TxSSC
School Behavioral Threat Assessment:
89th Legislative Session Update
This video is an overview of the 89th Legislative Session update to the school behavioral threat assessment process in Texas. Specifically addressed are team membership, notification responsibilities, and TEA's Sentinel system. Guidance for understanding and implementation is provided along with related resources for those desiring more information.
Video Length - 19:58 | Download Video Transcript | Video Detail Page
On April 17, 2025, the Texas Education Agency released a To the Administrator Addressed announcing the official launch of the Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTA) Module in Sentinel for all Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. Sentinel is TEA’s formal school safety system designed to collect, process, store and distribute school safety and security information, including the mandatory reporting of behavioral threat assessments by each school system. [19 TAC 103.1213]
Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management provides a proactive, evidence-based approach for identifying individuals who may pose a threat and for providing interventions before a violent incident occurs. This toolkit introduces the concept of threat assessment and outlines how a threat assessment program functions in a school setting.
An effective, functioning threat assessment team is a critical component of keeping your school safe and preventing violence. This toolkit presents the process of how a threat assessment team identifies, assesses, and manages threats. The toolkit also includes guidance and resources for forming and implementing a team in your school or district.
As required by the 86th Texas Legislature and SB 11, the Texas School Safety Center, in coordination with the Texas Education Agency, has developed school behavioral threat assessment model policies and procedures to assist school districts in establishing and training threat assessment teams now mandated by TEC 37.220.