Behavior Threat Assessment (BTA) Information and Updates
The Agency of Education (AOE) is pleased to announce several important Behavior Threat Assessment (BTA) updates. Please see below for several announcements related to support for School BTA teams and an update on BTA Data Reporting.
New: The published BTA Model Policy 2025 is now available. This policy is not meant to replace school or district-level procedures, or to act as a detailed instruction guide for use of School BTA Teams. School and district policies should reflect the regulatory purpose of, or limits to, the School BTA Team and must be adopted by the local school or district board.
New: The AOE has partnered with Raptor Technologies to provide School Behavior Threat Assessment consultation and technical assistance available to all Vermont school BTA Teams and educational leaders. Raptor’s assigned consultative team includes several national experts in the school safety and SIGMA threat assessment space. The direct services are designed to support school teams to fully implement BTA teams and procedures before July 1, 2025, under the requirements of Act 29 of 2023 (16 V.S.A. §1485).
BTA Consultative services will include:
- Review of the purpose of School BTA teams and school and district statutory responsibilities for school threat assessment.
- An in-depth review of available resources, checklists, and reporting requirements.
- Topical presentations about BTA and Vermont-specific school BTA considerations.
- Situational exercises for BTA teams to explore and practice assessment procedures in a low-pressure, facilitated environment.
- Ongoing technical support with weekly office hours, on-call support for critical BTA incidents, and after-action reviews.
BTA Team Consultation On-call Support is available to BTA team members who have questions about active BTA incidents, time-sensitive inquiries, or complex case management. On-call support is meant to supplement your existing BTA procedures and is not a replacement for school or district team processes. Whenever possible, BTA teams should continue their assessment while awaiting consultant response. In the event of an emergency or imminent threat of violence, this service is not a replacement for 9-1-1 emergency support. On-call support is not meant to be used to address general questions – see information on office hours below. Field partners seeking on-call support should be active BTA team members and will need to verify their school or district when calling.
BTA Team Office Hours are available on Tuesdays from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm and Thursdays from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm for questions and guidance from the BTA Consultants about the BTA policies and procedures, process tools, best practices, or readiness activities to prepare a BTA Team, including prospective team members. The first few sessions, scheduled for March 11 and 13, will feature an introduction to our consultant team and an overview of their services. We encourage all current and future BTA team members and leaders to consider joining at least one of the upcoming introductory sessions for the most up-to-date information about how to access this new resource.
Contact: Michele Hartje at michele.hartje@vermont.gov