On Tuesdays we highlight the Toolbox—our firm’s all day training program dealing with students with disabilities who engage in disruptive or violent behaviors. SB 11, the Legislature’s major response to the concerns over school safety, will impact this. In particular, the new law outlines elaborate procedures for conducting a threat assessment. All of them are laid out in a new statute, Texas Education Code 37.115.
Here are the highlights:
*It will require the Agency to adopt rules in consultation with TSSC (Texas School Safety Center).
*The school board must establish a “safe and supportive school team to serve at each campus,” along with policies and procedures for the teams.
*The team must complete training done by the TSSC or an ESC.
*Members of the team must have expertise in counseling, behavior management, mental health and substance abuse, classroom instruction, special education, school administration, school safety and security, emergency management and law enforcement.
*Every campus must have a team, but teams can serve more than one campus.
*Superintendents may create an oversight committee for these teams.
*Each team shall conduct a threat assessment that includes “assessing and reporting individuals who make threats of violence or exhibit harmful, threatening, or violent behavior.” The team will gather and analyze data to determine the level of risk and appropriate intervention.
*The team cannot provide a “mental health care service” to a student under 18 without parental consent.
*If the team determines that a “student or other individual” poses a serious risk of violence to self or others, the team shall immediately report its determination to the superintendent. If it involves a student, the superintendent will immediately attempt to inform the parent.
*If the team identifies a student at risk of suicide it will act in accordance with the district’s suicide prevention program. If that student also makes a threat of violence, the team will conduct a threat assessment in addition to following the suicide prevention plan.
*If the team identifies a student using drugs, alcohol or tobacco it will follow district policy.
*The team must report to TEA in accordance with Agency guidelines. The report will include the number of threats, the outcome of each assessment, any action taken, a disaggregated report on the characteristics of students who were assessed, and other information.
These procedures apply to all students, but with students with disabilities there are additional procedures to think about. The results of a threat assessment should be considered by the student’s ARD Committee. If the student does not have a BIP, perhaps one is called for. If there is a BIP, it might need some tweaking.
We will be getting model threat assessment team policies and procedures from TSSC. Look for lots of training about this section of SB 11. And we will certainly incorporate it into the Toolbox trainings.
DAWG BONE: A THREAT ASSESSMENT TEAM FOR EACH CAMPUS.
Tomorrow: more on SB 11.