Creating a Comprehensive Targeted Violence Prevention Plan

Ensuring the safety of our schools involves multiple components, including physical security, emergency management, and violence prevention efforts in the form of a threat assessment process.

This process begins with establishing a comprehensive targeted violence prevention plan.

The plan includes forming a multidisciplinary threat assessment team, establishing central reporting mechanisms, identifying behaviors of concern, defining the threshold for law enforcement intervention, identifying risk management strategies, promoting safe school climates, and providing training to stakeholders.

It can also help schools mitigate threats from a variety of individuals, including students, employees, or parents.

This guide provides basic instructions for schools on creating a targeted violence prevention plan, the focus of which is to decrease the risk of students engaging in harm to themselves or the school community.

These recommendations serve as the starting point on a path to implementation that will need to be customized to the specific needs of your school, your student body, and your community.

When creating these plans, schools should consult with legal representatives to ensure that they comply with any applicable state and federal laws or regulations.