Utah school threat assessment rule

Do Utah schools have to do threat assessments?

Yes, under a State Board of Education rule for public schools. R277-400-9 says each K-12 public school "shall implement an evidence-based threat assessment" that gives multidisciplinary teams a process to judge how serious a threat is and what to do. Each K-12 public school must also use a multidisciplinary team. The rule names "each k-12 public school"; private schools are not named in it. The current version of R277-400 took effect December 19, 2025. State board rules define student threat assessment as a prevention strategy: identify threats, judge how serious they are, and make intervention plans that put protecting potential victims first.

What can the team do?

Under the rule, the team may review school safety data, consult on interventions and discipline for a case, use threat assessment outcomes in discipline, involve parents in the intervention, and suggest referrals. These are allowed, not required.

Who must be on the team?

Under the rule, an LEA's (a district's or charter school's) team must include a school administrator as leader and the school safety and security specialist, plus others the LEA decides are needed. Optional members include a school resource officer (SRO) or local police officer, mental health professionals such as counselors, psychologists and social workers, a general and special education expert, and community members. Since July 1, 2026, statute defines a "threat assessment team" as an LEA-established multidisciplinary team of a school administrator, school safety personnel (a specialist or an SRO), a mental health professional if available, and others. That section does not require an LEA to set up an additional team if it already has one.

What does the school safety and security specialist do?

By statute, every campus in an LEA must designate a school safety and security specialist from its own employees. The specialist must take part in the multidisciplinary team the school sets up. The specialist must conduct a behavioral threat assessment when the specialist deems it necessary, using an evidence-based tool the state security chief recommends. The State Board of Education says that tool is the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG). For this section, "principal" includes a charter school director, so it reaches charter schools.

What training is required?

The specialist must take part in an annual training the state security chief selects. Under the rule, school principals and school safety personnel must attend the annual School Safety and Security Training Program, which must take place by October 15 each year. The School Safety Center's 2026 training list (guidance, not law) has each specialist trained in the LEA's evidence-based threat assessment approach used on the team, for example CSTAG. By statute, the School Safety Center must train LEAs on threat assessment protocols and provide training in evidence-based ways to identify someone who may pose a threat to the school community.

What process is set, and what starts an assessment?

The School Safety Center must develop model LEA policies that require an evidence-based behavior threat assessment with recommended interventions. It must also set best practices for threat assessment teams and set defined roles for a multidisciplinary team and school safety personnel. Under rule R277-736, when a principal receives juvenile court or police notice about a student, the principal and the team must use it to assess the level of threat, including self-harm, suicidal thoughts, harm to others or harm to school property. For those notices, they must use a board-approved, evidence-based threat assessment. R277-736 is in effect as of August 7, 2025. The statute behind R277-736 only directs the state board to make rules on sharing that information; the team-run assessment duty comes from the rule, not the statute.

What must happen after an assessment?

R277-400-9 sets no duty to notify parents or police after an assessment; involving parents is something the team "may" do. The state's model policy (guidance, not law) says the school will notify parents if the student poses a threat of violence or physical harm to self or others, or is a potential victim. By statute, when an LEA is told a student was arrested for, charged with or adjudicated for a serious offense, the LEA and school must build a reintegration plan with a multidisciplinary team, the student and the parent within seven school days after the LEA receives the notice while school is in session.

What happens to threat assessment records?

A "credible threat" is one a threat assessment team has evaluated and found to pose a potential risk of physical violence, serious bodily injury or significant property damage. An LEA must place a flag on a student's record when a team determines the student made a credible threat. The flag conditions also cover threats involving weapons or explosive devices, and cases where the team decides sharing is needed for safety. The state board must let authorized staff from other LEAs access the flag, and must keep appropriate security and access controls. The flag section sets no retention or deletion schedule; it says only that the state board may make rules and procedures for sharing student threat information. An education entity may collect and share threat assessment information without written consent if certain conditions are met. LEAs and state board staff who report or use the information under the section's procedures are presumed to act in good faith. Under rule R277-736, a principal who receives court or police information about a student may not share it before consulting the team, unless it shows possible imminent harm to self or others.

What must be reported to the state?

The state board must require LEAs to report when a student has presented a credible threat. The state board must train LEAs on sharing student threat information and audit that sharing regularly. It must report every year by October 1 to the Education Interim Committee on how the student threat information system is working. The state security chief must set up a required data reporting system for public schools to report serious and non-serious threats and other threat assessment data. The school safety needs assessment covers student threat assessment information.

What changed recently?

S.B. 51 (2026, School Safety Modifications) created a system for the state board to collect and share student threat information between LEAs. The Governor signed it March 19, 2026, and it took effect July 1, 2026. S.B. 51 appropriated no money.