An Exploratory Investigation of Threat Assessment Practices in Colorado Schools

Multiple professional associations and agencies have recommended that schools establish threat assessment processes and procedures. Such recommendations have been directed at school districts in Colorado, a state that has experienced multiple school shootings. In this exploratory study, the nature and prevalence of threat assessment conducted in four Colorado school districts, as well as the demographics of students, were examined. The sample consisted of 759 threat assessment cases reported by the four participating Colorado school districts for the 2014-2015 academic year. Students were in grades pre-K to Grade 12. The majority of the threat cases were male (81.70%) and 39.9% received special education services. Just over 42% of the sample was white, 16.9% Hispanic, 16.1% African American, 5.3% Asian, and 4.2% Native American. Raw threat assessment data was provided by safety coordinators in each of the school districts. Data included student demographics and threat characteristics, though the availability of these data varied by district. Analyses revealed that males, students in special education, and African American and Native American students were overrepresented in the threat assessment sample. Logistic regression indicated that students in special education were significantly more likely to have a threat rated as serious than those not in special education. Study findings have implications for school assessment practices and training in public schools.