The Board is committed to creating and maintaining school environments in which students, staff, parents, and visitors feel safe. Schools cannot ignore any threat of violence.
For the safety of our schools, staff, parents, students, and community members must report all threat-related behaviours. Every threat must be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, with a response completed.
The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board and the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board in collaboration with Community Partners have established a Community Threat Assessment Protocol – A Collaborative Response to Assessing Violence Potential.
This document provides the outline and framework for assessing potential violent threats. In so doing, it fulfils the vision of the protocol which is for all community partners to work together to promote and maintain safety, and to strive to prevent violence.
What behaviours warrant a Student Violence Threat/Risk Assessment?
A Student Violence Threat/Risk Assessment will be initiated when behaviours include:
- An expression of intent to do serious harm or act out violently against people or property
- Website threats or intent to do serious harm to people or property
- Possession of weapons (including replicas)
- Bomb threats
- Fire setting
What is a threat?
A threat may include an expression of intent to do serious harm or act out violently against people or property. Threats may be verbal, written, drawn, posted on the Internet, or made by gesture.
Threats must be taken seriously and investigated. Our schools have zero tolerance for serious violence or threatening behaviours.
What is a Violence Threat/Risk Assessment team?
Each school has a multidisciplinary Threat Assessment Response team. The Threat Assessment Response team may include administrators, school board psychologists, guidance counsellors, social workers, school resource police officers, other pertinent professionals, and/or community resources.
The response team shares and reviews student information and the details of the event, and collaborates using individual areas of expertise. This collaborative process respects the individual’s rights to privacy and the safety of all school members.
What is the purpose of a Student Violence Threat/Risk Assessment?
The purpose of a Student Violence Threat/Risk Assessment is to:
- Ensure the safety of students, staff, parents, and visitors
- Ensure a full understanding of the context of the threat and/or serious violence
- Gain an understanding of the threat or serious behaviour
- Develop an intervention plan that addresses the emotional and physical safety of the threat
- Promote the emotional and physical safety of all
What happens in a Student Violence Threat/Risk Assessment?
To complete a Student Violence Threat/Risk Assessment, the Threat Assessment Response team will:
- Be activated by the principal, who received reports of threats and/or serious behaviour
- Hold interviews with the reporting student, the threat or serious violence maker, parents, and staff to determine the level of risk and develop an appropriate response to the incident
- Develop intervention plans