Professional development and training

STEP 8: PROVIDE TRAINING FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS

School safety is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone has a role to play in prevention.

BTAM teams should identify the training needs of all prevention partners, including faculty, staff, administrators, students, parents/guardians, school resource officers, and community-based partners such as local law enforcement.

Anyone who may observe concerning behavior or notice concerning communications should be trained in what to report and how, and those involved in the assessment process should receive training to prepare them for success in identifying, assessing, and intervening when concerns arise.

Teams are encouraged to provide training tailored to the audience’s unique needs that address the goals and purpose of the behavioral threat assessment approach, the steps and processes involved, the type of information that should be brought forward, and how individuals can report their concerns.

Professional development and training are core features of the successful implementation of any program or practice.

Because school safety is everyone’s responsibility, teams working to align BTAM with the PBIS framework should consider the training needs of faculty, staff, administrators, school resource officers, and local law enforcement.

To set all members of the school community up for success, teams should provide professional development and training opportunities to acquire new knowledge and build new skills.

All staff should receive training on core, universal (Tier 1) PBIS elements to better understand schoolwide and classroom expectations, acknowledgment and appreciation systems, and response to behaviors that do not align with established expectations and values.

Training topics can include recognizing concerning and/or threatening behavior or communications, as well as what information should be brought forward and the multiple methods to do so (e.g., direct communication, phone line, email or online form, text or mobile application).

Training on other topics such as suicide awareness and prevention, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, developmental disabilities, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma, and mental health first aid can also support universal prevention efforts and assist school faculty, staff, and administrators with fostering positive school climates.

Relatedly, a comprehensive dissemination plan around awareness and prevention efforts that includes how to access systems of support should be included for non-staff members of the school community such as families and students and staff who are unable to attend training due to contractual or logistical barriers (e.g., transportation, teacher assistants, food service).

Like faculty, staff, and administrators, school resource officers and local law enforcement need training to increase their awareness of the school’s behavioral threat assessment and management process and their role in it.

Moreover, training on additional topics, such as child development, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, students with disabilities, unintentional assumptions of student backgrounds, ACEs and trauma, mental health first aid, and specific schoolwide programs and practices can better position all officers to promote positive school climates and support the school’s Tier 1 prevention efforts.

Core Tier 1 practices and data systems | • Core Tier 1 and Tier 2 practices and data systems | • Core Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 practices and data systems

Recognizing concerning and/or threatening behavior | • Mental health first aid • De-escalation techniques | • Functional behavioral assessment and behavior intervention planning • Reporting mechanisms • Understanding adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) | • Trauma-informed care | • Behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM)

A district is implementing the targeted intervention Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) as part of its Tier 2 supports. The district’s coordinator for MTSS/PBIS partners with the district’s director of district safety and security to have all of the school safety specialists on staff across the district trained in de-escalation techniques and as CICO implementers.

What training is needed and who should receive it?

What ongoing coaching or problem-solving supports are available?