Best Practices for Rigorous and Fair Behavioral Threat Assessment in K–12 Schools

Improving Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Implementation in K–12 Schools—Part 3

Brian A. Jackson, Pauline Moore, Jennifer T. Leschitz, Melissa Kay Diliberti, Ivy Todd, Sophia Bokaie

Published Dec 29, 2025

This working paper outlines evidence-informed practices to improve threat assessment within school behavioral threat assessment and management programs. It examines how multidisciplinary teams, structured processes, clear decision criteria, and sound documentation can enhance the accuracy, fairness, and effectiveness of threat assessments efforts as part of broader K–12 school violence prevention efforts.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Jackson, Brian A., Pauline Moore, Jennifer T. Leschitz, Melissa Kay Diliberti, Ivy Todd, and Sophia Bokaie, Best Practices for Rigorous and Fair Behavioral Threat Assessment in K–12 Schools: Improving Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Implementation in K–12 Schools—Part 3. Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center operated by the RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WRA3658-3.html.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

This research was sponsored by the United States Secret Service/National Threat Assessment Center and conducted in the Infrastructure, Immigration, & Security Operations Program of the RAND Homeland Security Research Division (HSRD).

This publication is part of the RAND working paper series. RAND working papers are intended to share researchers' latest findings and to solicit informal peer review. They have been approved for circulation by RAND but may not have been formally edited or peer reviewed.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.