AG Kaul Attends Office of School Safety Behavioral and Threat Assessment Management Training in Hudson, Wis.

MADISON, Wis. –Attorney General Josh Kaul today visited the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety (OSS) Behavioral and Threat Assessment Management (BTAM) training in Hudson, Wis.  BTAM trainings are designed to provide school administrators, school mental health professionals, security personnel, community partners, and law enforcement with an understanding of why threat assessment is an important part of violence prevention in schools.

“We must be proactive in working to keep our schools safe,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “The Office of School Safety is providing Behavioral and Threat Assessment Management trainings around the state to assist schools with their efforts to stop violence before it happens.”

Acts of targeted violence continue to impact the safety and security of our communities. These acts of targeted violence are not impulsive or irrational; rather the perpetrators of these incidents decide to commit violence and often undertake clear processes of planning and preparing in which threats or potentially concerning behaviors can be identified.

OSS’ training provides school specific applications and best practice recommendations for BTAM teams. School teams have an opportunity to provide proactive, effective alternatives to reactive and exclusionary disciplinary practices.  The focus of this session is to familiarize participants with the BTAM process, clarify team member roles and responsibilities, increase understanding of who poses a threat in a school, and how to respond effectively through development of an intervention plan of support and management. Additionally, assisting community bystanders with tools on what to report and where to report it.

Today’s training is one of eleven being held around the state throughout the year to ensure as many locations as possible have access to BTAM trainings. Upcoming training locations include Chippewa Falls, West Salem, Appleton, Oconomowoc, and Mauston. You can learn more about the trainings by visiting our website.

In addition to the training, OSS offers a free eLearning module titled, “Foundations of Targeted Violence Prevention,” open to all community members. The course was created in partnership by OSS, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis, National Threat Evaluation and Reporting office. The goal of the course is to educate the public on threatening or potentially concerning behaviors and where to report them, providing an opportunity for intervention to prevent targeted violence from occurring.

View this press release on the Wisconsin DOJ website here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.