Univ. of Colo. Receives Grant to Study State’s School Safety Program
The grant will be used to assess the Colorado Threat Assessment and Management Protocol, which was developed back in 2011.
The Colorado School Safety Resource Center (CSSRC) and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado Boulder have been awarded nearly $1 million to evaluate the state’s school safety protocol and training program.
The grant money will assess the Colorado Threat Assessment and Management Protocol, a guidance and training tool K-12 schools use to address potential safety risks, according to the school’s press release. The protocol was developed in 2011 based on the latest federal recommendations and best practices at the time.
“If we have an evidence-based threat assessment, instrument, protocol and training—and they are being implemented as intended—then we expect to see improved school safety and thwarted attacks,” said Sabrina Arredondo Mattson, a research associate with the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence and lead investigator for the grant.
The grant, which was the result of a collaboration between the CSSRC, CU Boulder and the University of Northern Colorado, will fund the project for three years. Researchers will update and refine the protocol before piloting it in five schools.
After gathering feedback from educators on the new guidelines, researchers will then launch the updated protocol in 30 more schools.
“We want to make sure that our evidence-based threat assessment protocol is feasible and adopted by educators,” Arredondo Mattson added. “The research will also evaluate satisfaction and cultural relevance, and assess how responsive the protocol is to the needs of students. We want to make sure that educators feel like they can implement it with confidence.”
The grant is funded through the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance’s STOP School Violence Act of 2018, which pledged $75 million each year for the next decade across three funding streams housed within the Department of Justice (DOJ).
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