There are several considerations for establishing and operating a threat assessment program within a school setting. It is important to understand the factors that prompted the development of threat assessment practices in PreK-12 schools, as well as the key elements involved in forming and sustaining an effective team.

The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States gathered and analyzed information about those who commit targeted acts of violence in schools. The accompanying guide, Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and to Creating Safe School Climates, was the impetus for establishing comprehensive threat assessment programs in schools.

Establishing a School Behavioral Threat Assessment Program

The National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) provides a framework that districts can use to inform the development of a school behavioral threat assessment program and its procedures. This model is the basis for the state-mandated School Behavioral Threat Assessment (SBTA) training that all SBTA team members must complete through the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) or a Regional Education Service Center (ESC).

NTAC’s guidance outlines practical steps schools can follow to build a comprehensive targeted violence prevention program and a consistent, research-supported process for conducting behavioral threat assessments. The TxSSC also provides a detailed SBTA Manual—referenced in Section 12 of this toolkit—that districts can use as an additional resource when implementing or refining local SBTA practices. The NTAC model includes the following steps:

• Step 1: Create and Promote a Safe School Climate
• Step 2: Establish a Multidisciplinary Team
• Step 3: Define Prohibited and Concerning Behaviors
• Step 4: Create a Central Reporting Mechanism
• Step 5: Determine the Threshold for Law Enforcement Intervention
• Step 6: Establish School Behavioral Threat Assessment Procedures
• Step 7: Develop Risk Management Options
• Step 8: Conduct Training for all Stakeholders

Resources for Building a Threat Assessment Program

The Fidelity of School Behavioral Threat Assessment Implementation Tool assists threat assessment teams in identifying where school behavioral threat assessment practices stand in relation to the guidelines and best practices learned while attending the school behavioral threat assessment state-mandated training provided by the Texas School Safety Center.

TEA provides insight for implementing the Safe and Supportive School Program and School Behavioral Threat Assessment Process in their Safe and Supportive School Program Guidance.