Getting Started

8 Steps to building a Safe and Supportive School Program Chart 

Responsibilities

The board of trustees shall establish a safe and supportive school team to conduct threat assessments at each campus of the district. The team may serve more than one campus, provided that each district campus is provided a team.  This is to be a collaborative, positive process and should not be seen as the disciplinarian team. The Superintendent shall ensure that members who conduct threat assessments have expertise in the areas below to the greatest extent possible.  A team member may have more than one area of expertise. It is essential that there are multi perspectives and experiences when working on the assessment process. Some members may be considered ad hoc. 

• School Counseling

• Behavior Management

• Behavioral Health

• Mental Health and Substance Abuse

• Classroom Instruction

• Special Education

• School Administration

• School Safety and Security

• Emergency Management

• Law Enforcement

• Human Resources

• General education

Superintendent may establish a committee, or assign to an existing committee established by the district, the duty to oversee the operations of teams established for the district. 

TEC § 37.115(c-e) and Charters in TEC 12.104 (b)(3)(V)

FFB Legal

 The following trainings are mentioned in legal statute. See Texas Education Code section below. 

• Behavioral Threat Assessment (districts should select one provider)

  • • Educational Service Center - contact your regional ESC

    • Texas School Safety Center (SIGMA)

    • Salem-Keizer Threat Assessment System

    • Virginia Model for Student Threat Assessment

    • Others as determined by Commissioner Rule (not finalized)

• TEA Best Practice Resources for Schools

Each district should monitor its team membership regularly and quickly replace and train required expertise as needed. Districts should develop a system to ensure all stakeholders receive training on a continual basis. The use of tabletop exercises can be a helpful way for teams to evaluate their preparedness for a particular situation.

See your regional ESC or Texas School Safety Center for SSSP training opportunities.

• Each member must complete Threat Assessment training at least one time. Courses are offered through your ESC or Texas School Safety Center.

• All team members should be involved with assessment and intervention. Teams may use virtual meeting options if necessary. 

• Maintain confidentiality and communicate with those who need to know to support the safety and well-being of the school, students, and staff. The district is responsible for protecting the identity of the initial reporting district employee under Chapter 552.  

• Before a team may conduct a threat assessment of a student, the team must notify the parent of or person standing in parental relation to the student regarding the assessment. In conducting the assessment, the team  shall provide an opportunity for the parent to 

  1. Participate in the assessment, either in person or remotely; and

  2. Submit information regarding the student to the team.

  3. After completing the assessment of a student, the team shall provide the team's findings and conclusions regarding the student to the parent or person standing in parental relation to the student. 

• Conduct threat assessments that include assessing and reporting individuals who make threats of violence or exhibit harmful, threatening, or violent behavior. 

  1.  Gather and analyze data to determine the level of risk and appropriate intervention, including referring a student for mental health assessment; and

  2. Implementing an escalation procedure, if appropriate based on the team's assessment, in accordance with district policy;  

  3. Provide guidance to students and school employees on recognizing harmful, threatening, or violent behavior that may pose a threat to the community, school, or individual; and 

  4.  ***A team may not provide a mental health care service to a student under 18 years of age without written consent from the parent or person standing in parental relation.  The student's parent may give consent for a student to receive ongoing services or may limit consent to one or more services provided on a single occasion.        

  5. Report immediately to the superintendent if the team determines there is a risk or violence to self or others.  The superintendent shall immediately attempt to inform the parent or person standing in parental relation to the student.    

  6. Follow the district suicide prevention program if the team determines a student is at risk of suicide.

  7. Follow district policies and procedures related to substance use prevention and intervention upon identifying a student who is using or in possession of tobacco, drugs, or alcohol.

• Support the district in implementing the district's multihazard emergency operations plan.

• Report team activities to TEA in annual data collection request sent to Campus Administrator.

TEC § 37.115(f-g) (Threat Assessment And Safe And Supportive School Program and Team) 

FFB (LEGAL) district should refer to their own (LEGAL & LOCAL) board policy)

TxSSC Behavioral Threat Assessment Legal Requirments and Guidelines 

Districts are required to have an SSSP team by legal statute. Districts are required to annually submit data to TEA in June for the previous school year via a Qualtrics Survey. 

Spring/Summer 

• Be sure all team members are trained in Behavioral Threat Assessment for the following school year. Members may have to be updated if there are new vacancies. 

• Report data collection via Qualtrics survey that will be emailed to  the Superintendent

Fall

• Be sure all team members have Behavioral Threat training. 

• Review guidance and rules of Safe and Supportive School Program

• Collect and store threat assessment data

TEA Correspondence

• TAA, May 4, 2023 -  TAA Mandatory Safe and Supportive School Program Data Reporting

• TAA, April 7, 2022 - Safe and Supportive School Program Update 

• TAA, September 30, 2021 - SSSP and Annual School Safety Allotment Expenditures Reporting 

• TAA, April 1, 2021

• TAA, September 17, 2020

TEC 37.115 (J-1) -  Materials and information provided to or produced by a team during a threat assessment of a student under this section must be maintained in the student's school record until the student's 24th birthday. 

TEC 25.002(a) - The school district in which the child most recently attended school shall furnish to the school district: (2) a copy of the child's disciplinary record and any threat assessment involving the child's behavior conducted under Section 37.115 

TEC 25.036(c) - In the case of a transfer under this section, a child's school district of residence shall provide the receiving district with the child's disciplinary record and any threat assessment involving the child's behavior conducted under Section 37.115. 

FD (LEGAL) Districts should refer to their own (LEGAL & LOCAL) board policy.

FDA (LEGAL) Districts should refer to their own (LEGAL & LOCAL) board policy.

FFB (LEGAL) Districts should refer to their own (LEGAL & LOCAL) board policy.

TEA TAA HB 3 Transfer of Student Records (December 14, 2023) 

Texas School Safety Center Guidance Checklist for Sharing School Behavioral Threat Assessment Documentation with the Receiving District (December 14, 2023) 

Safe and Supportive School School Program Team

A team that conducts threat assessments by assessing and reporting individuals who make threats of violence or exhibit harmful, threatening, or violent behavior and who gathers and analyzes data to determine the level of risk and appropriate intervention. When conducting this process with fidelity the process leads to a positive and safe school climate. This process is not intended to be punitive or adversarial; rather, it is a way to build trust and situational awareness. 

Harmful, threatening, or violent behavior 

Includes behaviors, such as verbal threats, threats of self-harm, bullying, cyberbullying, fighting, the use or possession of a weapon, sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, stalking, or assault, by a student. [TEC 37.115(a)(1)]

Threat 

A concerning communication or behavior that indicates that an individual poses a danger to the safety of school staff or students through acts of violence or other behavior that would cause harm to self or others. The threat may be communicated behaviorally, orally, visually, in writing, electronically, or through any other means, and is considered a threat regardless of whether it is observed by or communicated directly to the target of the threat or observed by or communicated to a third party, and regardless of whether the target of the threat is aware of the threat.

• AFSP - Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention: Model Language, Commentary, and Resources

• Bully Prevention/State Initiative

• Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports

• Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas

• Community Resource Coordination Groups (CRCG)

• EduRisk - A Checklist for K-12 Schools Implementing a Student Threat Assessment Process

• Minor Consent for Telemedicine Exemplar Form

• Proposed Commissioner Rules

• SAMHSA - Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools

• Schoolsafety.gov - Threat Assessment and Reporting 

• Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)

• Suicide Safer Schools

• TASB policy guidance - FFB (Legal) and locally developed FFB

• TASB - Secret Service Offers Guidance on Threat Assessment Practices

• TASB - Operationalizing School Behavioral Threat Assessment FAQs, May 2022

• TASB - School Safety After SB 11

• TEA Best Practice Resources for Schools 

• TEA Implementing the Behavior Threat Assessment Process + Year-at-a-Glance Activities

• TEA Mental Health and Behavioral Health 

• TEA MTSS Resources 

• TEA Positive School Climate  + Year-at-a-Glance Activities

• TEA Safe and Supportive School Climate

• TEA Safe and Supportive Schools

• TEA School Climate Surveys

• TEA School Mental Health Practice Guide and Toolkit

• TEA SSSP Data Collection Questions for 2022-2023 School Year

• TEA Statewide MTSS Contact Information List

• TEA Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention

• TEA Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention 

• TEA Texas School Mental Health

• TAA Letter, May 4, 2023 - Mandatory SSSP Data Reporting

• TAA Letter, April 7, 2022 - Safe and Supportive School Program Update 

• TAA Letter, September 30, 2021  - Safe and Supportive Schools Program (SSSP) and the Annual School Safety Allotment Expenditures Reporting

• Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS)

• Texas Department of State Health Service Mental Health

• Texas Suicide Prevention Resources

• Title IV Needs Assessment Sample (1)

• Title IV, Part A LEA Needs Assessment Tool

• Title IV State Initiative District/LEA Resources

• Title IV State Initiative Safe and Supportive School Program Team

• Title IV State Initiative SSSP Team (School Board Policy, Training Requirements, and Resources) 

• Training on Grief

• TxSSC Model Policies and Procedures

• TxSSC Behavior Threat Assessment Parent Notification (Sample Script)

• TxSSC Behavioral Threat Assessment Toolkit

• TxSSC Behavior Threat Assessment Training

• TxSSC Behavior Threat Assessment 88th Leg. Session Update Video

• US Secret Service - Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence

TEC § Sec. 37.115.  THREAT ASSESSMENT AND SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL PROGRAM AND TEAM

• FD (LEGAL) Districts should refer to their own (LEGAL & LOCAL) board policy.

• FDA (LEGAL) Districts should refer to their own (LEGAL & LOCAL) board policy.

• FFB (LEGAL) Districts should refer to their own (LEGAL & LOCAL) board policy.

• TASB OPERATIONALIZING SCHOOL BEHAVIORAL THREAT ASSESSMENT FAQs

• TASB - Secret Service Offers Guidance on Threat Assessment Practices

Title IV, Part A School Safety State Initiative Guidance

The 86th Texas Legislature and SB11 mandated districts establish SSSP  teams. (TEC Sec. 37.220) One responsibility of the SSSP team is to conduct threat assessments by assessing and reporting individuals who make threats of violence or exhibit harmful, threatening, or violent behavior and who gather and analyze data to determine the level of risk and appropriate intervention. Members need to have taken a Threat Assessment course prior to conducting an inquiry. 

Safe and Supportive School Program Team