8 claims on pp. 4–39 (fact 4, evidence 2, conclusion 1, definition 1).
Through the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000, Congress formally authorized NTAC to conduct research on threat assessment and various types of targeted violence;
NTAC’s staff is composed of a multidisciplinary team of social science researchers and regional program managers who support partners in law enforcement, schools, government, and other organizations to combat targeted violence impacting communities across the United States.
As part of its long-standing effort to improve and foster the adoption of BTAM as a strategy to prevent targeted violence, the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) has sponsored a multiyear research effort carried out by the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) that is focused on BTAM practices and their implementation in K–12 schools.
Incidents of school violence and threats—whether directed at students, staff, or the broader school community—remain a significant concern in K–12 education.
The impetus for early adoption of the BTAM model dates back to the joint U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education’s Safe School Initiative, which examined 37 incidents of targeted school attacks between 1974 and 2000 following the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado (Vossekuil et al., 2004).
This timing corresponds with at least two notable trends: (1) the return to in-person schooling after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated spikes in student behavior problems, such as minor classroom disruptions and student fights (NCES, 2022; Peetz, 2025); and (2) high-profile school shootings throughout the country, which spurred renewed attention to behavioral threat assessment in schools and led directly to changes in state policy (WFTS Webteam, 2018; Higgins, 2025).
Sample (N = 1401) · Schools with an official BTAM team (Figure 4.1 official-team column; N printed in Table A.35)
Ninety-three percent of principals indicated that their official BTAM teams would respond to very serious threatening or concerning behavior, such as students who directed threats toward other students or school staff, and students who made threats of or may be intending to commit mass violence against the school or school community.
cite page 38 Ch 4: What Is the Scope of Schools' BTAM Programs?
For example, fixation on Columbine attacks, fixation on animal cruelty or abuse, or viewing websites with extremist or violent content.
cite page 39 Ch 4: What Is the Scope of Schools' BTAM Programs?
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