Georgia's emergency management agency on Thursday, Sept. 24, rolled out a behavioral threat assessment framework that every K-12 school in the state can request, including Fulton County campuses serving Alpharetta and Milton families.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) announced the formal launch of its Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) model. The framework gives schools a structured process for spotting concerning behavior, evaluating the situation and connecting individuals with resources before problems escalate toward violence.
Participation is voluntary. Schools adapt the model using partnerships and welfare programs already in place in their communities. Fulton County Schools, which enrolls roughly 85,000 students across campuses including Alpharetta High School, Milton High School and Cambridge High School, has not publicly confirmed whether it has requested or completed BTAM training.
"This model is about giving schools a process they can actually take back to their communities, develop and implement," Dave Shanks, GEMA/HS Targeted Violence Prevention Homeland Security Coordinator, said in the announcement.
Shanks said the goal is to identify concerning behaviors early, assess what is happening and connect people with the right resources before concerns grow.
GEMA/HS began developing the model roughly six years ago and launched a trainer program in 2022. Several Georgia school systems have already completed the training and reported successful early interventions, though the agency did not name those districts.
How schools access training
GEMA/HS offers three levels of BTAM instruction, listed on its school safety training page:
- Full BTAM Training: a six-hour course covering violence-prevention principles, threat assessment program design and hands-on case skills.
- BTAM Overview: a shorter session introducing the process and next steps for forming a school-based team.
- BTAM Case Study: a course examining a real Georgia case, open only to those who have completed the full training.
Schools can request a session at gema.georgia.gov/school-safety-training or by emailing [email protected].
