Ohio school threat assessment law

Do Ohio schools have to have threat assessment teams?

Yes, for buildings serving grades 6-12. Each local, city, exempted village and joint vocational school district must create a threat assessment team for each school building serving grades six through twelve. Districts had to have teams in place within two years of R.C. 3313.669 taking effect. That section was enacted by House Bill 123, effective March 24, 2021. House Bill 123 is the SAVE Students Act, on school security and youth suicide awareness training. A building's existing, similarly built safety team may serve as its threat assessment team, if the team and each member meet the section's requirements.

Do charter and STEM schools need teams?

Community schools (Ohio's charter schools) must comply with a list of sections in R.C. 3314.03(A)(11)(d), and that list includes the team statute, R.C. 3313.669. STEM schools must comply with a list of sections in R.C. 3326.11 that also includes R.C. 3313.669. That STEM school section is in effect in an October 9, 2026 version that still includes R.C. 3313.669.

Who must be on the team?

Teams must be multidisciplinary (drawn from different professions) when possible. They may include school administrators, mental health professionals, school resource officers and other necessary personnel. The state model plan (guidance, not law) says at least two team members from different disciplines need to be involved in the decision-making process.

What training do team members need?

Each team member must complete an approved threat assessment training program from the Department of Public Safety's list, on appointment and every three years after. The state must keep that list of approved programs, and at least one must be free or no cost to schools. Approved training must cover identifying behaviors, signs and threats that may lead to a violent act. It must also cover how serious a threat is, and intervention plans that protect potential victims and address the underlying problem. The approved list on the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) page includes the Ohio Attorney General's Office's Ohio School Threat Assessment Training. It also includes Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) training offered by OSSC and the Department of Education and Workforce.

Does Ohio set a threat assessment process?

Each administrator covered by the emergency management plan statute, R.C. 5502.262, must develop and adopt a comprehensive emergency management plan; the covered list includes community schools and chartered nonpublic schools. Each building's emergency management plan must include a threat assessment plan, and the state model may be used, plus a protocol for its school threat assessment team. The Department of Public Safety, consulting with the Department of Education and Workforce and the Attorney General, must develop a model threat assessment plan that buildings may use. The model plan must set guidelines for identifying threats, judging how serious they are, intervening and following up. It must also set guidelines for coordinating with local law enforcement and with reports from the district's anonymous reporting program, and name a point of contact in each agency. National Threat Assessment Center processes or guidelines must serve as a resource for the model plan. The model plan and the approved training list were due within two years of March 24, 2021. OSSC says schools may adopt and adapt its model plan to meet the threat assessment plan requirement.

How do tips reach the team?

Each public district must register with the SaferOH tip line or contract with an anonymous reporting program of its choosing. The reporting program must forward reported information to, and coordinate with, the appropriate school threat assessment teams and law enforcement.

What happens after an assessment?

Emergency management protocols for responding to threats must include procedures such as notifying law enforcement and informing parents of affected students. The state model plan (guidance, not law) lists contacting the parents or guardians of the student of concern as a suggested response. Under the model plan, an imminent-level case calls for immediate law enforcement intervention or hospitalization.

What about records and confidentiality?

The team statute, R.C. 3313.669, sets no rule on team records, confidentiality, retention or transfer; its only records duty is proof of member training. Each district building must put proof that every team member completed approved training in the emergency management plan it submits to the Director of Public Safety. The Department of Public Safety's rule on emergency management plans restates that proof duty. The model plan (guidance) says the completed threat assessment form and supporting documents should be kept in the student's education record. It also says that when a student transfers, information on the threatening behavior and the steps taken should be shared with the receiving district as soon as possible. The anonymous reporting program must follow Ohio's security-record and student-record laws and FERPA (the federal student privacy law). Tip line and anonymous reporting data are security records, not public records. Schools, board members, employees and team members are not liable in civil damages for a team member's school safety duties unless the conduct is willful or wanton misconduct.

Is there state funding for teams?

R.C. 3313.669 provides no funding or grant for threat assessment teams.

Have there been recent changes or bills?

The emergency management plan statute, R.C. 5502.262, was amended by House Bill 96, effective September 30, 2025. It was amended again by House Bill 184, effective March 20, 2026. House Bill 455 amended it once more, effective October 9, 2026. SB 463 was referred to the Senate Finance Committee on September 30, 2026. It would change the threat assessment team law and the model plan, and would make an appropriation. HB 189 was referred to the House Education Committee on March 26, 2025. It would set a statewide behavioral threat management process for both public and chartered nonpublic schools.