Caring Safe Schools Ontario

✦✦How organized is the student? Is he/she capable of developing and carrying outa plan?✦✦Has the student experienced a recent loss or loss of status leading to feelings ofdesperation and despair?✦✦Do the student’s statements contradict his/her actions?✦✦Is there concern among those who know the student that he/she might takeaction based on inappropriate ideas?✦✦What factors in the student’s life and/or environment might increase/decreasethe likelihood that he/she would attempt violence?✦✦Does the student have a behaviour management plan and/or IEP addressingantecedents, behaviours, intervention strategies, and consequences? Is the IEPplan working?(Adapted from Burns, Dean, & Jacob-Timm, et al., 2001, p. 243)Intervention strategies to deal proactively with an identified risk and/or with specialeducation needs should be planned by a team of individuals with relevant expertisewho are partners in the student’s education. This team should include parents, thestudent, school personnel, and community and system resources, as appropriate.The resulting plans should be flexible and should include prevention and interventionstrategies that reflect the student’s strengths and needs and the educationalcontext. This plan may also need to identify necessary procedures for requestingand obtaining assistance from mental health professionals and, when required,police services.Behaviour Support Plan (BSP)n A behaviour support plan is a written plan that is designed to target the underlyingreason for behaviour, replace the inappropriate behaviour with an appropriatebehaviour that serves the same function, and reduce or eliminate the challengingbehaviour (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007a). In school boards, behavioursupport plans are sometimes referred to as behaviour management plans.Safety Plann A safety plan is a plan developed for a student whose behaviour is known topose an ongoing risk to him or herself, other students, staff, or other people ingeneral. It can serve as a crisis-response plan that outlines the roles and responsibilitiesof the staff in dealing with specific problem behaviours. The developmentof a safety plan involves all staff who work on an ongoing and daily basis with astudent, as well as parents and the representatives from any community agenciesworking with the student/family.Strategies, Tools, Resources39