There are moments in life when we need to prepare for the unthinkable and hope our preparation is never tested.

Schools have installed metal detectors, armed teachers, conducted active shooter drills, and, in general, tightened security to prevent another Parkland or Santa Fe. But as Arlington ISD Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos recently reminded us, early intervention makes schools safer, too.

With the assistance of a federal grant from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the Arlington Police Department, Tarrant County’s mental health services and the school district recently formed a comprehensive threat assessment team whose sole task each day is to assess social media threats, bullying, classroom conduct and other behaviors that could put teachers and students in danger.

Early intervention is not a new concept for school districts, but as Cavazos describes it, a multidisciplinary team across three agencies with intervention as its singular focus is. Team members are expected to employ their specialized skills — from criminal investigation to social service counseling — to spot telltale signals that “might warrant intervention before it becomes a crime,” says Cavazos.

Here’s an example of how the team works. Suppose police, teachers or students pick up disturbing conversations or threatening situations on social media or through the student grapevine. The team, which has districtwide jurisdiction, becomes the centerpiece of the response. They are responsible for getting information to the campus principal, and actively participate with assessment teams on each campus to determine whether the threat is credible and what the next steps should be.

When appropriate, the team will treat the incident as a police matter, and at other times the team will make sure that mental health professionals are available to get the student help. The point is that the team coordinates a proactive response that should eliminate delays and confusion about how an incident should be treated.

No system is perfect. Arlington has more than 60,000 students scattered across numerous campuses. But in many cases, outward signs that a student is heading down the wrong path are evident. What Arlington has done is create a system that can corral those incidents before they advance.

This smart approach taps professional resources across the community in a way that they can intervene before a threat arrives on a school’s doorstep. The school district also deserves praise for pursuing such a robust team approach even before Gov. Greg Abbott’s school safety bill, signed into law last legislative session, required more comprehensive strategies to prevent school violence.

With so many tragic incidents destroying lives, schools can no longer hope that the unthinkable doesn’t happen on their campuses. Having a system in place to get ahead of the threat is smart and responsible. Even if a student isn’t on the road to committing mass murder, a system that gets help for a loner or bully is a step toward pulling an alienated student back from the emotional abyss.

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