About NCESD Threat Assessment Program

In partnership with the Department of Children, Youth and Families and mental health, law enforcement, and juvenile justice agencies, the Student Threat Assessment System, administered by North Central ESD 171, provides Student Threat Assessment services to school districts.

NCESD 171 utilizes the SK-Cascade Threat Assessment Model. The team was developed in the Willamette Valley with the leadership of the Salem Keizer school district.

Goals of the Assessment Model

  • Keep students who are at risk from committing violent acts in school.

  • Help protect students and staff members from potential violence.

  • Provide a student-specific safety plan utilizing community resources to mitigate the threat of violence.

  • Involve parents in the threat assessment process.

  • Document the program’s effectiveness in dealing with students who make threats of violence, including student academic and behavioral success.

  • Work in collaboration with community partners to coordinate resources for the safety and well-being of youth, families, and communities.

Objectives of the Assessment Model

  • Assess threats of potentially harmful or lethal behavior and determine the level of concern and action required.

  • Organize resources and strategies to manage threatening situations that pose a risk of harm to others.

  • Maintain a sense of psychological safety among our schools and community.

  • Reduce the number of expulsions for students who can be maintained safely in the school environment.