Step 2: Define Prohibited and Concerning Behaviors

to establish policies defining prohibited behaviors that are unacceptable and therefore warrant immediate intervention.

These include threatening or engaging in violence, bringing a weapon to school, bullying or harassing others, and other concerning or criminal behaviors.

Keep in mind that concerning behaviors occur along a continuum.

School policies should also identify behaviors that may not necessarily be indicative of violence, but also warrant some type of intervention.

These include a marked decline in performance; increased absenteeism; withdrawal or isolation; sudden or dramatic changes in behavior or appearance; drug or alcohol use; and erratic, depressive, and other emotional or mental health symptoms.

If these behaviors are observed or reported to the Team, schools can offer resources and supports in the form of mentoring and counseling, mental health care, tutoring, or social and family services.

The threshold for intervention should be relatively low so that Teams can identify students in distress before their behavior escalates to the point that classmates, teachers, or parents are concerned about their safety or the safety of others.

It is much easier to intervene when the concern is related to a student’s struggle to overcome personal setbacks, such as a romantic breakup, than when there are concerns about threats posed to others.

During the assessment process, Teams may identify other concerning statements and actions made by the student that may not already be addressed in their policies.

Gathering information about these behaviors will help the Team assess whether the student is at risk for attacking the school or its students and identify strategies to mitigate that risk.