August 2024

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The Novato Unified School District is committed to ensuring a safe community. NUSD believes all members of our community have the right to feel safe and protected, and we will respond to all student behavior that poses a potential risk to other students, staff and/or members of the community.

In extreme cases when a child’s behavior poses a potential threat to their own or others’ well-being, the NUSD Threat Assessment Team (TAT) will be convened to investigate and take further steps to safeguard everyone. The School Board has a policy BP/AR 0450 in place to support this manner of investigation. This letter serves as notification about this process.

Threat and risk assessment is the framework for a systematic response to threatening behaviors in schools and in the community. Certain behaviors may require a heightened response beyond NUSD’s progressive discipline process. The general purpose of a TAT assessment is to assist in creating and maintaining an environment where students, staff, parents/guardians and other feel safe by reducing risk and by assist the student to receive the help needed, and to address the issues contributing to the high-risk behavior. The TAT members include NUSD administration, counseling and teachers, as well as representatives from community agencies who work with us to keep our schools and community safe. Student Resource Officers (SROs) are involved when appropriate.

Parents and guardians will be notified if their child will be discussed through the Threat Assessment Team protocol. If parents/guardians cannot be reached, or if they choose not to provide consent, but a concern for safety still exists due to threatening behavior, the threat assessment may still proceed. Personal information shared throughout this process will respect and balance each individual’s right to privacy with the need to ensure the safety of all.

As always, a child’s safety is our first priority. If you have any questions regarding the NUSD Threat Assessment Team protocol, please speak with your student’s principal.

Sincerely,

Dr. Tracy Smith, Superintendent

CSBA: http://www.csba.org

California Department of Education, Safe Schools: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss

California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services: http://www.caloes.ca.gov

California Healthy Kids Survey: http://chks.wested.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention

Federal Bureau of Investigation: http://www.fbi.gov

National Center for Crisis Management: http://www.schoolcrisisresponse.com

National School Safety Center: http://www.schoolsafety.us

U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.govU.S. Secret Service, National Threat Assessment Center: http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac_ssi.shtml

Classifying Threats to Determine Response Strategies:

The threat inquiry is designed to identify and calculate risks in a deliberate and thorough manner. In determining response strategies to mitigate the risk and to provide assistance, as needed, it is helpful to classify threats by level. Based on the information collected, the threat inquiry team may classify threats using the following basic criteria:

THREAT DETERMINATION PROTOCOL SUMMARY

DETERMINE IF A THREAT WAS MADE:

Step 1: Notify the Threat Determination Team and Comply with SB 906 – Notify Law Enforcement

Step 2: Confirm Relevant Background Information

Step 3: Consult, as Needed (and throughout steps)

Step 4: Conduct Threat Determination Interview Protocol/Gather Relevant Data

IF NO THREAT, END THREAT DETERMINATION PROTOCOL

IF AN ACTIVE OR VIABLE THREAT, DETERMINE THREAT LEVEL:

Step 5: Determine Transient Threat vs. Substantive Threat

Transient = a spontaneous expression with no intent to harm. Individual retracts the threat/apologizes and/or expresses regret. Review of records shows no prior incidents or concerns.

Substantive = a deliberate (not spontaneous) expression and the student at a minimum contemplates enacting the threat or a version of the threat. Student expresses anger/hostility/rejected emotions and/or is not regretful and may present with a prior history of incidents/concerns.

Step 6a: If Transient Threat Determined, Inform Parents/Guardians of Student(s) interviewed and other students and staff involved with threat.

Step 6b: If Substantive Threat Determined, Request Law Enforcement Involvement

Step 7: Respond to Substantive Threat and Determine Level of Seriousness

Serious Substantive Threat = a threat to injure (hit, fight, or physically assault)

Very Serious Substantive Threat = a threat to kill, rape, or cause very serious injury (to specific individuals and/or facilities while people are present) with a weapon

IF SERIOUS SUBSTANTIVE THREAT: consider supports and additional supervision, inform Parents/Guardians of student(s) interviewed and other students and staff involved with threat

IF VERY SERIOUS SUBSTANTIVE THREAT: Complete Step 8

Step 8: Conduct Very Serious Safety Threat Interview and Safety Plan

• Access Very Serious Threat Protocol Supplement, which includes Very Serious Threat Interview (Appendix C) and Safety Plan (Appendix D)
• This step is completed by specifically trained mental health staff, which may not be school staff.