Threat of Violence Systematic Process Chart

Threat Reported
Administrator (Gatekeeper)
Initial classification of threat

Low level threat: Medium level threat: High level threat:

A threat which poses a A threat which could be A threat that appears to pose
minimal risk to the carried out, although it may an imminent and serious
threatener’s victim or not appear to be realistic danger to safety of others
safety of others

Handled as internal Referred to Assessment Team Referred to Assessment Team

discipline

Law enforcement included at Credible Threat Non-credible Credible Threat Non-credible

discretion of administrator Threat Threat

Law enforcement Handled as Law Handled as

immediately internal enforcement internal
notified discipline; immediately discipline; law
law notified enforcement
enforcement included at
included at discretion of
discretion of administrator
administrator
 THREAT LEVEL DEFINITIONS

Low Level – A threat which poses a minimal risk to the threatened victim or the safety of others.
Indicators include:
 Threat is vague or indirect;
 Information in threat is inconsistent, implausible or lacks detail;
 Threat lacks realism;
 Content of threat suggests person is unlikely to carry out

Medium Level – A threat which could be carried out, although it may not appear to be realistic.
Indicators include:
 Threat is more direct and more concrete than a low level threat;
 Wording in the threat suggests that the individual threatening has given some thought to
how it will be carried out;
 There may be a general indication of a possible place and time though not in great detail;
 There is a strong indication that the threatener has taken preparatory steps, although there
may be some veiled reference or ambiguous or inconclusive evidence pointing to that
possibility or allusion to a book or movie that shows the planning of a violent act or a
vague, general statement about the availability of weapons;
 There may be a specific statement seeking to convey that the threat is not empty: “I’m
serious!” or “I really mean this!”
High Level – A threat that appears to pose an imminent and serious danger to the safety of
others. Indicators include:
 Threat is direct, specific and plausible;
 Threat suggests concrete steps have been taken toward carrying it out. For example,
statements indicating the threatener has acquired or practiced with a weapon or has had
the victim under surveillance.

The school does a threat assessment inquiry. Threat assessment inquiries are initiated, conducted
and controlled by the school threat assessment team.
Law Enforcement does a threat assessment investigation. Threat assessment investigations are
initiated, conducted and controlled by law enforcement agencies.
The primary objective of both a threat assessment inquiry and an investigation is to determine
whether a particular student poses a threat of targeted school violence.
In addition, a threat assessment may ask: “Has this student violated a law?”
 HIGH RISK – STUDENT THREAT OF VIOLENCE
Immediate Actions for Consideration:
 Student is physically searched;
 Student’s locker and personal possessions are searched;
 Student’s vehicle is searched;
 Student is isolated;
 Student is under constant observation by staff;
 Law Enforcement is notified;
 Fire Department notified;
 Student is removed from general population;
 School is in lockdown;
 Access points at school(s) are closely monitored;
 Staff and students are evacuated from school;
 Movements and activities of general student population are reduced.

TASK REMINDERS

_____ Student’s teachers are notified

_____ Re-entry conference scheduled
_____ Conference with targeted student(s) scheduled
_____ Special provision documents completed
_____ Changes to schedule or accommodations reviewed/done
_____ Follow-up conference(s); Status checks planned
 ACTIONS – INTERVENTIONS

STUDENT: ___________________________________________________________________

Reason for Assessment: __________________________________________________________

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Findings/Determinations:__________________________________________________________

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Actions Resulting from Findings: __________________________________________________

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Will Student be returning to school (if removed)? Yes ____ NO____ Not at this time____
Date of Return ________________________

Interventions and return to school plan:

______________________________________________________________________________

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Assessment Team – Four areas to be reviewed:

Personality Traits School Dynamics

Patterns of Behavior School culture as perceived by the student

Family dynamics Social dynamics

Behavior patterns within the family Behaviors, beliefs, customs in community at

large…
 PERSONALITY TRAITS AND BEHAVIOR:
 Leakage: A student intentionally or unintentionally reveals clues to feelings, thoughts,
fantasies, attitudes or intentions that may signal an impending violent act. Leakage is
considered to be one of the most important clues that may precede an adolescent’s
violent act.

 Low tolerance for frustration: The student is easily bruised, insulted, angered and hurt by
real or perceived injustices done to him/her by others and great difficulty tolerating
frustration.

 Poor coping skills: The student consistently shows little, if any ability, to deal with
frustration, criticism, disappointment, failure, rejection or humiliation. His or her response
is typically inappropriate, exaggerated, immature or disproportionate.

 Lack of resiliency: The student lacks resiliency and is unable to bounce back even when
some time has elapsed since a frustrating or disappointing experience, setback or putdown.

 Failed love relationship: The student may feel rejected or humiliated after the end of a
love relationship and cannot accept or come to terms with the rejection.

 “Injustice Collector”: The student nurses resentment over real or perceived injustices. No
matter how much time has passed, the “injustice collector” will not forget or forgive those
wrongs or the people he or she believes are responsible. The student may develop a hit list
with the names of people he feels have wronged him.

 Signs of depression: The student shows features of depression.

 Narcissism: The student is self-centered, lacks insight into others needs and/or feelings;
and blames others for failures and disappointments.

 Alienation: The student consistently behaves as though he feels different or estranged

from others; this more than just being a loner.

 Dehumanizes others: This attitude may appear in student’s writings, art work, and
interactions with others; or in comments during conversation.

 Lack of empathy: The student shows an inability to understand the feelings of others and
appears unconcerned about anyone else’s feelings.

 Exaggerated sense of entitlement: The student constantly expects special treatment and
consideration; reacts negatively if he/she doesn’t get the treatment they feel entitled to.
 Attitude of superiority: The student has a sense of being superior and presents him/herself
as exceptionable, more creative, more talented, more experienced and worldlier than
others.

 Exaggerated (pathological) need for attention: Need for attention, whether positive or
negative, no matter what the circumstances.

 Masks low self-esteem: Avoids high visibility or involvement by acting arrogant or self-
glorifying attitude.

 Anger management problems: Tends to burst out in temper tantrums or melodramatic

displays, or to brood, sulk, remain silent.

 Intolerance: Experiences of racial or religious prejudice including slogans and symbols.

 Inappropriate humor: Jokes or comments are insulting, belittling or mean.

 Seeks to manipulate others: Will con and manipulate others to win their trust.

 Lack of trust: Untrusting and chronically suspicious of others – motives and intentions.

 Closed social group: Associates only with a single small group that seem to exclude
everyone else.

 Change of behavior: Dramatic behavioral change or changes.

 Rigid and opinionated: Disregards facts, logic and rationale on subjects that he/she has
little knowledge.

 Unusual interest in sensational violence: Interest in school shootings and other heavily
publicized acts of violence.

 Fascination with violence-filled entertainment: Music, TV shows, computer games,

music videos, websites and printed material that focus intensively on themes of violence,
hatred, control, power, death and destruction.

 Relevant to carrying out a threat: The student appears to be increasingly occupied in

activities that could be related to a threat such as practicing firearms or exploring websites.

 Negative role models: Drawn to figures such as Hitler, Satan or others associated with
violence and destruction.
 Identifying Students of Concern:
Circumstances that bring a student to official attention:
1. Engaging in communications that cause concern:
 A student submits a story for an english assignment about a character that shoots
other students in the school;
 The students in a video class make a movie about kids who bring bombs to school;
 An email states “I’m going to kill everyone…;”
 A student, who is known to be feared by his classmates, cocks a finger at another
boy on the playground and says “you’re going to die;”
 The personal web page of high-achieving students has links to web pages with
dangerous information;
 The student’s communication may be a direct threat or ambiguous in nature.

2. Other students of concern come to the attention through second or third parties:
 A school bus driver tells the principal that a group of students has been overheard
whispering about bringing a gun to school;
 A student reports that he/she has been threatened by another student and warned
not to tell anybody about the threat;
 A student reports overhearing a lunchroom conversation between two other
students in which one of the student says that he “isn’t going to take it anymore;
I’m going to get even for good;”
 A neighbor of a student calls the school to report suspicions that the student is
experimenting with bomb-making materials.

3. In other cases, through anonymous communications:

 A parent anonymously calls a tip line to report concerns about behavior of a student;
 The district receives an anonymous call stating that a bomb will go off;
 An anonymous letter referencing past shootings or shooter arrives in the district.

Upon receiving information concerning a potentially threating situation, the threat assessment
team must first consider: “How much time do we have?” An inquiry should be initiated
immediately in any situation of concern.
Threat Assessment Questions:
 Does the information collected prompt more concern or less concern about the possibility
that the student is moving on a path toward a school attack?
 What information might prompt less concern?
 What information might heighten concern?
 What options exist for intervening in the behavior or redirecting the student?
 Should potential targets be contacted, warned and/or protected?