School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies.

In this episode of School Safety Today, host Dr. Amy Grosso interviews guest expert Will Durgin to discuss the newly released Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) Report from the National Threat Assessment Center and Homeland Security. They explore how this report differs from previous NTAC publications—shifting from analyzing individual incidents to examining systemwide practices across more than 1,700 principals. The conversation emphasizes the importance of early identification of concerning behaviors, meaningful parent engagement, the necessity of consistent training, and the critical role of data collection in improving school safety practices. The episode underscores that threat assessment is not a discipline tool, but a preventive, intervention-focused process designed to keep students on a positive pathway.

KEY POINTS:

1. The new BTAM report shifts from analyzing individual incidents to examining systems and processes.

2. Schools need stronger structures for lower-level concerns, parent engagement, and ongoing training.

3. Data collection and consistent review are major improvement opportunities.