Threat Assessment

The Safe and Supportive Schools team is tasked with conducting behavioral threat assessments and determining the best course of action to support an individual who made a threat and the victims of the threat.  

Each Frisco ISD campus has a threat assessment team, as part of the Safe and Supportive Schools Program established by the 86th Texas Legislature in Senate Bill 11. Harmful, threatening, or violent behavior includes behaviors, such as verbal threats, threats of self-harm, bullying, cyberbullying, fighting, the use or possession of a weapon, sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, stalking or assault. 

Conducting Threat Assessments

In accordance with Texas Education Code §37.115(f)(1), the SSSP team must conduct threat assessments, determine the level of risk and provide interventions to support the individual for whom the threat assessment was conducted and the victim of the threat.

  • Threat assessments are intended to prevent targeted violence. It involves assessment and intervention.

  • Threat assessments are designed for use with students who are engaged in circumstances that suggest the potential for aggression directed at other people.

  • The threat assessment process is centered upon the analysis of the facts and evidence of behavior or communication in a given situation that might suggest an individual intends to mount an attack and is engaged in planning or preparing for that event.

The Salem Keizer Threat Assessment Model

SB11 allowed school districts to choose among three threat assessment models. FISD chose the Salem Keizer Threat Assessment Model developed by Dr. John Van Dreal, author of Assessing Student Threats: Implementing the Salem Keizer System.

Framework and Procedures

Prevention (Before)

  • Each campus has a “Level 1” Threat Assessment Team. This campus-level team is led by an assistant principal, counselor and Student Resource Officer (SRO). Other members might include teachers, special education teachers, a 504 representative and behavioral specialists.

  • All staff members and students are trained in the process of intervening, the signs to look for and the process of reporting threats.

  • Students have an anonymous reporting system. 

Intervention (Once a Threat is Made)

  • Determine if there is imminent danger.  

  • The assistant principal (AP) and SRO speak with the student who made the report and the student who made the threat.

  • The AP, SRO and counselor meet to determine the course of action. 

  • The team takes appropriate precautions to ensure safety during the investigation.

  • Gather information about the student from teachers and other staff members using a questionnaire.

  • Once all the information is gathered, the team meets to analyze the data and determine the level of risk. Together, they develop a Safety and Support Plan to address the concern.

Postvention (After)

  • The campus offers counseling and ongoing support to the student who made the threat, any student who was targeted and bystanders who were affected in a negative way.

  • Campus follows the Student Safety and Support Plan and modifies it as needed.

  • The District provides ongoing reminders of the reporting process at all age levels.