STOP Threat Assessment Grant
Evaluation
Our goal for the STOP grant is to reduce violent crime through the creation of school threat assessment teams. PUSD’s program design is aligned with the recommendations outlined in the Enhancing School Safety Using A Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence, published by the U.S. Secret Service. We have three objectives.
| Objective | Activities | Deliverables |
| #1: To ensure individuals determined to be a potential threat to themselves or others receive a school threat assessment and are referred for services | • Enhancing the district Crisis Response Team (DCRT) by institutionalizing a multi-disciplinary team that ensures all threat assessments, including responses to threat of harm to self or others, include mental health personnel and law enforcement. • formalizing School-Site Crisis Response Teams (SCRT) • SMART (system-wide Mental Assessment Response Team) training provided to DCRT and SCRT by the LA County Department of Mental Health. • Create PUSD SMART program (licensed mental health professional, School Resource Officers, local law enforcement) |
• number of individuals referred for a threat assessment • number of individuals who received a threat assessment • number of individuals who were determined a threat or a danger to themselves or others • A plan to conduct individual threat assessments • The number of adopted policies and procedures that define behaviors, establish a central reporting system, determine the threshold for law enforcement intervention, threat assessment protocols, and identify risk management options. |
| #2: To enhance intervention teams that identify school violence and mitigate those risks | • the establishment of a multi-disciplinary threat assessment team that uses evidence-based strategies based on cooperative partnerships • number of intervention teams created or enhanced • percent of issues or crises responded to by the intervention team that involved a) violence or threat of violence and b) suicidal ideation, attempt, or completion |
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| #3: To conduct school security surveys to identify safety risks and implement recommendations to mitigate those risks | • Creation of a Community Assessment Team (CAT) • Creation of School Assessment Teams (SAT) • Training in required NIMS/ICS classes • Training and Certification in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) • Conduct Security & Vulnerability Assessments at PUSD school sites and district facilities and mitigate identified threats and hazards |
• Number and percent of schools that receive a security assessment • Number and percent of recommendations identified during the assessment that were mitigated |
A project of this scope needs high quality evaluation. Our project includes hiring SPSG, Inc. as our independent Evaluator. SPSG has served as the independent Evaluator for PUSD since 2010, which has included previous state and federal grant programs received by PUSD that support students’ social and emotional needs, and is familiar with PUSD schools and our community, as well as the evidence-based practices included in this project. SPSG has extensive experience evaluating education, health, mental health and social services programs, and is proficient in all aspects and methods of evaluation stated in this proposal.
SPSG will conduct a comprehensive evaluation plan to ensure an ongoing review of the project’s progress and a thorough assessment of its overall effectiveness. The multi-method approach to our evaluation includes empowerment, process, fidelity, and outcome procedures. Our evaluation plan is designed to collect and analyze data on how the project is affecting individual student behavior, in accordance with privacy requirements, to ensure the programs are working to improve our students’ well being and our school environment.