Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) — Fair Notice to Our School Community

Yellowknife District Education Authority No. 1 (YK1) is committed to creating and maintaining school environments in which students, staff, parents/guardians/caregivers, and others feel safe. Schools cannot ignore any threat of violence.

What is a threat?

A threat is an expression of intent to do harm or act out violently against someone or something. Threats may be verbal, written, drawn, posted online, or communicated through gesture. All threats are taken seriously, investigated, and responded to.

What is a Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA)?

From time to time, it may be necessary for a school to complete a Violence Threat Risk Assessment in response to threatening behaviour directed at students, staff, or the school community. A VTRA helps the school:

•    Ensure and promote the emotional and physical safety of students, staff, the person of concern, and others;

•    Fully understand the context and seriousness of the threat;

•    Understand the factors contributing to the behaviour of the student or individual of concern; and

•    Develop an intervention or support plan that addresses the safety needs of everyone involved.

A VTRA may be initiated in response to behaviours including, but not limited to: serious violence or violence with intent to harm or kill; verbal, written, or online threats to harm or kill others; possession of weapons (including replicas); bomb threats; and fire-setting.

Duty to report

To keep our school communities safe and caring, staff, parents/guardians, students, and community members are expected to report all threat-related behaviour to the school principal.

How a VTRA is conducted

Each school has a threat assessment process led by school administration, drawing on school-based staff such as counsellors and support workers. Depending on the nature and severity of a specific situation, the school may involve district staff, the RCMP, or other community partners such as NTHSSA (Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority) mental health or family support services. The level and nature of outside involvement is determined case by case, based on what the specific situation requires.

Parents/guardians of a student who is the subject of a VTRA, and parents/guardians of a student who is the target of a threat, will be notified as part of the process. All parties, including the individual of concern and their parent(s)/guardian(s), are invited and encouraged to take part in the assessment. However, the VTRA process will proceed regardless of whether the individual of concern or their parent/guardian chooses to participate, in order to protect the safety of the school community.

Collection and use of personal information

YK1 is subject to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPP) of the Northwest Territories and will collect, use, and disclose personal information as part of a VTRA only in compliance with that Act. This includes:

•    Limiting collection to information that is relevant and necessary to address a specific risk or threat;

•    Collecting information from online or social media sources only where it is publicly available; and

•    Not collecting information as part of a threat assessment unless there is reason to believe a risk exists.

Information collected during a VTRA may be shared with the RCMP or other agencies where appropriate to protect the safety of students, staff, or the community.

Questions

If you have questions about the VTRA process or this notice, please contact your school principal or the YK1 district office.