Threat Assessment/Suicide Prevention Training

PROJECT ABSTRACT

Learning Forward Tennessee (LFT) is proposing this project to further enhance the development and implementation of Behavioral Threat Assessment (BTA) teams and suicide prevention programs at districts and schools across the state. This project will further build upon an already ongoing statewide effort to address the problem of school violence through prevention and intervention efforts to proactively support students. The State of Tennessee has aligned with federal recommendations and adopted threat assessment and suicide prevention as key strategies to identify threats to others and self and implement effective interventions. With the support of the Tennessee School Safety Center under the Tennessee Department of Education, the state has identified the SIGMA BTA methodology as the most appropriate model given the strength of the approach and the specific consideration given to address the challenges across the state. Despite these efforts in Tennessee, we still require additional support to get our threat assessment and suicide prevention programs fully in place at the district and building level as soon as possible to address the growing needs across the state. As statewide data suggests, there is still significant need to support our communities as they continue to experience exposure to social, emotional, and familial risk factors. The focus on identifying threats to safety (self and others) has never been more critical than now as schools strategize the return to fully occupied buildings.

To address these challenges, Learning Forward Tennessee is proposing to enhance the implementation of our multidisciplinary threat assessment teams by delivering BTA and suicide prevention through a high-quality eLearning training platform for our school teams to build, strengthen, and maintain knowledge and skills in threat assessment and suicide prevention. The threat assessment training will include both eLearning modules and an interactive virtual team learning components that not only provide the background needed to implement threat assessment and suicide prevention, but the practical hands-on skills. These trainings will effectively assist in high fidelity harm reduction plans for at-risk students that are trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate. We will make these tools available to all districts throughout the state over a 36-month period using a cyclical and phased approach to implementation. We have also embedded specific elements within our proposal that with ensure these activities have the long-term impacts we desire even after the conclusion of the grant.