Fair Notice: Student Safety
What is a threat?
A threat is an expression of intent to do harm or act out violently against someone or something. Threats may be verbal, written, drawn, posted on the internet, or made by gesture. Threats must be taken seriously, investigated, and responded to.
What is a site-specific Threat Assessment Team?
Each school has a site-specific Threat Assessment Team that includes the principal, counsellor(s), teachers, and a member of the police agency.
Duty To Report
To keep school communities safe and caring, staff, parents/ guardians, students, and community members must report all threat-related behaviours.
The purposes of a threat assessment are:
• To ensure the safety of students, staff, parents/guardians and others;
• To ensure a full understanding of the context of the threat;
• To understand factors contributing to the behaviour of the person of concern;
• To be proactive in developing an intervention plan that addresses the emotional and physical safety of the person of concern;
• To promote the emotional and physical safety of all.
What behaviours initiate a threat assessment?
A student threat assessment will be initiated when behaviours include, but are not limited to, serious violence or violence with intent to harm or kill, verbal/written threats to harm/kill others, online threats to harm/kill others, possession of weapons (including replicas), bomb threats and fire settings.
Can I refuse to participate in a threat assessment process?
It is important for all parties to engage in the process. However, if for some reason there is reluctance to participate in the process by the person of concern or parent/guardian, the threat assessment process will continue to promote a safe and caring learning environment.
What happens in a student threat assessment process?
All threat-making behaviour by the student shall be reported to the principal, who will activate the protocol for the initial response. Once the team has been activated, interviews may be held with students, the person of concern, parents/guardians, and staff to determine the level of risk and develop an appropriate response to the incident. Intervention plans will be developed and shared with parents/guardians, staff, and students as required.
COLLECTION NOTICE
The school district is subject to personal information privacy laws and will undertake the collection of this information in compliance with the requirements of such laws, including by limiting collection to information that is relevant and necessary to address a risk or threat and by ensuring that information is collected from publicly available open-source social media sites. The school district will not collect information as part of a threat assessment unless there is reason to believe that a risk exists. Information collected as part of a threat assessment may be provided to law enforcement authorities in appropriate circumstances.