The Duval County Public School District is set to roll out a state-mandated policy to identify troubled students before they become a safety threat.
The School Board Tuesday discussed the process of putting so-called “threat assessment teams” in all of the district’s 163 public schools.
Board Chairwoman Lori Hershey said each team of four would include a counselor, teacher, school administrator, and person with expertise in law enforcement.
“The goal being to identify student behavior that may need further assistance, perhaps, referrals to counseling,” she said. “Try to get that early intervention versus waiting until behaviors escalate.”
Threat Assessment Teams are part of the new state policies enacted this year after the Parkland High School shooting in February.
The state law requires that each school has a threat assessment team, which will be under the direction of the district school safety specialist. The threat assessment team is also required to consult with law enforcement when a student exhibits a pattern of concerning behavior.
Threat assessment teams are also permitted to obtain the criminal history record of students deemed to pose a threat.
The parents of any student assessed would be notified along with the principal, but the information would not be shared with the general school population or others.
Hershey said the Threat Assessment Teams are meant to look at extreme behavior.
“Regular disruption in class would not refer a student to the threat assessment team," she said.
Each school’s threat assessment team is expected to meet at least once month, and as often as necessary to address issues that arise.
The Duval School Board will further discuss and vote on the details of policy in early January, after which the rollout is expected to begin.
