Engage in a series of small-group conversations designed to spark collaboration, idea-sharing, and practical problem-solving. Attendees will rotate through three 25-minute sessions, each focused on a specific theme related to behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) and school safety.

These roundtables provide an opportunity to connect with other professionals and subject-matter experts in a more personal setting, ask questions, share experiences, and explore strategies you can take back to your own community. Topics will vary and may include prevention, intervention, collaboration, legal considerations, and building effective programs.

Roundtable Discussion Topics

1. John Van Dreal & Courtenay McCarthy

Topic: SK Cascade and Other NTAC-Based Models of K–12 Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management

2. Dr. Dewey Cornell

Topic: Everything You Wanted to Know About the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines, But Were Afraid (or Too Polite!) to Ask

Description: The developer is open to all questions about the CSTAG model, including its origins, training programs, implementation practices, and future directions.

3. Dr. Brock

Topic: Suicidality and Behavioral Threat Assessment

4. Dr. Holland

Topic: Managing the Acutely Distressed Student

5. Dr. Bruno Diaz

Topic: The Art of Setting Conditions and Time Anchoring for Defensible Threat Assessment

Description: In threat assessment, documentation is more than a record of decisions. It is a critical tool for establishing professional judgment, managing dynamic risk, and promoting defensibility. Yet, how we document what we know, when we know it, and what conditions warrant reassessment can make the difference between a defensible decision-making process and one vulnerable to hindsight scrutiny.

This interactive roundtable will explore the art and science of time anchoring, condition setting, and documenting the rationale behind threat assessment and management decisions. Participants will examine how to establish clear decision points, articulate the limitations of available information, identify triggers for reassessment, and create a contemporaneous record that demonstrates reasonable, evidence-informed judgment.

6. Joe Hendry

Topic: A Review of the Secret Service Study on the State of Behavioral Threat Assessment in K–12 Schools

Description: Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about the study, review strengths and areas for improvement, and assess where their schools stand in implementing BTAM programs.

7. Dr. Allison Willemin

Topic: Beyond the Assessment: Building a Sustainable, Districtwide BTAM System

Description: Having a BTAM process is not the same as having an effective BTAM system. Successful implementation requires clear roles, multidisciplinary collaboration, consistent procedures, meaningful follow-up, and districtwide leadership commitment.

This interactive roundtable will explore practical strategies for building and sustaining effective BTAM systems in K–12 schools. Participants will discuss implementation challenges, multidisciplinary collaboration, the connection between threat and suicide risk assessment, and ways to strengthen ongoing case management and student support.

Together, we will identify actionable strategies for moving beyond policy and assessment toward proactive, coordinated, and sustainable practices.

8. Julie Q. Smith

Topic: To Be Announced