SCHOOL THREAT ASSESSMENT RESPONSE TEAM

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

The phenomenon of premeditated school shootings has been experienced throughout the nation. Most recently, the school shooting in Connecticut provided yet another example of the violence that can occur and its impact on survivors, families, and the community. In response to this threat, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health implemented the School Threat Assessment Response Team (START) in 2009, dedicated exclusively to the prevention of campus violence. START was the first program in the country to establish a law enforcement-education-mental health collaborative dedicated to the prevention of targeted school violence. START developed partnerships with educational institutions, federal, and local law enforcement agencies focused on the prevention of violence and early intervention with students on a pathway to violence. START provides information about the critical factors that may signal and in some cases precipitate violent acts. Other strategies include immediate intervention, including hospitalization when necessary and ongoing case management services taking into account the “subject-victim-school” triad. START implemented a School Threat Assessment Tool and has screened over 4,000 students. START has intervened in over 50 cases where there was an imminent threat of violence and prevented that violence from occurring. START continues to monitor over 75 students of concern.