The Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District makes continuing efforts to assure that threats of violence are addressed, whenever possible, before any violence actually occurs in the school environment. This protocol is intended to identify credible threats of violence, so that the District administration can address such situations before the threat is carried out. This protocol is applicable during any school-sponsored event or function, held on The Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District property or elsewhere.
A. PROCEDURES
The following procedures are separated into several sections in order to reflect those instances where specific individuals may receive a threatened act of violence:
1. Any student, upon receiving information that a person is threatening to commit an act of violence, shall:
- Assume the threat is serious;
- Immediately report the threat to a parent, guardian, school staff, administrator or law enforcement officer; and
- Be available and cooperative in providing a statement or information, with the understanding that the reporting student will remain anonymous to the greatest extent possible.
2. Any parent or guardian, upon receiving information that a person is threatening to commit an act of violence, shall:
- Assume threat is serious;
- Immediately report the threat to a school staff member, school administrator or law enforcement officer; and
- Be available and cooperative in providing a statement of information, with the understanding that the informant parent/guardian will remain anonymous to the greatest extent possible.
3. Any school staff member, upon receiving information that a person is threatening to commit an act of violence, shall:
- Assume threat is serious;
- Immediately report the threat to a school administrator/designee; and
- Be available and cooperative in providing a statement of information, with the understanding that the informant will remain anonymous to the greatest extent possible.
4. Any school administrator, upon receiving information that a person is threatening to commit an act of violence, shall:
- Assume threat is serious;
- Cause the student making the threat, if said student is on campus, to be immediately removed from the classroom and segregated into a secured area pending further investigation;
- Immediately notify the designated law enforcement agency and provide them with complete information regarding the information received; and
- Require that the school staff member, if this is the source of the information, provide immediate written statements regarding the information received
5. Factors to consider when determining whether a threat is credible are listed in Appendix “G,” which contains a threat-assessment flow chart for use by administrators.
6. Once the threat assessment is complete, the law enforcement officer and administrator shall convene privately to discuss the threat and consider options for follow-up action.
7. If it is agreed that the threat is credible:
- The administrator will immediately consult with appropriate law enforcement
- The school administrator shall take appropriate action in accordance with the given instructions
- The administrator will activate student release if necessary
8. If it is agreed that the threat is not credible, the school administrator shall institute any further action deemed necessary.