There are programs, generally called "threat assessments," that schools can use to identify and respond appropriately to school safety threats by determining whether threats are real (or "substantive"). Using a threat assessment model can help to ensure that students receive appropriate guidance, support, and services and can help to determine when words and behaviors pose an actual threat to school safety.
The Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education recommend that schools create teams of adults that are trained to use the threat assessment system to respond to threats in schools. These could include threats of school violence, bullying, harassment, and assault. The team determines what type of response is most appropriate—from simple guidance, to mental health services, to law enforcement involvement. Not only does this approach focus resources where they are most needed, but it ensures that students are not simply punished for saying or doing something inappropriate that is not actually a threat to school safety. Instead they can receive appropriate consequences, guidance, services, and supports.