School-Based Threat Assessment

“School-Based Threat Assessment” is an evidence-based systematic evaluation process used to prevent violence, help troubled students, and avoid over-reactions to challenging behavior. The Center uses the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) model. The CSTAG model was developed in 2001 by Professor Dewey Cornell of the University of Virginia in collaboration with a team of educators and researchers. The model has been rigorously evaluated in controlled studies and large-scale implementation studies involving thousands of schools in multiple states.

The Center was awarded a grant through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to bring the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) model to districts in Connecticut free of charge. If you would like to schedule Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) training for your district, please email the schoolsafetycenter@wcsu.edu. This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, opportunity number DHS-23-TTP-132-00-01.

Below is the decision tree that provides guidance through the CSTAG evaluation process. You can access all of the forms here:

Forms_for_Comprehensive_School_Threat_Assessment_Guidelines_9-22-23.