AUBURN, NY – [October 5, 2026] – CLPS, NYS PTA’s exclusive Safety Partner, announced that, through the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), all schools throughout Cayuga County, New York, will be utilizing CLPS’s Threat Assessment HPTM Solution to improve safety for students and staff.
The software solution is specifically designed for the Harm Prevention Threat Management (HPTM) model, also known as the Florida Model, which provides for a more rigorous, evidence-based harm prevention and threat management model. Widely recognized as the gold standard in school threat assessments, its comprehensive and high-efficacy framework was created to identify, evaluate and respond to potential school violence threats.
CLPS’s solution is a proprietary A-Z digitized version of HPTM, which employs a quantitative algorithm and analyzes qualitative data to determine apparent threat levels of subjects-of-concern. Specially trained teams, comprised of school staff and school resource officers, utilize CLPS’s solution to more effectively identify individuals (e.g. students, employees and others) who may be a harm to themselves or others, assign an appropriate threat level then develop a successful customized management plan.
The software solution is based on violence prevention research related to HPTM, Columbia Suicide-Severity Rating Scale, FBI, DHS and U.S. Secret Service. School-based threat management teams have access to the CLPS Threat Assessment tool that addresses: Bullying, Harassment, Self-Harm, Abuse, Targeted Violence, Insider Threats, Outsider Threats and Title IX Incidents. Comprehensive reports are securely archived and only accessible by authorized managers. The solution allows for data analytics and the ability to develop customized Student Support Management Plans.
CLPS’s Threat Assessment HPTM Solution provides for:
- Full compatibility for authorized users to access from any computer or mobile device for more efficient data collection and collaboration
- Objective data collection by all members of the threat assessment team and entered in the system
- Risk-level calculation with quantitative algorithms instantly calculating data and providing an individual’s risk level
- Student reporting threatening or concerning behavior to trusted school officials for appropriate follow up
“Protecting students and staff is priority number one for law enforcement and school officials. To accomplish this, school safety requires strong partnerships between law enforcement and our school districts,” said Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Shenck. “With the proper evidence-based resources, we can more accurately, and much earlier, identify the telltale signs of risks and proactively work to prevent critical incidents. “This initiative provides our school threat assessment teams with a consistent, evidence-based tool to identify concerning behavior, intervene early, and develop appropriate plans to support students while protecting our school communities”
The Florida Model was developed by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission following the 2018 Parkland shooting and has become the benchmark for school threat assessment nationwide. It has been mandated for Florida public schools since January 1, 2024, and is increasingly being adopted by law enforcement agencies and school districts across the country seeking the most thorough, evidence-based approach to student safety.
The school safety initiative, spearheaded by Sheriff Schenck, was provided to seven of Cayuga County’s eight school districts, with Auburn City School District having already secured funding for it in its budget. Funding for the countywide initiative was paid for through the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) Domestic Terrorism Prevention Grant, allowing participating school districts to receive the software at no cost.
“We’re pleased to work with proactive law enforcement agencies, such as Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office, and schools that seek out and utilize resources proven to improve school safety,” said John McNelis, Senior Director of Risk Management for CLPS, the company providing the HPTM software and support. “The Florida Model is unique because it’s designed to fix a specific, documented failure in school safety, the Parkland shooting, rather than use copy-and-pasted guidelines from general threat assessment theory. This makes it the most targeted and refined threat assessment framework available to schools.”
HPTM is a leading comprehensive threat assessment, multidisciplinary expertise, standardization, and measurable outcomes that includes:
- Multidisciplinary team requirement: Every threat is evaluated by a teacher, school administrator, law enforcement officer, and mental health professional. This diverse expertise is non-negotiable and prevents dangerous blind spots.
- Standardized 50-page assessment protocol: All schools use identical evaluation criteria, eliminating variability and unconscious bias that can compromise threat assessment. This consistency is what separates HPTM from ad hoc approaches.
- Tiered Response Protocol: Threat assessments are categorized into threat levels, with corresponding intervention strategies that range from mental health support and de-escalation to law enforcement involvement and disciplinary action.
- Prevention-first, evidence-based response: The framework prioritizes intervention and mental health support over automatic punishment, reflecting decades of research showing that 99% of threats are not carried out and that students who make threats often need support, and not only consequences.
About CLPS
Founded in 2006, CLPS (Crisis Leadership Preparedness Solutions) is a leading threat management, emergency communication and security technology company providing high-efficacy evidence-based solutions that help prevent and mitigate death, injuries and asset losses caused by critical incidents. Its solutions include emergency communications, emergency management planning, intelligence threat monitoring, behavioral and threat assessments, vulnerability and security audits, risk protection order management, and customized training and support. CLPS serves a wide spectrum of verticals including but not limited to education, healthcare, government, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, faith-based organizations and many others. For more information, visit www.CLPSconsultants.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: CLPS, Joe Maltese, #561-722-5645, jmaltese@CLSPconsultants.com