How do you know when students need help and how to intervene?

Mild risk 

• Confrontation by reporter
• Behavioral contract or treatment plan with student
• Student conduct response
• Evaluate for disability services and/or medical referral
• Conflict management, mediation, problem-solving

Moderate risk 

• Confrontation by reporter
• Behavioral contract or treatment plan with student
• Student conduct response
• Evaluate for disability services and/or medical referral
• Conflict management, mediation (not if physical/violent), problem-solving

Elevated risk 

• Confrontation by reporter
• Evaluate parental/guardian notification
• Evaluate need to request permission from student to receive medical/educational records
• Consider interim suspension if applicable
• Evaluate for disability services and/or medical referral
• Consider referral or mandated assessment

Severe risk 

• Possible confrontation by reporter
• Parental/guardian notification obligatory unless contraindicated
• Evaluate emergency notification to others (FERPA/HIPAA/Clery)
• No behavioral contracts
• Recommend interim suspension if applicable
• Possible liaison with local police to compare red flags
• Deploy mandated assessment
• Evaluate for medical/psychological transport
• Evaluate for custodial hold
• Consider voluntary/involuntary medical withdrawal
• Direct threat eligible
• Law enforcement response
• Consider eligibility for involuntary commitment

Extreme risk 

• Possible confrontation by reporter
• Parental/guardian notification obligatory unless contraindicated
• Evaluate emergency notification to others
• No behavioral contracts
• Interim suspension if applicable
• Possible liaison with local police to compare red flags
• Too serious for mandated assessment
• Evaluate for medical/psychological transport
• Evaluate for custodial hold
• Initiate voluntary/involuntary medical withdrawal
• Direct threat eligible
• Law enforcement response
• Consider eligibility for involuntary commitment

Mild risk  

• Disruptive or concerning behavior.
• Student may or may not show signs of distress.
• No threat made or present.

Moderate risk  

• More involved or repeated disruption. Behavior more concerning. Likely distressed or low-level disturbance.
• Possible threat made or present
• Threat is vague and indirect
• Information about threat or threat itself is inconsistent, implausible or lacks detail
• Threat lacks realism
• Content of threat suggests threatener is unlikely to carry it out.

Elevated risk  

• Seriously disruptive incident(s)
• Exhibiting clear distress, more likely disturbance
• Threat made or present
• Threat is vague and indirect, but may be repeated or shared with multiple reporters
• Information about threat or threat itself is inconsistent, implausible or lacks detail
• Threat lacks realism, or is repeated with variations
• Content of threat suggests threatener is unlikely to carry it out.

Severe risk  

• Disturbed or advancing to dysregulation
• Threat made or present
• Threat is vague, but direct, or specific but indirect
• Likely to be repeated or shared with multiple reporters
• Information about threat or threat itself is consistent, plausible or includes increasing detail of a plan (time, place, etc)
• Threat likely to be repeated with consistency (may try to convince listener they are serious)
• Content of threat suggests threatener may carry it out.

Extreme risk 

• Student is dysregulated (way off baseline) or medically disabled
• Threat made or present
• Threat is concrete (specific or direct)
• Likely to be repeated or shared with multiple reporters
• Information about threat or threat itself is consistent, plausible or includes specific detail of a plan (time, place, etc), often with steps already taken
• Threat may be repeated with consistency
• Content of threat suggests threatener will carry it out (reference to weapons, means, target).
• Threatener may appear detached