North Carolina schools gear up to meet school threat assessment teams fall deadline

North Carolina schools gear up to meet school threat assessment teams fall deadline

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (HERE NEWS) — This time last year, talks ramped up at the state level surrounding school safety, which is how North Carolina House Bill 605 came to be. The bill requires all North Carolina public school districts to have a threat assessment team in place by the start of the 2024-2025 school year. While many already had a threat assessment team in place prior to the bill, this summer is important in making sure things are ready for next year for many schools — but by the state’s standards.

Preparing for the Deadline

“We’ll make sure, at the start of the year, we’re ready to hit the ground running,” Asheville City Schools Student Services Executive Director Kimberly Robinson said Wednesday, May 22. “It’s going to bring more attention to the things we need to tighten up on. We make sure we have all the processes and procedures in place as far as the key components of who should be a part of it.” The teams are assembled to identify potential threats from students, and they then work with said individuals and their families to work on the issue.

Nearing the Deadline

“There needs to be a way to help them before they are a threat to themselves or someone else,” NCDPI Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen Fairley said in a previous conversation with HERE NEWS. “I’m most excited about children who will have an adult to walk them and their families through this process. That will be beneficial to them.” Many districts, like ACS, have had teams in place for years that are comprised of different members like administrators and student services staff. However, the state’s legislation wants to see more inclusion for other positions.

Focus on Inclusion

“The school resource officer, the school psychologists and someone from our exceptional children’s department,” Robinson explained. “We’ll really be able to work with them over the summer.” The emphasis on the teams led to ACS applying for — and receiving — a Safe Schools grant. That, along with a partnership with Navigate360, will allow for staff beyond the assessment team to be ready for potentially threatening situations.

Ensuring Safety

“For individuals like custodians, teachers, bus drivers, there will be a general overall training,” Robinson said. Robinson added that the state putting a focus on these teams helps draw attention to them — attention that could be beneficial to the students and families for which the teams are made. “We’re making sure that students are aware that there are people out there and we are here to support them,” she concluded. “They have someone to go to.”

Additional Information

For more information about the teams and House Bill 605, click HERE.