Bill Text: NJ S1680 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires that in-service training for school employees on safety and security include component on behavioral threat assessment.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S1680 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S1680-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator DECLAN J. O'SCANLON, JR.
District 13 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Requires that in-service training for school employees on safety and security include component on behavioral threat assessment.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning school threat assessment and supplementing chapter 41 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A board of education's in-service training program for school district employees on recognizing and responding to safety and security concerns shall include a component on establishing a behavioral threat assessment team in each school district. The purpose of a behavioral threat assessment team shall be to identify students who pose a potential safety risk and prevent targeted violence in the district. Training for a behavioral threat assessment team shall include information on: identifying students who may pose a threat to school safety; assessing the actions, communications, and specific circumstances that suggest a potential risk of violence; and providing appropriate resources to prevent potential violent incidents.
b. The behavioral threat assessment team established by a board of education under subsection a. of this section shall be multidisciplinary in membership and, to the extent possible, shall include the following individuals: (1) a school psychologist, school counselor, school social worker, or other school employee with expertise in student counseling; (2) a teaching staff member; (3) a school principal or other senior school administrator; and (4) a safe schools resource officer or school employee who serves as a school liaison to law enforcement. Additional school employees may serve as regular members of the team or may be consulted during the threat assessment process, as determined to be appropriate by the team.
c. The Department of Education, in consultation with State law enforcement agencies and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, shall develop guidelines for school districts regarding the establishment and training of behavioral threat assessment teams pursuant to this section.
2. This act shall take effect in the first full school year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
Under current State Board of Education regulations at N.J.A.C.6A:16-5.1(d), each board of education is required to provide an in-service training program for school district employees to enable them to recognize and appropriately respond to safety and security concerns. This bill would require that the in-service training program include a component on establishing a behavioral threat assessment team in each school district for the purpose of identifying students who pose a potential safety risk and preventing targeted violence in the district. Under the bill, the training for a behavioral threat assessment team must include information on the following: identifying students who may pose a threat to school safety; assessing the actions, communications, and specific circumstances that suggest a potential risk of violence; and providing appropriate resources to prevent potential violent incidents.
The bill provides that a behavioral threat assessment team must be multidisciplinary in membership and, to the extent possible, must include the following individuals: (1) a school psychologist, school counselor, school social worker, or other school employee with expertise in student counseling; (2) a teaching staff member; (3) a school principal or other senior school administrator; and (4) a safe schools resource officer or school employee who serves as a school liaison to law enforcement. Additional school employees may serve as regular members of the team or may be consulted during the threat assessment process, as determined to be appropriate by the team.
The bill directs the Department of Education, in consultation with State law enforcement agencies and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, to develop guidelines for school districts regarding the establishment and training of behavioral threat assessment teams.
