s Safe and Civil Schools program: prevention, crisis management and crisis recovery.
Next steps: School teams will get familiar with the process by conducting mock case studies using the forms and screening protocols. We will also have the support of Martin Speckmaier as needed. Some schools have already used this process and have reported it is very helpful. It is our goal that all district schools teams will be capable of using this process soon.
STUDENT SAFETY ASSESSMENT TEAMS OVERVIEW
The Safe School Initiative (U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Secret Service) recommended in 2002 and 2004 that schools establish a team process with community stakeholders to address persons who make or pose threats of serious violence. The objectives of a threat assessment team are:
1) Assess threats of potentially harmful or lethal behavior and determine the level of concern and action required.
- Some people make threats but don’t pose a threat
- Some people make threats and actually do pose a threat
- Some people never make a threat but do pose a threat
2) Organize resources and strategies to manage situations involving persons who pose a threat to other students and/or staff.
3) Maintain a sense of safety. Psychological safety among our students, teachers, and staff is essential.
A school community threat assessment team is an integrated systems approach to managing situations that make and/or pose threats of violence. This collaborative, multi-disciplinary team uses a four pronged approach to identify and then increase protective factors, as well as identify and then work to remove risk factors. This four pronged approach looks at personality factors, social dynamics, family dynamics, and school climate. Expertise in Special Education and Special Needs is also necessary to address any medical, developmental, and or behavior disorders.
The threat assessment team process utilizes educators, mental health specialists and hand selected law enforcement personnel.
· Educator has knowledge of schools and Special Education needs and laws (ADA, IDEA, 504, IEP, etc)
· Mental Health Specialist is able to address mental health issues
· Law Enforcement member has ability to determine whether a crime has been committed and brings a healthy skepticism to the table
The goal of this process is to share crucial information so that school administrators no longer have to make decisions on their own about how to handle a threatening situation. FERPA regulations allow for the sharing of important information between the above listed entities if the school has a formalized threat assessment team process in place.
School Threat Assessment Teams do not engage in predictive profiling nor do they predict the future. They are a collaboration of community stakeholders with protective responsibilities working together, instead of isolation, to make schools safer.
Martin Speckmaier, School Safety Consultant is a law enforcement veteran and school safety expert who specializes in the development and training of student threat assessment teams for schools, campuses, districts, and school communities. Schools consult with Speckmaier to identify the strengths and unique needs of their community and facilitate the implementation of an effective threat assessment team process. The successful threat assessment teams Speckmaier has created have effectively re-connected disenfranchised students, implemented a standardized student safety assessment process and provided an important part of a comprehensive violence prevention and reduction program for their school district.
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