15PBJA22GG04681STOP

The Whitney Point Central School District (WPCSD), located in Broome County, New York, will implement an innovative blend of evidence-based behavioral threat assessment and intervention training for district staff and law enforcement partners. Technology solutions will be used to help identify threats, and staff will receive training in safety and wellness topics. Additionally, student-led social marketing will be utilized to create a district-wide culture that supports violence awareness and threat reporting.

This approach aims to prevent violence by identifying potentially violent situations and intervening before they escalate. It also seeks to promote violence and wellness awareness among students and staff.

The WPCSD serves approximately 1,400 students in grades PreK-12 across three buildings. The district is located in a highly rural area that includes 11 municipalities in four counties, spanning 140 square miles. The students face many risk factors for violence, including self-reported behavior in anonymous surveys, a large number of incidents of assaults and threats of violence, and referrals by staff for threat assessment, suicide risk assessment, referrals to law enforcement, and referrals to the local mental health crisis center.

The project design includes training for district-level and building-level behavioral threat assessment teams in the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) model and suicide awareness and prevention. Case management software will be implemented to guide the team through the CSTAG process and document interventions. Anonymous threat reporting software for mobile or web-based devices, as well as email and social media scanning, will also be utilized. Staff will receive training in safety and wellness topics, and Sandy Hook Promise materials will be implemented to create a culture of violence awareness, prevention, and reporting. Partners in the project include the Broome County District Attorney's School Resource Officer Program and Broome County Sheriff's Office. Both agencies will designate individuals to participate on the district behavioral threat assessment team, participate in CSTAG trainings, assist the WPCSD in assessing threats, and intervene with individuals making threats as appropriate and as determined by CSTAG protocols.

Expected outcomes of the project include a 25% reduction in referrals to the crisis center by the end of the grant period, a 20% reduction annually in discipline referrals, a 90% increase in participants' knowledge of threat assessment principles through CSTAG training, completion of CSTAG train-the-trainer for two district staff members to provide training to building-level staff, and implementation of safety and wellness training plans for all student-facing staff.

Whitney Point Central School District

THIS PROGRAM SEEKS TO IMPROVE SCHOOL SECURITY BY PROVIDING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WITH THE TOOLS AND TRAINING THEY NEED TO RECOGNIZE, RESPOND QUICKLY TO, AND PREVENT ACTS OF VIOLENCE, INCLUDING HATE CRIMES. BOTH BJA AND THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES OFFER GRANTS TO IMPROVE SECURITY WITHIN OUR NATION'S SCHOOLS AND ON SCHOOL GROUNDS THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS. THE STOP PROGRAM SUPPORTS TRAINING SCHOOL PERSONNEL AND EDUCATING STUDENTS TO PREVENT STUDENT VIOLENCE AGAINST OTHERS AND THEMSELVES. IT ALSO PROVIDES SPECIALIZED TRAINING FOR SCHOOL OFFICIALS IN RESPONDING TO MENTAL HEALTH CRISES, AND IT FUNDS THE DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION OF ANONYMOUS REPORTING SYSTEMS FOR THREATS OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE, INCLUDING MOBILE TELEPHONE APPLICATIONS, HOTLINES, AND WEBSITES.

16.839 - STOP School Violence

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) [DOJ - OJP]

Whitney Point, New York 13862-0249 United States

Single Zip Code

BJA FY 22 Preventing School Violence: BJA's STOP School Violence Program (O-BJA-2022-171118)