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Threat Management and Harm Prevention

Florida Model for Harm Prevention and Threat Management

Introduction

In 2023, the legislature amended Section 1001.212(12), F.S. to task the Department of Education’s Office of Safe Schools with developing a statewide behavioral threat management operational process, a Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment instrument, and a threat management portal. The threat management process is designed to identify, assess, manage, and monitor threats to schools, school staff, and students.

The goal of all school safety efforts is to prevent violence or harm to members of the school community. Threat management uses a methodology that identifies students exhibiting threatening or other concerning behavior, gathers information to assess the risk of harm to themselves or others, and identifies appropriate interventions to prevent violence and promote successful outcomes. The process applies a non-punitive assessment to distinguish between innocuous and serious situations. The aim of the threat management process is to intervene at the earliest stage to provide assistance to students and to alter or disrupt concerning behavior for the benefit of the student and school.

School Based Threat Management Team (SBTMT)

School-Based Threat Management Team (SBTMT): Section 1006.07(7), F.S., and Rule 6A-1.0019, F.A.C., require each school (as defined in rule) to have a School-Based Threat Management Team. The SBTMT is a multidisciplinary team at the school level and is comprised of at least four members with expertise in counseling; school instruction; law enforcement; and a school administrator. The SBTMT must also include a member with personal knowledge of the student of concern that is being evaluated by the team. Additional members of the team may be assigned by the school principal, or equivalent, as long as these four required roles are filled.

Required team members must include the following:

  • The administrator team member must be a person who meets the definition of administrative personnel under Section 1012.01(3), F.S. This should not be the school principal, or equivalent, unless they are the only administrator at the school, because the principal has administrative oversight of the SBTMT.

  • The counseling team member must be a school-based mental health services provider that is able to access student mental health records.

  • The instruction team member must be a person who meets the definition of instructional personnel under Section 1012.01(2)(a)-(d), F.S., or someone who holds a current Florida Educator Certificate under Section 1012.56, F.S.

  • The law enforcement team member must be a sworn law enforcement officer, as defined by Section 943.10(1), F.S., including a School Resource Officer, school-safety officer, or other law enforcement officer.

When is this Process Required?

All threats or reports of concerning behavior must be taken seriously and thoroughly reviewed to determine their merit and the level of concern. Threats made anonymously and/or through electronic communication must be assessed no differently than those made in-person or where the reporting party is identified. It is critically important to gather as much information as possible to understand what is happening with a student of concern. Threat assessment is always necessary when a report is received because there is no demographic profile for a violent offender. Threat management teams must consider the totality of threat factors, warning and concerning behaviors, stressors, precipitating events, and protective factors present in a student of concern’s life. Once the team has gathered all available information, they can begin to assess whether a threat or other concerning behavior is present and if so, determine the level of concern.

Levels of Concern

  • An Unfounded designation is appropriate where there is not a sufficient factual basis to support the allegation. (i.e. student was joking or there is no evidence the threat/behavior was exhibited)

  • A Low level of concern designation is appropriate where a person poses a threat of violence or exhibits other concerning behavior that is minimal, and it appears that any underlying issues can be resolved easily. (i.e. student made threatening statement out of anger, but wants to apologize and/or has remorse.)

  • A Medium level of concern designation is appropriate where the student does not appear to pose an immediate threat of violence, but the student exhibits behaviors that indicate a potential intent to harm or exhibits other concerning behavior that requires intervention.

  • A High level of concern designation is appropriate where the student poses a threat of violence, exhibits behaviors that indicate both a continuing intent to harm and an effort to acquire the capacity to carry out a plan, and may also exhibit other concerning behavior that requires immediate intervention and protective measures for the target.

Student Support Management Plan

The Student Support Management Plan is not punitive or part of a disciplinary process. The SSMP is a student support and management plan that uses direct and indirect interventions to help create an environment less likely to produce violence. The SSMP identifies mandatory action steps that are needed to ensure school safety and responses that can help support the student of concern and make positive outcomes more likely. The SBTMT should develop the SSMP with input from the student’s parent or guardian, including but not limited to information learned during the mental health interviews, if they are conducted. The action steps selected will comprise the SSMP. The resources and other support the student needs will differ depending on the information gathered during the assessment, including the mental health interviews when applicable and identified protective measures.

Resources and supports included in a SSMP may include:

• Holding parent/guardian conferences to discuss the SSMP and student progress

• Implementing anti-bullying best practices that provide consequences for the aggressor, as well as support for the victim

• Consideration of potential schedule changes

• Assigning a mentor

• Providing mental health and resiliency support

• Consideration regarding extracurricular activities

• Requiring regular meetings with school based mental health staff 

• Referring the student to outside mental or behavioral health services

• Requiring daily searches

• Requiring social media monitoring

• Requiring a teacher or staff to escort the student throughout the school campus

• Recommending to the appropriate authority removal or expulsion from schools

• Restricting the use of computers or other electronic devices.

SSMP Monitoring

The SSMP must be monitored for a minimum time frame determined by the level of concern.

Minimum Monitoring Time

  • 90 days minimum

  • 180 days minimum

  • One year minimum

Monthly Review of SSMP

The SBTMT is required to meet monthly, assess each SSMP for its effectiveness, and make modifications as appropriate. Modifications to the SSMP will be documented on the SBTMT Monitoring Form for Monthly Meeting. The monthly assessment, or more frequently as determined by the SBTMT, must occur for the duration of the monitoring period.  The month prior to the end of the initial SSMP monitoring period for the assigned level of concern, the SBTMT must consider the matter again and assess whether to close the case upon expiration of the monitoring period or extend the SSMP. If the decision is to extend the SSMP, requirements may be added or deleted and documented on the SBTMT Monitoring Form for Monthly Meeting.

Parental Notification

The minimum notification requirements are set forth below:  

• Where a report of concern includes an identified student target, the Chair must make a reasonable effort to notify the parent of the targeted student before the end of the school day that the report was received unless the Chair has determined the concern is unfounded.

• If the Chair of the SBTMT determines that the reported behavior is low level of concern and summarily closes the report, (Step 2A) the Chair or his designee must use reasonable efforts to notify the parent or guardian of the student of concern on the same day as the report is closed.

• If the Chair does not summarily close the case and refers it to the SBTMT, reasonable efforts must be made to notify the student of concern’s parent on the same day the SBTMT assigns the preliminary level of concern.

• If the level of concern is High (preliminary or final disposition), the Chair or his designee must notify the superintendent or his designee to ensure that the notice requirements of Section 1006.07(7)(e), F.S., are met. This section provides as follows: Upon a preliminary determination that a student poses a threat of violence or physical harm to himself or herself or others, a threat management team shall immediately report its determination to the superintendent or his or her designee. The superintendent or his or her designee or the charter school administrator or his or her designee shall immediately attempt to notify the student’s parent or legal guardian. Nothing in this subsection precludes school district or charter school governing board personnel from acting immediately to address an imminent threat.

• Parents or guardians must also be notified if the threat management process reveals information about their student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being, or results in a change in related services or monitoring, including but not limited to implementation of an SSMP.

• Reasonable efforts must be made to notify the student of concern’s parents or guardians on the same day the SBTMT concludes final disposition.

• Once an SSMP is finalized and anytime it is substantively revised, the SBTMT Chair or designee must provide a copy of the SSMP to the student of concern’s parent or guardian. The targeted student's parent or guardian should also be informed that an SSMP has been implemented.

FDOE Office of Safe Schools