Built on two decades of Secret Service research.
For more than two decades, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center has studied targeted violence in schools. Its guidance is clear: prevention works when schools identify students in distress, assess the situation, and intervene with support. VeriThreat is built to put that model into daily practice.
What a threat assessment is, and isn't.
Threat assessment is not profiling, surveillance, or discipline. It's a structured, caring response to concerning behavior that someone noticed.
No profiles
A low threshold
Support over punishment
People decide
The eight steps of a comprehensive prevention plan, and where VeriThreat fits.
From Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model (2018). We're explicit about what software can do and what your people need to own.
- 1
Establish a multidisciplinary threat assessment team
A team of administrators, counselors, school psychologists, teachers, and school resource officers, with a designated leader.
SupportedTeam roles (lead and member), school-level or district-wide scope, and a shared workspace. Building the team is your district's work.
- 2
Define concerning and prohibited behaviors
A clear policy on behaviors that warrant intervention, with a low threshold so struggling students are noticed early.
SupportedReporting categories cover threats, weapons, violence, concerning communications, bullying, self-harm concerns, and behavior changes, and can be aligned to your policy.
- 3
Create a central reporting mechanism
A way for anyone to report concerns, with the team responding promptly and consistently.
Core workflowA guided, confidential staff reporting form with roster search, attachments, and an immediate-danger path, feeding one prioritized team queue.
- 4
Determine the threshold for law enforcement intervention
Clarity on when law enforcement is involved, for example weapons, threats of violence, or physical violence.
SupportedImmediate-danger escalation, urgency triage, and a dedicated note type for law enforcement contact. The threshold itself is your district's policy.
- 5
Establish assessment procedures
Documented procedures that gather information from many sources, organized around key investigative themes.
Core workflowCase files, structured notes, a 13-theme assessment, AI-organized evidence with citations, and lead-finalized determinations.
- 6
Develop risk management options
Interventions and supports matched to the student's needs, with monitoring over time.
Core workflowManagement plans with owners, due dates, overdue alerts, a monitoring case status, and a printable report of record.
- 7
Create and promote safe school climates
A culture of safety, respect, and trust where students feel connected and comfortable coming forward.
Led by your districtA reporting channel people trust, built with no student profiling and no surveillance of the general student body. Climate work belongs to your schools.
- 8
Conduct training for all stakeholders
Training for staff, students, and families on recognizing and reporting concerns.
Led by your districtIn-product guidance on what and how to report. Training programs remain your district's responsibility.
Thirteen questions that structure every assessment.
NTAC identifies key themes for teams to explore when gathering information. In VeriThreat, each one is a section of the assessment, and the AI assistant sorts existing records under the same headings.
Motives
What motivated the behavior? Any grievances (bullying, discipline, relationships, revenge)?
Communications
Concerning, unusual, threatening, or violent communications: in person, written, online, assignments.
Inappropriate interests
Heightened interest in school attacks, past attackers, weapons, mass violence, or extremist ideas.
Weapons access
Access to weapons at home or elsewhere; whether they are secured; recent attempts to acquire.
Stressors
Recent or ongoing setbacks, losses, conflicts, bullying, family or academic stressors.
Emotional and developmental issues
How emotional or developmental issues affect the student's behavior, and supports in place.
Desperation or despair
Hopelessness, desperation, suicidal thoughts or gestures.
Violence as an option
Does the student see violence as acceptable or the only way to solve problems?
Concerned others
Have peers, family, or staff noticed changes or expressed concern? Has anyone been told of plans?
Capacity to carry out an attack
Organizational ability and means to act on a plan.
Planning
Evidence of planning: research, acquiring items, rehearsal, timing, targets.
Consistency
Are the student's statements consistent with their actions and with what others report?
Protective factors
Trusted adults, positive peer connections, activities, and supports that may restore hope.
Read the source material
NTAC's school safety publications are free and public. We recommend every team read Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model (2018) and Protecting America's Schools (2019), available at secretservice.gov/protection/ntac. VeriThreat is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Secret Service.
Every attacker in the Secret Service's study showed concerning behavior first.
Make sure the people who notice it have somewhere to go, and your team has what it needs to act.