(1) The Washington state school directors’ association, in collaboration with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall develop a model policy and procedure to establish a school-based threat assessment program that meets the requirements of RCW 28A.320.123. The model policy and procedure must be posted on the web site of the state school safety center, established in RCW 28A.300.630, by January 1, 2020. (2) In developing the model policy and procedure, the Washington state school directors’ association and the office of the superintendent of public instruction must:

• (a) Consult with the school safety and student well-being advisory committee, established under RCW 28A.300.635, and other organizations with expertise in school safety, behavioral health, the rights of students with disabilities, and protecting civil liberties; and
• (b) Consider multilevel threat assessment programs implemented in schools in Washington.

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, in order to ensure that public schools and school districts are meeting the requirements of RCW 28A.320.125 relating to comprehensive safe school plans, RCW 28A.320.127 related to plans for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students, and RCW 28A.320.123 relating to school-based threat assessment programs, the superintendent of public instruction shall monitor these programs no less than once every five years.

(2) The superintendent of public instruction must consult with interested stakeholders to develop data collection and submission requirements for school districts as they relate to RCW 28A.320.125 relating to comprehensive safe school plans, RCW 28A.320.127 related to plans for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students, and RCW 28A.320.123 relating to school-based threat assessment programs.

(3) By December 1, 2020, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must report to the appropriate committees of the legislature regarding the office’s plans for data collection and monitoring under this section and describing any implementation issues that could be fixed through legislation.

(4) The superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules under chapter 34.05 RCW to implement this section.

3) Working in collaboration with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the statewide network, each regional school safety center must provide to the school districts in its region:

• (b) School-based threat assessment coordination that, at a minimum, includes:
• (i) Providing training and technical assistance regarding the use of the model policy and procedure to establish a school-based threat assessment program, developed under RCW 28A.300.640;
• (ii) Assisting with ongoing identification and implementation of best practices for school-based threat assessment programs, described under RCW 28A.320.123; and
• (iii) Building partnerships with community partners, such as behavioral health providers, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, juvenile justice organizations, and child welfare agencies, for the purpose of implementing school-based threat assessment programs that comply with best practices;

(1) At a minimum, a school-based threat assessment program must:

• (a) Provide for timely and methodical school-based threat assessment and management;
• (b) Be prompted by the behavior of a student rather than some combination of a student’s demographic and personal characteristics;
• (c) Convene a multidisciplinary, multiagency team, including special education teachers and practicing educational staff associates, to:
• (i) Identify and assess the behavior of a student that is threatening, or potentially threatening, to self, other students, staff, school visitors, or school property;
• (ii) Gather and analyze information about the student’s behavior to determine a level of concern for the threat that focuses on situational variables, rather than the student’s demographic or personal characteristics;
• (iii) Depending on the determined level of concern, develop and implement intervention strategies to manage the student’s behavior in ways that promote a safe, supportive teaching and learning environment, without excluding the student from the school; and
• (iv) In the case of the threatening, or potentially threatening, behavior of a student with disabilities, align intervention strategies with the student’s individualized education program or plan developed under section 504 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 by coordinating with the student’s individualized education program or section 504 plan team;
• (d) Create guidelines for each threat assessment team to collect, report, and review quantitative data on its activities; and
• (e) Prohibit suspension or expulsion based merely on threat assessment referral or performance.

(2) By the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, each school district shall adopt a policy and procedure to establish a school-based threat assessment program that meets the requirements of subsection (1) of this section. The school district policy and procedure must be consistent with the model policy and procedure developed under RCW 28A.300.640, and with other school district policies, procedures, and plans addressing safe and supportive learning environments.

(3) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

• (a) “School-based threat assessment” means the formal process, established by a school district, of evaluating the threatening, or potentially threatening, behavior of a student, and the circumstances surrounding the threat, to uncover any facts or evidence that the threat is likely to be carried out.
• (b) “School-based threat management” means the development and implementation of a plan to manage or reduce the threatening, or potentially threatening, behavior of a student in a way that increases the physical and psychological safety of students, staff, and visitors, while providing for the education of all students.

(1) Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, each school district must adopt a plan for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students, including but not limited to indicators of possible substance abuse, violence, youth suicide, and sexual abuse. The school district must annually provide the plan to all district staff.

(2) At a minimum the plan must address:

• (a) Identification of training opportunities in recognition, screening, and referral that may be available for staff;
• (b) How to use the expertise of district staff who have been trained in recognition, screening, and referral;
• (c) How staff should respond to suspicions, concerns, or warning signs of emotional or behavioral distress in students;
• (d) Identification and development of partnerships with community organizations and agencies for referral of students to health, mental health, substance abuse, and social support services, including development of at least one memorandum of understanding between the district and such an entity in the community or region;
• (e) Protocols and procedures for communication with parents and guardians, including the notification requirements under RCW 28A.320.160 ;
• (f) How staff should respond to a crisis situation where a student is in imminent danger to himself or herself or others;
• (g) How the district will provide support to students and staff after an incident of violence, youth suicide, or allegations of sexual abuse;
• (h) How staff should respond when allegations of sexual contact or abuse are made against a staff member, a volunteer, or a parent, guardian, or family member of the student, including how staff should interact with parents, law enforcement, and child protective services; and
• (i) How the district will provide to certificated and classified staff the training on the obligation to report physical abuse or sexual misconduct required under RCW 28A.400.317.

The office of the superintendent of public instruction’s school safety center, established in RCW 28A.300.630, shall develop a model school district plan for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students, including but not limited to indicators of possible substance abuse, violence, and youth suicide. The model plan must incorporate research-based best practices, including practices and protocols used in schools and school districts in other states. The model plan must be posted by February 1, 2014, on the school safety center web site, along with relevant resources and information to support school districts in developing and implementing the plan required under RCW 28A.320.127.

This page addresses threat assessment policies.