Supporting Threat Reporting to Strengthen School Safety

Despite the consensus about the importance of violence prevention efforts in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) schools, research has revealed little about how to promote reporting among people who become aware of possible threats so that action can be taken. The authors of this report believe that the effectiveness of different approaches to reporting is likely to vary considerably across different school contexts. This report helps fill this gap by illuminating the variety of threat reporting models available to K-12 schools across the country, as well as how school leaders can support individuals' decisions to report threats in a way that will work best for their school environments. This study drew on a review of the literature focused on threat reporting and threat reporting systems, with particular attention to how their design and structure, as well as student- and school-level factors, can affect student willingness to report potential threats. It also drew on more than 30 interviews conducted with stakeholders across the U.S. K-12 school community to identify current approaches to encourage reporting, strategies for success, and the challenges that schools and districts face in this area. Interviews with stakeholders at the state, district, and school levels provided insight into a varied set of reporting models in place across the country at state, school district, county, and community levels.