School violence, including school-based gun violence, is a major public health issue that has negative consequences for students, families, schools, and communities (Basile et al., 2020; Peterson et al., 2021). One approach that schools have adopted to address school violence is behavioral threat assessment (BTA). The Mental Health Technology Transfer Center developed a report on behavioral threat assessment and its intersection with youth mental health.
This report aims to:
- Describe the problem of school violence and how BTA became a widely implemented school violence prevention strategy;
- Report on the current state of BTA implementation and its effectiveness;
- Discuss considerations for the fit and appropriateness of using BTA in schools; and
- Offer recommendations for schools, policymakers, funders, researchers, and SAMHSA on addressing BTA use in schools.
Download the report here.