SEARCH SITE
VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL
- Code of Virginia
- Virginia Administrative Code
- Constitution of Virginia
- Charters
- Authorities
- Compacts
- Uncodified Acts
- RIS Users (account required)
SEARCHABLE DATABASES
- Bills & Resolutions
session legislation - Bill Summaries
session summaries - Reports to the General Assembly
House and Senate documents - Legislative Liaisons
State agency contacts
ACROSS SESSIONS
- Subject Index: Since 1995
- Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
- Summaries: Since 1994
Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.
2024 SESSION
24101225DBe it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 22.1-79.4 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 22.1-79.4. Threat assessment teams and oversight committees.
A. Each local school board shall adopt policies for the establishment of threat assessment teams, including the assessment of and intervention with individuals whose behavior may pose a threat to the safety of school staff or students consistent with the model policies developed by the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety (the Center) in accordance with § 9.1-184. Such policies shall include procedures for referrals to community services boards or health care providers for evaluation or treatment, when appropriate.
B. The superintendent of each school division may establish a committee charged with oversight of the threat assessment teams operating within the division, which may be an existing committee established by the division. The committee shall include individuals with expertise in human resources, education, school administration, mental health, and law enforcement.
C. Each division superintendent shall establish, for each
school, a threat assessment team that shall include persons with expertise in
counseling, instruction, school administration, and law enforcement and, in the
case of any school in which a school resource officer is employed, at least one
such school resource officer. New threat assessment team members shall complete
an initial threat assessment training and all threat assessment team members
shall be required to complete refresher threat assessment training every three
years. Threat assessment teams may be established to serve one or more schools
as determined by the division superintendent. Each team shall (i) provide
guidance to students, faculty, and staff regarding recognition of threatening
or aberrant behavior that may represent a threat to the community, school, or
self; (ii) identify members of the school community to whom threatening
behavior should be reported; (iii) meet at least
annually on school grounds with the chief law-enforcement officer of the
locality or a designee from the local law-enforcement
agency to determine potential
safety hazards or points of vulnerability on such grounds or in the school
building and to discuss and promote active shooter
prevention and natural disaster preparedness; and (iii) (iv)
implement policies adopted by the local school board pursuant to subsection A.
D. Upon a preliminary determination that a student poses a threat of violence or physical harm to self or others, a threat assessment team shall immediately report its determination to the division superintendent or his designee. The division superintendent or his designee shall immediately attempt to notify the student's parent or legal guardian. Nothing in this subsection shall preclude school division personnel from acting immediately to address an imminent threat.
E. Each threat assessment team established pursuant to this section shall collect and report to the Center quantitative data on its activities using the case management tool developed by the Center.
F. Upon a preliminary determination by the threat assessment team that an individual poses a threat of violence to self or others or exhibits significantly disruptive behavior or need for assistance, a threat assessment team may obtain criminal history record information, as provided in §§ 19.2-389 and 19.2-389.1, and health records, as provided in § 32.1-127.1:03. No member of a threat assessment team shall redisclose any criminal history record information or health information obtained pursuant to this section or otherwise use any record of an individual beyond the purpose for which such disclosure was made to the threat assessment team.