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Seneca Valley School District

Threat Assessment Teams

Threat Assessment Teams

In June 2019, Act 18 of 2019 amended the Public-School Code of 1949 by adding Article XIII-E, Threat Assessment. Among its provisions, Article XIII-E requires all Pennsylvania school entities to establish at least one Threat Assessment Team by the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. These teams are responsible for “the assessment of and intervention with students whose behavior may indicate a threat to the safety of the student, other students, school employees, school facilities, the community or others.” They also provide training, education and information to members of their school communities.

At the Seneca Valley School District, the Safety and Security Department and Student Services collaborate to train, develop and organize Threat Assessment Teams in every school. A district-level team also ensures all reported concerns and threats are thoroughly investigated. Each team includes a cross-section of staff such as administrators, counselors, psychologists, teachers, law enforcement (SROs), school security and school police.

All team members are trained using the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG), developed by Dr. Dewey Cornell. CSTAG is a research-based framework that helps schools identify, assess and address threats in a systematic, fair and effective way. It equips teams to evaluate potential threats, implement appropriate interventions and prevent harmful incidents while fostering a positive school climate. All student information is handled in compliance with privacy protections under FERPA.

Reporting Concerns

If you see or hear something concerning, please report it immediately using one of the following options: