School Violence Crisis Plan

TODAY'S

SHEDULE

Ideation

Planning

Planning

" thought and consideration not only to the idea of committing violence, but the who, what, when, where and how of doing so. Expressions may begin to reference timing, location, targets, means, methods, etc. The person of concern may seek out and gather information regarding prior shootings or shooters, information about potential targets, means of causing harm, equipment, etc." - Texas State University, 2019.

Preparation

• "This stage involves attempts to prepare for the violence and to develop or acquire the means and methods to engage in harm to target(s)/victim(s). They may try to obtain the means to fulfill their plans (e.g. weapons, tools, particular clothing, etc.) They may adjust plans if they encounter barriers or see opportunities that support their violent ideas and plans. The person of concern may test boundaries to practice accessing secure areas." (Texas State University, 2019).

Implementation

Implementation

The person of concern moves to carry out the violent plan.

Research indicates that while targeted violence incidents are rarely spontaneous and impulsive, they can escalate rapidly from ideation through implementation. This may be expedited by a sense of desperation for resolution, lack of concern for consequences, or the influences of others encouraging escalation (e.g., through social media or direct communications). When there are indications that a person of concern may pose a threat to the school community, the threat assessment team will need to move quickly to inquire about and intervene in that planning or preparation.

-Texas State University, 2019

What do we do?

Report any suspicious activity to campus principal.

Report student mental health concerns to school counselor.

All student will receive services that promote positive well-being, conflict resolution, social skills, and problem-solving skills as a universal method on campus.

The campus counselor will work with community resources to supply families with needed support when violence is a concern.

The Threat Assessment Team will work together to:

Gather Data + Analyze + Intervene

The Threat Assessment Team will meet regularly to evaluate any school threats related to school violence to ensure the safety of all students.

The Threat Assessment Team will meet by emergency need as needed.

Threat Assessment Team

Universal Screener

Mental Health

-A universal screener will be implemented as a part of the identification process.

-It is important to note that a screener is not a diagnosis

-If additional testing is needed, then psycho-educational needs can be analyzed to determine if additional testing is recommended.

Principal

– Sanctions the team members for campus.

– Facilitates resource support for team planning.

– Actively participates as a member of the team.

– Reinforces the integration of school safety and psychosocial wellness into the mission of school reform.

– Helps secure school-community buy-in for the necessary changes.

– Models commitment to the four components of a school-wide foundation.

– Supports staff development, engagement, and problem solving regarding prevention and intervention. (p.18)

Dwyer, K., Jackson, S., Osher, D. (2004). Safe, Supportive, and Successful Schools.

Mental Health Professionals

Provide expert information about mental health as it relates to learning, motivation, and psychosocial development.

– Provide information about the comprehensive model of prevention and early and intensive intervention.

– Help identify effective strategies and interventions that address behavior. – Actively participate in and facilitate the team process.

– Seek and support the inclusion of agency partners.

– Assist in designing the school-community assessment of risk and protective factors and in identifying strategies and interventions.

– Assist in designing the evaluation process

(Safe, Supportive, and Successful Schools Steb by Step, p. 19).

Community Involvement

Teachers

-Actively participate in identifying problems and strengths and promoting school improvement.

– Help identify academic and other instructional strategies

-Facilitate support & Support the development teacher collaboration

Community Members

-Participate fully in the team planning.

– Identify community resources and provide information about the links between school and community problems.

– Assist in developing and securing cooperative agreements and coordinated services required to implement the plan.

– Help ensure the cultural competence of the plan

Families

– Actively participate in assessing problems and strengths.

– Provide expert information about family perspectives and family involvement.

– Provide assistance in ensuring that approaches are culturally competent.

– Facilitate support for school improvement among families and community.

Retrieved from:

Safe, Supportive, and Successful Schools Step by Step, 19

Components of a Multi-tiered Support System:

THE APPROACH

• Universal Screener to assess the level of violence
• Appropriate intervention in early phases
• Collaboration as a Team to identify problem-solving methods to assist student and family with appropriate resources
• Intervention Services that address the needs of all students.

Action Planning Checklist Prevention-Intervention-Crisis Response

What To Look For—Key Characteristics of Responsive and Safe Schools

Does my school have characteristics that:

__Are responsive to all children?

What To Look For—Early Warning Signs of Violence

Has my school taken steps to ensure that all staff, students, and families:

__Understand the principles underlying the identification of early warning signs?

__Know how to identify and respond to imminent warning signs?

__Are able to identify early warning signs?

What To Do—Intervention: Getting Help for Troubled Children

Does my school:

__Understand the principles underlying intervention?

__Make early intervention available for students at risk of behavioral problems?

__Provide individualized, intensive interventions for students with severe behavioral problems?

__Have schoolwide preventive strategies in place that support early intervention?

What To Do—Crisis Response

Does my school:

__Understand the principles underlying crisis response?

__Have a procedure for intervening during a crisis to ensure safety?

__Know how to respond in the aftermath of tragedy?

Action Planning Checklist

With the school district sitting at approximately 80% economically disadvantaged, violence is more apparent in the student households.

To add, the school district and community has shown consistency in rising numbers for Hispanic and English Learner students. The school district will communicate the program in both English and Spanish with all stakeholders.

Demographics

TRAINING

Sec. 37.115

Threat Assessment and Safe and Supportive School Program and Team

(a) In this section:

(1) "Harmful, threatening, or violent behavior" includes behaviors, such as verbal threats, threats of self harm, bullying, cyberbullying, fighting, the use or possession of a weapon, sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, stalking, or assault, by a student that could result in:

(A) specific interventions, including mental health or behavioral supports;

(B) in-school suspension;

(C) out-of-school suspension; or

(D) the students expulsion or removal to a disciplinary alternative education program or a juvenile justice alternative education program.

cont.

(2) "Team" means a threat assessment and safe and supportive school team established by the board of trustees of a school district under this section.

(b) The agency, in coordination with the Texas School Safety Center, shall adopt rules to establish a safe and supportive school program. The rules shall incorporate research-based best practices for school safety, including providing for:

(1) physical and psychological safety;

(2) a multiphase and multihazard approach to prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery in a crisis situation;

(3) a systemic and coordinated multitiered support system that addresses school climate, the social and emotional domain, and behavioral and mental health; and

(4) multidisciplinary and multiagency collaboration to assess risks and threats in schools and provide appropriate interventions, including rules for the establishment and operation of teams.

cont.

(c) The board of trustees of each school district shall establish a threat assessment and safe and supportive school team to serve at each campus of the district and shall adopt policies and procedures for the teams. The team is responsible for developing and implementing the safe and supportive school program under Subsection (b) at the district campus served by the team. The policies and procedures adopted under this section must:

(1) be consistent with the model policies and procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center;

(2) require each team to complete training provided by the Texas School Safety Center or a regional education service center regarding evidence-based threat assessment programs; and

(3) require each team established under this section to report the information required under Subsection (k) regarding the teams activities to the agency.

cont.

(d)The superintendent of the district shall ensure that the members appointed to each team have expertise in counseling, behavior management, mental health and substance use, classroom instruction, special education, school administration, school safety and security, emergency management, and law enforcement. A team may serve more than one campus of a school district, provided that each district campus is assigned a team.

(e)The superintendent of a school district may establish a committee, or assign to an existing committee established by the district, the duty to oversee the operations of teams established for the district. A committee with oversight responsibility under this subsection must include members with expertise in human resources, education, special education, counseling, behavior management, school administration, mental health and substance use, school safety and security, emergency management, and law enforcement.

(f)Each team shall:

(1)conduct a threat assessment that includes:

(A)assessing and reporting individuals who make threats of violence or exhibit harmful, threatening, or violent behavior in accordance with the policies and procedures adopted under Subsection (c); and

(B)gathering and analyzing data to determine the level of risk and appropriate intervention, including:

(i)referring a student for mental health assessment; and

(ii)implementing an escalation procedure, if appropriate based on the teams assessment, in accordance with district policy;

(2)provide guidance to students and school employees on recognizing harmful, threatening, or violent behavior that may pose a threat to the community, school, or individual; and

(3)support the district in implementing the districts multihazard emergency operations plan.

(g)A team may not provide a mental health care service to a student who is under 18 years of age unless the team obtains written consent from the parent of or person standing in parental relation to the student before providing the mental health care service. The consent required by this subsection must be submitted on a form developed by the school district that complies with all applicable state and federal law. The students parent or person standing in parental relation to the student may give consent for a student to receive ongoing services or may limit consent to one or more services provided on a single occasion.

cont.

(h)

On a determination that a student or other individual poses a serious risk of violence to self or others, a team shall immediately report the teams determination to the superintendent. If the individual is a student, the superintendent shall immediately attempt to inform the parent or person standing in parental relation to the student. The requirements of this subsection do not prevent an employee of the school from acting immediately to prevent an imminent threat or respond to an emergency.

(i)

A team identifying a student at risk of suicide shall act in accordance with the districts suicide prevention program. If the student at risk of suicide also makes a threat of violence to others, the team shall conduct a threat assessment in addition to actions taken in accordance with the districts suicide prevention program.

(j)

A team identifying a student using or possessing tobacco, drugs, or alcohol shall act in accordance with district policies and procedures related to substance use prevention and intervention.

(k)

A team must report to the agency in accordance with guidelines developed by the agency the following information regarding the teams activities and other information for each school district campus the team serves:

(1)

the occupation of each person appointed to the team;

(2)

the number of threats and a description of the type of the threats reported to the team;

(3)

the outcome of each assessment made by the team, including:

(A)

any disciplinary action taken, including a change in school placement;

(B)

any action taken by law enforcement; or

(C)

a referral to or change in counseling, mental health, special education, or other services;

cont.

(4)the total number, disaggregated by student gender, race, and status as receiving special education services, being at risk of dropping out of school, being in foster care, experiencing homelessness, being a dependent of military personnel, being pregnant or a parent, having limited English proficiency, or being a migratory child, of, in connection with an assessment or reported threat by the team:

(A)citations issued for Class C misdemeanor offenses;

(B)arrests;

(C)incidents of uses of restraint;

(D)changes in school placement, including placement in a juvenile justice alternative education program or disciplinary alternative education program;

(E)referrals to or changes in counseling, mental health, special education, or other services;

(F)placements in in-school suspension or out-of-school suspension and incidents of expulsion;

(G)unexcused absences of 15 or more days during the school year; and

(H)referrals to juvenile court for truancy; and

(5)the number and percentage of school personnel trained in:

(A)a best-practices program or research-based practice under Section 161.325, Health and Safety Code, including the number and percentage of school personnel trained in:

(i)suicide prevention; or

(ii)grief and trauma-informed practices;

(B)mental health or psychological first aid for schools;

(C)training relating to the safe and supportive school program established under Subsection (b); or

(D)any other program relating to safety identified by the commissioner.

(l)The commissioner may adopt rules to implement this section.

End of TEC 37.115