Placing school safety as a top priority is essential to creating a safe and nurturing educational environment for our students and staff. Below is an overview of our district approach to any potentially threatening comments, behavior, or circumstances should such instances develop in any of our schools. This overview is generalized to preserve a level of operational security for the school district and law enforcement. School safety measures are reviewed by our school safety team which includes law enforcement, school nursing staff, school counselors, school building and grounds supervisor and school administration.
When school and/or district administration receives information that an individual may have made a threatening comment or action targeting oneself, others, or one of our schools, our threat-assessment protocol is enacted, and our administrative team may contact the Dane County Sheriff's Department. In general, our threat assessment protocol and action steps are as follows:
- The administration will immediately work to determine the person(s) involved and the validity of the threat and the risk it poses based on the information available, including student age and/or disability, and the origin of the threat.
- The Dane County Sheriff's Department may engage in a separate investigation of the potential threat, and in cooperation with the administration, a final determination will be made regarding the level of risk the threat poses.
- Whenever appropriate, our mental health professionals will assist in determining the danger to oneself, others, or the school population.
- Depending upon the level of risk determined by the team, any one of the following next steps may occur separately or in conjunction with one another:
- If there is a credible threat, we will enact our security measures during the school day (SRP or ALICE) or possibly close the school if the threat is made in advance of the school day.
- We may determine that the information is not a valid threat, and continue normal operations or make accommodations to ensure a safe environment.
- Due to the complexities of digital media, threats posted digitally will be analyzed and may be turned over to law enforcement for a more advanced review.
- We may implement appropriate school-determined consequences.
- We may seek further risk-assessment evaluations by mental health professionals inside or outside of the school to prevent harm to self or others.
- Upon consideration of all available information, we may consider school re-entry requirements when appropriate.
- Law enforcement may implement consequences they deem necessary.
- Following the incident, the team will debrief procedures and resulting consequences.
Communication
With each of these potential threats, we follow our assessment protocol; however, each situation is treated as a unique and individual circumstance requiring case-specific determinations. In most cases, the community, the teachers, and even the students do not have access to the full knowledge regarding the details of these primarily confidential and individual circumstances. This makes specific communication difficult. It is not our intent to provide vague and/or ambiguous information; instead, we try to give as much information as the law provides and/or the situation warrants. If we have information that indicates a threat is credible, we will take decisive action and provide information using district communication tools.
Used in part from Hanover Public Schools, Hanover, MA
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