Educational Service Units
Threat Assessment Training

Dr. Mario Scalora and Dr. Denise Bulling of the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center are partnering with Director of Safety and Security for the Nebraska Department of Education, Dr. Jolene Palmer, to conduct basic and advanced threat assessment training for Nebraska schools. The training is sponsored by local Educational Service Units in all areas of the state and features guidelines created by the Public Policy Center that translate the science and practice of threat assessment for use by local school and community teams. Participants in the training include educators, administrators, law enforcement, mental health, public health, and human resource professionals around the state of Nebraska. This training utilizes a threat assessment strategy specifically tailored for rural settings and other schools with limited resources.

Threat assessment and management evolved from practices used to assess and manage potential risk of violence. This K-12 school team training aims to help schools form or enhance the team that will focus on identifying, assessing and managing the risk/threat of violence posed by students, staff, and community members toward the school community. The purpose of threat assessment teams are distinct from issues addressed by safety teams, student behavior teams, and crisis response teams; though all of these school teams may be implicated in strategies for monitoring and managing potential threats.

To date, statewide K-12 Threat Assessment Training has reached over 100 Nebraska school districts, helping Nebraska schools prepare for and mitigate threats in schools.
Learn more at the Threat Assessment Website or watch this short video on violence prevention and preparedness.

Key Partners

Funding

Lead Contact

• Mario Scalora

Staff Researchers

• Mario Scalora
• Denise Bulling

Related Publications

• Behavioral Science Guidelines for Assessing Insider Threats
• Electronic Threats and Harassment
• La Violencia Hacia un Objetivo y el Asesoramiento de Amenazas [Targeted Violence and Threat Assessment]

In the News Articles

• Local schools participate in threat assessment training to prevent, prepare for attacks
• 'You have very few options when people show up armed': Nebraska schools learning to assess threats before violence strikes
• Back to School Adding Funding to Help Rural Schools with Safety
• Discussing Lincoln's Future: Schools and Growth
• Safety a serious priority for Hub Territory schools