1. a. The board of education of each school district and the board of trustees of each charter school or renaissance school project shall develop and adopt a policy for the establishment of a threat assessment team at each school. The purpose of a threat assessment team shall be to provide school teachers, administrators, and other staff with assistance in identifying students of concern, assessing those students’ risk for engaging in violence or other harmful activities, and delivering intervention strategies to manage the risk of harm for students who pose a potential safety risk, to prevent targeted violence in the school, and ensure a safe and secure school environment that enhances the learning experience for all members of the school community.

b. A threat assessment team established by a board of education or a board of trustees under subsection a. of this section shall be multidisciplinary in membership and, to the extent possible, shall include the following individuals:

(1) a school psychologist, school counselor, school social worker, or other school employee with expertise in student counseling;

(2) a teaching staff member;

(3) a school principal or other senior school administrator;

(4) a safe schools resource officer or school employee who serves as a school liaison to law enforcement; and

(5) the school safety specialist designated pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2017, c.162 (C. 18A:17-43.3), in the event that the school safety specialist is not already a school administrator or school employee required to be a part of the threat assessment team pursuant to this section.

Additional school employees may serve as regular members of the threat assessment team or may be consulted during the threat assessment process, as determined to be appropriate by the team.

c. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as affecting the provisions of any collective bargaining agreement or individual contract of employment in effect on this act’s effective date.

L.2022, c.83, s.1.