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UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE ENHANCING SCHOOL SAFETY USING A THREAT ASSESSMENT MODEL |
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| An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence | ||
National Threat Assessment Center
July 2018
U.S. SECRET SERVICE SCHOOL SAFETY RESEARCH
Over the last 20 years, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) has conducted research, training, and consultation on threat assessment and the prevention of various forms of targeted violence. Following the tragedy at Columbine High School in April 1999, the Secret Service partnered with the Department of Education on two studies related to school safety. Published in 2002, the Safe School Initiative (SSI) examined 37 incidents of targeted violence that occurred at elementary and secondary schools to analyze the thinking and behavior of students who commit these attacks. The report, and accompanying guide, served as the impetus for establishing threat assessment programs in schools. In 2008, the agencies released the Bystander Study, a report that explored a key SSI finding that prior to most attacks, other students knew of the attackers' plans, yet most did not report it to an adult. The report highlighted the importance of creating safe school climates in which students are empowered to share their concerns. Since then, NTAC has continued to provide and update training to schools, law enforcement, and others on threat assessment and prevention practices.
U.S. SECRET SERVICE’S LATEST INITIATIVE REGARDING SCHOOL SAFETY
The tragic events of the February 14, 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and the May 18, 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, demonstrated the ongoing need to provide leadership in preventing future school attacks. As such, the U.S. Secret Service, along with many of our partners, have redoubled our efforts and are poised to continue enhancing school safety. As part of these efforts, NTAC created an operational guide that provides actionable steps that schools can take to develop comprehensive targeted violence prevention plans for conducting threat assessments in schools. The guide, titled Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence, is available on the U.S. Secret Service website. A condensed overview is outlined on the following page.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
- In conjunction with physical security and emergency management, a threat assessment process is an effective component to ensuring the safety and security of our nation’s schools.
- Threat assessment procedures recognize that students engage in a continuum of concerning behaviors, the vast majority of which will be non-threatening and non-violent, but may still require intervention.
- The threshold for intervention should be relatively low so that schools can identify students in distress before their behavior escalates to the level of eliciting concerns about safety.
- Everyone has a role to play in preventing school violence and creating safe school climates. Students should feel empowered to come forward without fear of reprisal. Faculty and staff should take all incoming reports seriously, and assess any information regarding concerning behavior or statements.
Additional Resources: The full guide provides information and links to additional resources that can help schools create threat assessment teams, establish reporting mechanisms, train stakeholders, and promote safe school climates.
