Students with disabilities in BTAM

While most research has not identified disparities across student groups in how threats were classified or disciplined (e.g., Cornell et al., 2018; Crepeau-Hobson & Leech, 2022), research on disparities for students with disabilities is more mixed (e.g., Cornell et al., 2018; Crepeau-Hobson & Leech, 2022; Maeng et al., 2020, 2023).

Recognizing that each school’s journey will be unique, it then provides considerations for aligning and integrating BTAM and the MTSS/PBIS framework and supporting students with disabilities throughout the BTAM process.

To ensure accurate assessment, teams should evaluate a student’s concerning behaviors in the context of their age, social and emotional development, and disability status.

If data collected during the assessment indicate that behaviors are interfering with a student’s academic or functional performance the team should consider if a referral for special education evaluation is appropriate.

Within a multi-tiered framework such as this, practitioners may wonder how students with disabilities are meaningfully included (McIntosh & Goodman, 2016).

Common misperceptions and “myths” include (a) believing that Tier 3 is special education and (b) that students in special education need only Tier 3 supports to be successful (Simonsen et al., 2020).

In actuality, students with disabilities are best supported when they are meaningfully included and receive supports across all tiers (Cheney et al., 2004; Grasley-Boy et al., 2019; Tobin et al., 2012).

Multi-tiered systems of support, like PBIS, include all students across all levels of support – including students with disabilities.

At the Tier 1 level, students with disabilities (SWD), like all students, benefit from a varied menu of universal supports that are well-designed and intended to set all students up for success through proactive prevention.

These universal supports facilitate inclusive school cultures that benefit students with disabilities.

Additionally, like all students, students with disabilities may have targeted and intensive needs that can be supported by Tier 2 and Tier 3 programming (Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, 2023).

Like all students, students with disabilities who display concerning and/or threatening behaviors should be supported by the BTAM process.

Additionally, their unique protections require enhanced collaboration, coordination, knowledge of legal protections, and communication.

Supporting SWD begins by establishing a strong multi-tiered system of support that promotes a culture of connectedness and belonging for all students. This culture provides the foundation for the early identification of needs and timely and effective interventions for students regardless of IDEA or 504 status.

As part of their MTSS/PBIS implementation process, teams should ensure that SWD are fully included in and benefiting from all tiers of interventions.

In addition to establishing a strong system of preventative support, teams can take further actions to ensure SWD are supported and protected whenever BTAM is involved.

The following considerations are recommended for school teams to ensure SWD are effectively supported during the BTAM process. Additionally, they are provided to help teams understand the specific protections that must be afforded to SWD and when those may apply.

The BTAM team must include one or more individual(s) with knowledge of federal and state special education laws and regulations, even if the referred student is not currently identified as having a disability.

In general, BTAM procedures for identifying student concerns should be fully inclusive of SWD. That is, BTAM referrals for SWD should follow the same schoolwide procedures as for any other student, but with the inclusion of the student’s IEP team in the threat assessment process.

SWD should be included in any existing schoolwide screening or data systems MTSS/PBIS or BTAM teams use to assess risk or make referrals. This ensures that teams can access the information they need to make informed decisions.

However, it is also important to recognize that SWD, especially those of color, are more likely to be referred for concerning behavior (Burnette et al., 2020; Cornell et al., 2018).

Teams should monitor referrals and outcomes to ensure SWD are not overrepresented in BTAM procedures.

Schools can improve reporting accuracy by ensuring that clear definitions of concerning behavior are developed and shared and include examples and non-examples that support differentiating individual characteristics that may be related to a student’s personal identity (i.e., their disability) from clearly concerning and/or threatening behaviors.

Because concerning behaviors may indicate unmet needs related to a disability,

schools should consider whether a special education evaluation referral is warranted whenever a behavioral threat assessment is conducted.

While a referral for special education evaluation should be considered in each case, only cases that uncover potential unmet needs related to qualifying disability categories should be referred for special education evaluation.

Once a BTAM referral is made, schools must gather all relevant information. For SWD, several protections must be considered.

Further, to ensure that the concerning behaviors are understood in the context of the student’s disability, BTAM teams must be intentional about engaging in dialogue with the student, family members, and members of the IEP team, as well as those who know the student best during the interview and information-gathering process.

For SWD, it is important to interpret the concerning behavior in the context of the student’s disability and to ensure that all relevant behavioral protections are provided.

The BTAM team must do more than identify if there is a substantive risk to self or others; the team must work collaboratively with the IEP team to deeply understand the situation in enough detail to increase services and supports effectively.

Ensuring that the BTAM team includes individuals with expertise in interpreting relevant special education evaluations, specifically those working closely with the student, should inform BTAM team determinations.

For all cases of concerning and/or threatening behavior involving a SWD, the full IEP team should meet to review current IEP or 504 plan supports and services and ensure the student is adequately supported to prevent future concerning behaviors.

SWD can benefit from function-based assessments which can be used to better understand the purpose of behaviors interfering with their educational performance and identify any relevant contributing factors. The information gained can help establish function-based supports, interventions, and behaviorial plans to mitigate or eliminate the interfering behavior (Office of Special Eduction and Rehabilitative Services, 2024).

A student with a disability is identified by the BTAM team as engaging in concerning behaviors such as an excessive interest in past acts of school violence and making contextually inappropriate comments about harming others.

However, the BTAM team remains concerned about the potential for harm to self or others and determines that a support and management plan is warranted.