Refer to Knox County Board of Education Policy G-100.  

1. Reporting  

Any and all reports to principals of employee misconduct, threats, or serious concerns about a potential danger posed by an employee will be reported to the appropriate Human Resources supervisor. That supervisor will, in turn, communicate those reports to Knox County Schools Security. The Human Resources Supervisor and the Chief of Security (or his designee) will determine what type of response is needed and when it shall take place.  In the case of assault by an employee, threats of assault, employee vandalism, or any other potentially dangerous actions, the response shall be immediate. 

2. Response 

Upon arrival at the work site, the Human Resources supervisor and Security personnel will make sure the workplace is safe and the environment is stable. If after initial investigation, the actions or allegations are determined to be serious and substantiated the Human Resources supervisor may request that the accused employee be placed on administrative leave immediately to expedite reestablishing a safe workplace environment. This requires a verbal approval from the Superintendent or his designee. The formal written leave request will be completed within 24 hours of this verbal approval. 

If, at any time the investigation leads the Human Resources Supervisor or security personnel to believe a crime may have been committed, they may (and generally shall) contact local law enforcement or the Knox County Attorney General’s Office for consultation or guidance. If the Human Resources supervisor or security personnel feel, at any time during the investigation, that the employee in question is a threat to the safety of the school or workplace, he or she may request the employee be placed on administrative leave. Any employee placed on administrative leave for acts of violence, threatened violence, vandalism, or other potentially dangerous actions, shall be referred to the Knox County Schools Employee Threat Assessment Team. An employee may also be referred to the Threat Assessment Team due to an incident outside the workplace. 

3. Threat Assessment Team 

The main and primary duty of the Employee Threat Assessment Team will be to determine if it is safe for that employee to return to any school workplace environment. The following personnel or their designated representative will be members of the Employee Threat Assessment Team.

1. Executive Director of Human Resources
2. Chief of Security
3. Director of Employee Relations
4. Supervisor of Nursing
5. Supervisor of Psychological Services 
6. Appropriate Grade Level Director/Supervisor based on employee assignment
7. Chief of Staff (will not formally serve on the threat assessment team, but will serve as the communications liaison to the team for the Superintendent’s Office) 

The team will meet as needed for review of incident and employee history while the employee in question is on leave. The team may also require the employee to comply with specific testing and assessment activities before making a final recommendation. These activities could include in-house services such as drug testing, job performance review, clinical review, or further interviews. Depending on the employee’s benefits package, the team could also require some outside services be sought before a return-to-work recommendation is made. The Threat Assessment Team may require such outside services, or it could choose to recommend that the employee return to work without further review. If services are required, the team will reconvene at the completion of any required activities. If the employee is returned to work without further review, all Human Resources policies and procedures will apply. 

The Threat Assessment Team may consult with the Knox County Law Director’s Office, but the law department would have no representative on the team. This is to ensure any opinion rendered would not be influenced by prior knowledge of incident or employee history. If an employee is placed on administrative leave and subsequently returned to work, the Human Resources Supervisor and a Security representative will meet with the employee at a neutral site prior to the employee being returned to work. At this meeting, the employee will be informed of any conditions to continued employment, cautioned on the problematic behaviors that were identified, and have any periodic review requirements explained. The periodic reviews will be conducted by the appropriate Human Resources supervisor and the employee’s immediate supervisor. If it is determined by the Threat Assessment Team that it is not safe for the employee to return to any school/work environment, then the current Human Resources process for separation of employees will apply, and an appropriate recommendation will be made to the Superintendent. 

4. Training 

Human Resources and School Security personnel will ensure that the approved Threat Assessment Protocol is widely communicated, disseminated, and understood. It is recommended that all principals be provided with information about the protocol at a K-12 principals meeting, and that all new principals be exposed to the process during the New Principal’s Academy. New employees could be given the information either by Human Resources or Security at new employee orientation. It is also recommended that appropriate materials be developed in a variety of media to share with all schools and support departments. 

5. Conclusion  

This employee threat assessment protocol is intended to help ensure that all facilities within the Knox County Schools system are safe, psychologically healthy environments in which to learn, work, and visit. This protocol will be reviewed periodically and adjusted as needed to meet the needs of our students, staff, and community.