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Piedmont Community Charter board approves school safety and threat-assessment policy
Summary
The board approved a revised school safety and threat-assessment policy after a second reading, adopting state guidance on drills, multidisciplinary threat teams, reporting procedures and confidentiality rules under federal education privacy law.
The Piedmont Community Charter Board of Directors unanimously approved a revised school safety and threat-assessment policy after a second reading, the board said at its March meeting.
The policy adopts guidance from the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools and the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, requiring annual tabletop exercises and drills, creation of a multidisciplinary threat-assessment team, a central reporting mechanism and procedures for handling and sharing records consistent with federal student-privacy law.
Board members said the revisions were made following consultation with the board’s attorney and reflect state and federal requirements. The policy text cited North Carolina statutory provisions and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) when outlining permissible uses and limits on sharing student and criminal-history records.
Under the policy, the school will hold at least one schoolwide tabletop exercise and a drill each year, including a lockdown drill. Exercises should include local law enforcement and emergency-management agencies when possible. The policy directs the head of school to establish a multidisciplinary threat-assessment team composed of staff with expertise in counseling, instruction, discipline and administration; when practicable the team will include a school psychologist, a licensed mental-health professional, and staff experienced with students with special needs. The policy also allows nonemployee team members to review student records under a written agreement that mirrors FERPA requirements.
The policy defines “threat assessment” and lists behaviors that may raise reasonable concern, from escalating aggression and written threats to social-media posts and purchasing weapons. It directs staff and community members to report concerns via the anonymous “Say Something” tip line or directly to the head of school or designee. The team’s duties include training, establishing written assessment procedures and identifying to whom threats should be reported. Upon finding a credible threat, the team may refer individuals for mental-health services, notify affected persons and, when appropriate, local law enforcement.
The policy also prescribes confidentiality safeguards: team records and reports are to be kept confidential to the extent feasible and disclosures are limited to FERPA standards. The policy specifies that certain criminal-history or health records may be reviewed for assessment purposes but may not be copied or placed in a student’s central scholastic record unless required for disciplinary action; otherwise records may be maintained separately by staff with a legitimate educational interest.
Board members completed a second read of the document at the meeting and voted to adopt the policy as presented.
The board scheduled its next regular meeting for April 15.
