Best Practice for Integrating Digital Threat Assessment® into the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Behavioral Threat Assessment Model

SOLANA BEACH, Calif., Oct. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Safer Schools Together (SST) and the International Center for Digital Threat Assessment^® (ICDTA), leading organizations specializing in school and community safety strategies are pleased to announce a collaboration with Dr. Dewey Cornell, international threat assessment expert, as well as author of the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) manual. SST and Dr. Dewey Cornell have developed a new learning module outlining best practice for integrating Digital Threat Assessment^® (DTA) into the CSTAG Behavioral Threat Assessment Model. The module reviews CSTAG's 5-step process and demonstrates how DTA^® provides critical insight into a student's thoughts, feelings, and plans to potentially commit acts of violence to themselves or others. This collaboration aims to ensure students, staff, schools, as well as surrounding communities are provided with safe, caring, and inclusive environments.

With over 100 years of collective experience, SST has a long history of supporting communities throughout North America in identifying individuals on the pathway to violence, gang involvement, criminal radicalization, suicide, incidents of targeted hate/racism, as well as threats targeting students, staff, and school communities. Using best practice from the field of School Safety/Threat Assessment, SST assists Threat Assessment teams in the early identification and intervention of individuals on the pathway to violence.

When teams initiate and engage in a threat assessment, the analysis of an individual's digital behavioral baseline is often overlooked. DTA^® was developed for Safety/Threat Assessment teams to ensure accurate assessment of online threat-related behavior. DTA^® is an invaluable training tool that supports the Behavioral Threat Assessment and management procedures/process.

CSTAG, an evidence-based Behavioral Threat Assessment model, uses a 5-step process with a decision-tree to gather information and determine whether a student's communications or behaviors pose a serious (substantive) threat. This module will help CSTAG teams understand commonly used social media platforms and provide practical techniques for investigating social media as part of threat assessments. By knowing how and where to look for online threat-related behavior, CSTAG teams will have the tools to establish a digital behavioral baseline of a Student of Concern (SOC). DTA^® allows CSTAG teams to gain a broader perspective of a threat and supports the development of more comprehensive schoolwide prevention and intervention strategies.

The collaboration between SST and Dr. Dewey Cornell represents a significant advancement in addressing the critical concern of school safety.

By harnessing the collective expertise of both parties, this collaboration aims to combine resources, knowledge, and innovation to proactively address/respond to potential threats within school communities across North America.

Theresa Campbell, CEO and President of SST added, "We are excited to collaborate with Dr. Dewey Cornell to establish comprehensive solutions that place the safety of our schools and communities at the forefront. Our joint efforts will empower schools and communities to create a culture of connectedness, safety, and preparedness."

Please join us for a 45-minute educational session to learn more about our collaboration.

Session: Overview of Integrating Digital Threat Assessment^® into the CSTAG Model
Date: Friday, October 13, 2023 
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. EST
Location: Livestreamed via Zoom
Registration: Educational Session with Safer Schools Together and Dr. Dewey Cornell
Video: Module Overview

For more information about the collaboration and its initiatives, please visit Safer Schools Togethers' website at www.saferschoolstogether.com, or www.icdta.org, and Dr. Dewey Cornell's website at www.schoolta.com.

Media Contact: Kyla Wells, Director of Marketing, comms@saferschoolstogether.com, 604.560.2285

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SOURCE Safer Schools Together (SST)