Seeking to identify students who may pose a threat to others, the Lawrence Township Public Schools has created a school threat assessment team in each of its seven schools.
The school threat assessment teams were formed prior to the Sept. 4 school shooting at Appalachee High School in Winder, Ga. A 14-year-old student, Colt Gray, is accused of fatally shooting two students, two teachers and injuring nine others. He was charged with four counts of felony murder, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). His father Colin is also charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, according to GBI.
A policy to create the school threat assessment team was approved by the Lawrence Township Public Schools Board of Education in August 2023. The policy was mandated under state legislation that was approved in 2022, following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
The school threat assessment team will help teachers, administrators and other staff to identify “students of concern (and) assessing those students’ risk for engaging in violence or other harmful activities,” the policy stated.
The team will deliver intervention strategies to manage the risk of harm for students who pose a potential safety risk and to prevent targeted violence in the schools, according to the policy.
“(The threat assessment) will ensure a safe and secure school environment that enhances the learning experience for all members of the school community,” the policy said.
The Lawrence Township Public Schools threat assessment teams include a member of the Child Study Team who is a social worker or a school psychologist, and a school counselor who is also a Harassment Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) specialist, said Robyn Klim, the superintendent of schools.
The teams also include a teacher; a building principal; a school resource officer who is a Lawrence Township police officer or a Class III special law enforcement officer; and the school safety specialist, Klim said.
According to the policy, the team members will receive training that includes training on adverse childhood experiences, childhood trauma, cultural competency and implicit bias.
The school district also has created district-level behavioral threat assessment and management program teams, per the policy.
The behavioral threat assessment and management program defines prohibited and concerning behaviors; creates a central reporting mechanism; and defines a threshold for police intervention, among other tasks.
A case management or intervention plan will be implemented, and the case will be re-assessed and monitored until it can be closed, according to the policy.
“Our best safeguard (against violence) is making sure all of our students feel that they matter in our district, and that they are seen and heard and that they have meaningful relationships with staff and peers,” Klim said.
