VIOLENCE THREAT RISK ASSESSMENT

Background

The District is committed to creating and maintaining an environment in schools where students, staff, parents, and others feel safe.  The District has established a protocol for responding to student threats/high risk behaviours.

Definitions

High Risk Behaviours: High Risk Behaviours indicates that the person of concern is at high or imminent risk to harm self or others. They may be, but are not limited to, possession of weapons, bomb threats, fire setting, and threats to kill or injure others.  Threats may be written, verbal, posted on the Internet, or made by gesture.  They may be direct, indirect, conditional, or veiled.

Immediate Risk Situations: Immediate Risk Situations are those situations that present immediate threat or risk and require immediate police intervention, such as when a student is making a specific and plausible threat and is in possession of a weapon.

Procedures

1. Reporting
   1. Any person in a school having knowledge of high risk behaviour or having reasonable grounds to believe there is a potential for high risk behaviour shall immediately report the information to the Principal.
   2. The Principal will activate the Violence Threat Risk Assessment Protocol.
   3. No action shall be taken against a person who makes a report unless it is made maliciously or without reasonable grounds.
   4. In cases where a report is made maliciously, the person shall be dealt with according to District administrative procedures and the law, where applicable.
2. Fair Notice
   1. Prior to any Violence Threat Risk Assessment Protocol being implemented, all students, staff, and parents shall be provided with information about the protocol and procedures so that fair notice is given that threat behaviour will not be tolerated.
   2. The Principal shall take the lead to ensure that students, staff, and parents are aware of the Violence Threat Risk Assessment Protocol and that a consistent message is given regarding the use of the protocol.
3. Duty to Respond
   1. Principals shall respond to all high risk/threat related behaviours.All high risk behaviours shall be taken seriously and assessed accordingly.
4. Immediate Risk Procedures
   1. These are matters for immediate police intervention.
   2. The Principal shall contact the police immediately and take steps to ensure the safety of all those in the school by activating established procedures such as school evacuation or school security (lockdown or hold and secure).
   3. The Principal shall notify the Superintendent following initial police contact.
5. High Risk Behaviours
   1. Upon receiving a report of high risk behaviour, the Principal will activate the Violence Threat Risk Assessment Protocol.
   2. The Principal shall notify the parents of the student making the threat at the earliest opportunity as well as the parents of those students against whom the threat was made.Parents may become an integral part of the initial risk assessment process.
   3. The Stage One Violence Threat Risk Assessment Protocol will guide the process from initial assessment, to planning interventions to decrease risk, to plans for re-entry to school if a suspension has occurred.
   4. When information suggests that a student who has made a threat poses a medium to high risk, the Director of Instruction, Diversity and Inclusion will be contacted to activate the Stage Two Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) Team.
6. Duty to Victims and Others
   1. The Principal shall ensure that appropriate support is provided to those against whom threats have been made.
   2. The Principal shall notify all school staff, and parents, if necessary, within a reasonable time period, when the protocol has been activated as a result of high risk behaviour.
7. Students Requiring Special Consideration
   1. When supporting students under twelve years of age, students with Ministry designations or other vulnerable students, accountability/maturation issues and cognitive abilities shall be taken into consideration.
   2. Since these students can still pose a risk, Worrisome Behaviour Planning or the Stage One Violence Threat Risk Assessment Protocol will still be activated.
   3. The Principal and the Director of Instruction, Diversity and Inclusion shall determine police involvement.
8. Threat Assessment Incident Report
   1. Following the implementation of the Violence Threat Risk Assessment Protocol, data, assessment and intervention planning documents are to be sent to the Director of Instruction, Diversity and Inclusion.
   2. If the level of risk is low to medium, school interventions are enacted and the Stage One Report Form is sent to the Director of Instruction, Diversity and Inclusion and The Intervention and Support Plan are placed in the student’s file.
   3. If the level of risk is medium to high, the Principal will contact the Director of Instruction, Diversity and Inclusion to activate the Stage Two VTRA process.
   4. The final Stage Two Violence Threat Risk Assessment Report is written by the Director of Instruction, Diversity and Inclusion and copies are maintained in a separate confidential file.