Beaufort County panel reviews proposed school-based threat-assessment regulation

Student-services staff presented a new Administrative Regulation, SS 62, to the Beaufort County School District Academic Committee on Feb. 25, 2025, outlining school-based behavioral threat-assessment and management procedures.

The regulation, presented by Andrea Murray, defines a two-stage approach: a preliminary "core team" screening for initial concerns and a fuller protocol if the screener indicates possible intent to harm. "The core team of at least two members must consist of an administrator and one of our school-based mental health professionals," Murray said, describing school social workers, school counselors and school psychologists as eligible mental-health professionals.

The nut graph: the draft policy sets procedural expectations and information-sharing limits so school officials can act to protect student safety while involving parents and appropriate community partners. It also creates mandatory annual training for all threat-assessment team members.

Murray said the regulation permits sharing personally identifiable information (PII) from education records with school officials "whose knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health and safety of the students." She emphasized that if an imminent threat exists the core team will notify school resource officers or call 911 and take protective action; if the screener indicates no intent to harm, the case is closed and documented.

Board members asked for precise guidance on the phrase "stable." One member asked whether "stable" gives enough clarity about whether a student should be restrained, calmed or removed. Murray answered that stability depends on the circumstances and the age level of the student: "Stable is when everyone is safe when the threat has been ... we actually want to stop it at ideation," she said, adding that training uses role-playing and case studies tailored to elementary and high-school settings.

Committee members also asked how long a student might be out of school during assessment. Murray said there is no single number: it depends on threat level and supports. The district coordinates with community providers — Murray cited efforts to contact a mobile crisis unit through organizations such as Coastal Environmental Health when available — and aims to return students to school once supports are in place.

A board member raised liability concerns about staff conducting assessments rather than routing all cases to medical professionals. "Why would we not do that with the student? ... That's to me, that's a kinda gray area," the member said. Murray and staff replied that if a situation involves imminent danger law enforcement or emergency medical professionals would be involved and that assessments for students follow a distinct school-based protocol aligned with Department of Education best practices.

Murray said training is substantial: "It is an all-day training, minimum of 6.5 hours," covering case studies and role-playing; multiple trainings have been run across months and additional staff have requested sessions.

There was no formal vote on SS 62 at the committee meeting; the presentation concluded with board members thanking staff for the clarification and asking for continued work to ensure the regulation's language is operationally clear for school teams.

What's next: staff will continue refinement of the regulation and training schedule; the committee did not vote to adopt SS 62 during the Feb. 25 meeting.

Sources: Presentation and Q&A at the Beaufort County School District Academic Committee meeting on Feb. 25, 2025.