Threat-Risk Assessment and Intervention
Schools continue to be among the safest places in our community. The well-being and safety of members of the school community are a shared responsibility. This includes preventing and responding to the risk of violence.
Our Threat-Risk Assessment Protocol was developed with community partners to respond to behaviours, including actions, statements and other indicators that suggest that a student may be “at risk” of harming others. To keep school communities safe and provide support to everyone, staff, parents/guardians, students, and community members must report all threatening situations to the school administrator or police as soon as possible. Note – other procedures and protocols are in place to deal with threats from adults in the school community.
Fair Notice
Please consider this as “fair notice” that any report of a threatening situation will be investigated. The Threat Assessment protocol is part of our strategy to create a safe, secure and supportive school environment for everyone.
Threat Assessment and Intervention
The well-being and safety of the school community are a shared responsibility; this includes preventing and responding to the risk of violence.
Our Student Threat-Risk Assessment Protocol was developed with community partners to respond to behaviours, including actions, statements and other indicators that suggest that a student may be “at risk” of harming others. To keep school communities safe and provide support to everyone, staff, families, students, and community must report threatening situations to the school administrator or police as soon as possible.
Note: other procedures and protocols are in place to deal with threats from adults in the school community.
For further information regarding the procedures and protocols, please visit our Caring and Safe Schools website.
What is the purpose of the Threat Assessment Protocol?
- Ensure the safety of students, staff, parents/guardians, and school community
- Ensure an effective and timely response when there is a threatening situation
- Understand the factors that contribute to a threatening situation
- Assist in the development of an intervention plan
- Promote the emotional and physical safety of everyone involved
What is a threatening situation?
A threatening situation is defined as an indication of impending harm or violent acts against someone or something. Threats may be implied, verbal, written, drawn, posted on the internet, sent electronically or by information technology of any type, made by gesture or reasonably inferred from the surrounding circumstances of events. Threats may be direct, indirect, conditional or veiled.
What behaviours activate the Threat Assessment Protocol?
The protocol will be initiated when behaviours include:
- serious violence with intent to harm or kill
- verbal/written threats of serious violence to harm or kill others (clear, direct and plausible)
- use of technology to communicate threats to harm/kill others
- possession of weapons (including replicas)
- bomb threats (making and/or detonating explosive devices)
- fire setting
- sexual assault
- criminal harassment
- gang-related occurrences.
What happens when a threatening situation is reported?
Threatening behaviours by a student shall be reported to the school administrator who will activate the Threat Assessment protocol.
Once a threatening situation has been reported to a school administrator, interviews will be conducted. These interviews may include students, staff, family and/or others as appropriate. This will be done to determine the level of risk, and develop an effective and timely response to the incident. After the immediate safety risk has been addressed, support and intervention plans will be developed with input from parents/guardians.
Who is on a Threat Assessment team?
Each school will have staff trained in the Threat Assessment protocol. A multi-disciplinary Threat Assessment team will assess the situation and support the development of an intervention plan. The team includes a School Administrator, a School Social Worker and/or a Psychological Services staff, a York Regional Police officer, and appropriate members of the student’s circle of care.
Is parental/guardian or student consent required?
Consent is not required to respond to an emergency situation. When there is a risk that someone may be harmed, it is important that the incident be addressed as quickly and effectively as possible.