Threat Assessment

In August of 2022, the state of New Jersey signed into law the (P.L.2022, c.83 School Threat Assessment Teams). This new law mandates every school district to establish a "threat assessment team" and have members trained by OSPEP through Sigma. The purpose of the team is to help identify students who pose a potential safety risk and prevent targeted violence in the district, ensuring a safe and secure school environment. 

The team must include the following individuals:

- A school school psychologist, counselor, or social worker).

- A teacher.

- A school principal or another senior school administrator.

- A school resource officer 

- The school safety specialist.

The law lists several specific responsibilities of the team, who must carry out these duties in consultation with a district's school safety specialist. The CARES team must provide assistance to school teachers, administrators, and other staff to identify students with concerning behavior, assess the risk of these students engaging in violence or other harmful activities, and deliver intervention strategies to manage the potential safety risk.

The team must use a behavior-based approach to identify and assess individuals who exhibit concerning behavior or communication and must not profile individuals based on their race, ethnicity, age, physical or mental health conditions, learning abilities, socioeconomic status, gender, or religion.