This technical supplement to Virginia's 2014 School Safety Audit report presents information on threats specific to the State's elementary, middle, and high schools, excluding 196 other types of schools, such as alternative, pre-kindergarten, and special education schools.
Many of the analyses are limited to the 810 schools that had at least one threat assessment case during the 2013-14 school year. For the purposes of this report, "threats" are broadly defined as "a student's communication or behavior that indicates intent to harm someone." This report describes the threat assessment process from start to finish, with information on the prevalence of threats across school levels and student populations, descriptions of the kinds of threats, how schools responded to them, and the outcomes for students and the intended victims of the threats. Among the 810 schools that reported at least one threat, there were 3,283 cases, which is a prevalence rate of approximately four cases per school and 6.1 cases per 1,000 students. This report also presents data on who reported the threat to school authorities; the threat prevalence rate by school grade levels; the demographics of those making threats; threat characteristics; characteristics of targeted victims; school responses to threats; and violence not attempted, averted, or not averted. In addition, data are presented on school responses to intended victims of threats, as well as training issues. Study methods are also described. 37 tables, 6 references, and appended Threat Assessment Follow-Up Survey and a listing of articles on threats associated with various grade levels