Student Threat
Assessment
youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu/pdf/threatchap.pdfSimilar
File
Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick ViewStudent Threat Assessment. Dewey G. Cornell ... Contact Dr. Cornell at Programs in Clinical and School Psychology, Curry. School of Education ..... school safety, law enforcement, and risk assessment served as consultants for the project.
SCHOOL SAFETY IS EVERY CHILD'S RIGHT
SCHOOL SAFETY IS EVERY EMPLOYEE'S RIGHT
http://www.keystosaferschools.com/Home.htm
youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu/pdf/threatchap.pdfSimilarNC Juvenile Risk Assessment/Violence Risk Assessment
P12: Assessment
P12: Assessment
Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence
SCHOOL SAFETY IS EVERY EMPLOYEE'S RIGHT
http://www.keystosaferschools.com/Home.htm
youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu/pdf/threatchap.pdfSimilarNC Juvenile Risk Assessment/Violence Risk Assessment
We invite you to peruse following Risk Threat Assessments:
*North Carolina Assessment of Juvenile Risk of Future Offending
NCjuvenile_risks.pdf (1357KB)
*Grant County School Safety Initiative
VIOLENCE RISK ASSESSMENT
Procedures and Tools
Revised November, 2008
All materials have been adopted from the Madison Metropolitan School District at
the approval of Kathy Halley, Ph. D; Program Support for School Psychologists.P12: Assessment
*Persistently Safe Schools 2005: The National Conference of the HAMILTON FISH INSTITUTE ON SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY VIOLENCE
GUIDELINES FOR RESPONDING
TO STUDENT THREATS OF VIOLENCE [5218]
Dewey G. Cornell, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VirginiaP12: Assessment
Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence
The following informational presentation was created by Tom Stern, NCAE Attorney, and Deborah Stagner for the 2010 LIFT (Law Institute For Teachers) Conference sponsored by the Wake County Bar. (click following website)
Violence Risk Threat Assessment: process in which school administrator, law enforcement, mental health counselor, and teacher(s)/employee(s) involved together investigate, examine, evaluate and report the threat.
GCS ‘leaders’ attest Violence Risk Threat Assessment was included in the GCS district-wide crisis management plan by August, 2008 and expected to be shared by administrators with teachers and staff.
To date, we find no GCS teacher/employee knowledgeable of the implementation/accountability of the Violence Risk Threat Assessment.
During the 2009-2010 school year, to address this chasm in accountability of school safety, we asked 5+ times for "leaders" to survey school employees of their knowledge of the accountability of the Violence Risk Threat Assessment, as defined above.
GCS Response: "We have noted your concerns & will certainly take your suggestions under advisement."
No survey, no communication with school employees regarding the VRTA.
No accountability of the GCS Violence Risk Threat Assessment.
At the scheduled August 26, 2010 GCS School Board Meeting, we asked School Board Members:
1) Board Members, if you have surveyed, inspected the expectation, that knowledge of the Violence Risk Threat Assessment, I just read, was shared by school administrators with ALL school employees, would you please stand?
No Board Member is standing.
2) Board Members, if you have seen the Violence Risk Threat Assessment, as I just read, in the GCS district-wide crisis management plan, would you please stand?
No Board Member is standing.
At the scheduled August 26, 2010 GCS School Board Meeting, we also asked School Board Members 4?’s regarding how is there accountability of the Violence Risk Threat Assessment Policy and Procedures of which employees have no knowledge?
Having been voted as our representatives, what will you do to assure the public:
1) the Violence Risk Threat Assessment,defined above, is included in the Guilford County School district-wide crisis management plan?
2) all GCS employees are knowledgeable of the above defined Violence Risk Threat Assessment, shared by their administrators as expected, from survey?
3) As we can predict historically in GCS, we know school violence will occur. As we begin the 2010-2011 school year, what policy and procedures for students and personnel do our GCS "leaders" proactively have in place for accountability of knowledge and assessment when school violence happens?
4) Communication on the Violence Risk Threat Assessment must become a priority for the safety of all GCS students, employees, and SROs. Who is accountable for this?
To date, Aug. 26, 2010 to present, no response from GCS "leaders".
Following are common responses we receive from recognized, outstanding GCS educators:
*May, 2010: "No, I have not heard of the GCS Violence Risk Threat Assessment. Is it something that is used if Violence occurs or is it an assessment used before as a staff?"
*June, 2010: "To my knowledge it has not been mentioned at all. I asked another teacher I trust and she does not remember this at all either. Keep me posted."
*June, 2010: “Student threatened classmates with a knife. I asked other teachers; nobody had heard of the Violence Risk Threat Assessment. We are all clueless. Would it have been used in this student vs. student situation or is it used with student vs. faculty?”
*Nov., 2010: “I have never heard the words "Violence Risk Threat Assessment" mentioned by anyone at our school. What are the "security reasons" that prevent this from being talked about with staff in every school? After the extremely frightening incident at GCS Northern Middle (not even a high school!) (2 guns, 1 loaded, 11 rounds of ammunition!), why in the world isn't this being discussed openly? Is the Central Office/School Board waiting for students and teachers to be shot/killed before this can be discussed?"
*Nov., 2010: “I found out about the Violence Risk Threat Assessment through Barbara (Member, "Safer Schools" Team Executive Board). It does not seem to exist in our schools. I asked my principal about what we are to do when someone brings a weapon to school and did not receive a definitive answer except to call the office.
My biggest concern about violence/school safety is what I confirmed last week with a school social worker. All students' disciplinary records are expunged yearly. There is NO WAY to track discipline data from year to year in GCS. Faculty has only oral history to rely on about student's propensity to violence, threats, or other unsavory behavior. OUTRAGEOUS and DANGEROUS.”
*Jan., 2011: “What is more important than our children's safety? As long as the administrators in GCS keep covering up for kids and sending them back to class, this will happen. Maybe the principals shouldn't get rewarded for low suspension ‘numbers’. This just encourages unethical people to cover up and lie. I think that is the bottom line in GCS. Every teacher I talk to knows of instances where the principals didn't want to report things. At one school, the resource officer was asked to leave because she told the principal they could NOT hide the bad things happening. That is where the problem lies in my experience of working 19 years for GCS. It is a HORRIBLE problem that is HUGE!”
*Feb., 2012: “While teaching at ____, I was assaulted by a student. No Violence Risk Threat Assessment was implemented or mentioned. Because GCS pays a higher supplement, do leaders expect GCS educators to accept this? I returned to the ____ ____School System where student violence is addressed seriously.”
*Feb., 2012: “Colleague was threatened and physically shoved last spring as a new teacher at ______; the principal and the school ignored colleague’s concerns. Colleague was followed home by this student (though not to actual house as colleague knew not to drive directly home); this student also blocked colleague in the school lot as well another time. School administrators never mentioned VRTA. Colleague returned last fall hoping for a change - the situation grew worse. Colleague tried for another semester, then resigned. The Violence Risk Threat Assessment does not exist in GCS.”
*Feb, 2012: “At our August, 2011 faculty
meeting, I asked ____ administrators and staff if they were aware of the Violence Risk Threat Assessment…that we
were to know & TOGETHER to assess threatening, violent students,
situations with VRTA. No one expressed any knowledge. As of Feb., 2012, ____ administrators have
not mentioned VRTA. Our entire staff is clueless. GCS does not have the Violence Risk Threat Assessment.”
To date, August, 2008 to present, more than three years after GCS "leaders" stated VRTA was included in the GCS district-wide crisis management plan by August, 2008 and expected to be shared by administrators with teachers and staff, we find no GCS employee knowledgeable of the Violence Risk Threat Assessment; thus, no accountability.
Parents/citizens, we urge you to ask your children’s teachers, school administrators, regional superintendents, GCS employees, & school board members: their knowledge of the accountability of the Violence Risk Threat Assessment, as defined:
Violence Risk Threat Assessment: process in which school administrator, law enforcement, mental health counselor, and teacher(s)/employee(s) involved TOGETHER investigate, examine, evaluate and report the threat.
VA Code 18.2-60: Legislation created/passed by VA Teacher Association and VA legislators AFTER the VA Tech massacre: at school or school activities, oral threats of bodily harm are a Misdemeanor 1; written threats of bodily harm are a Felony 6.
VA Code 18.2-60: Legislation created/passed by VA Teacher Association and VA legislators AFTER the VA Tech massacre: at school or school activities, oral threats of bodily harm are a Misdemeanor 1; written threats of bodily harm are a Felony 6.
Above implemented with accountability in some NC schools.
Why not PROACTIVELY in all NC schools?
*Why would GCS ‘leaders’ not want employees knowledgeable/accountable of the Violence Risk Threat Assessment Policy and Procedures?
*Why would GCS “leaders” not want oral threats of bodily harm a Misdemeanor, written threats of bodily harm a Felony?
*What is the hidden agenda?
If threatened or feel unsafe:
* Complete and file a police statement the same day.
* Keep the original copy: this will be needed if I petition the court for a Restraining Order.
Many students who commit violent crime, threaten or act out are crying for help. We must not let their cries for help be ignored.
Feb. 2008, Sheriff BJ Barnes shared, our GCS school leaders failed to report 90 cases of violent crimes to the NC SDPI. What is the current reporting accuracy?
GCS school violence documentation report includes bomb threats, yet no column for written or verbal threats of violence.
Dec. 3, 2010, a
In
The highest priority of school leaders, elected officials and communities is to ensure our children receive a quality education in a safe environment.
SCHOOL SAFETY IS EVERY CHILD'S RIGHT
SCHOOL SAFETY IS EVERY EMPLOYEE'S RIGHT
"Safer School" Team members shared our concern of school violence/safety at scheduled meetings with: SCHOOL SAFETY IS EVERY EMPLOYEE'S RIGHT
* GCS School Board Members (7+x's),
* Guilford County Commissioners (3x's),
* Guilford County's 10 Mayors/Town Councils/citizens,
* Guilford County Legislators,
* NCAE/NCRSP,
* GCS Superintendent
* GCS Board Chairman,
* Greensboro and High Point Police Chiefs, Guilford County Sheriff, SRO Captains, law enforcement personnel,
and
* church and community groups.
(NCAE: NC Association of Educators;
NCRSP: NC Retired School Personnel;
SRO: School Resource Officer)
NC Elected Officials state, "Nowhere else in our society, in our businesses & community, would we tolerate actions that are considered misdemeanors & felonies. Why in our schools?"
NC Legislators and citizens are encouraging us to expand our "Safer Schools" Program statewide.
Students, parents, school staff, school board members, law enforcement, elected officials, and citizens must unite as a community to develop Proactive “Safer Schools”
and ask:
"How can we effectively work to assure the safety of our children and school personnel?"
saferschools@yahoo.com
