Main Content
Offered Autumn 2027
Tuesday evenings, 5:30pm – 8:00pm (Pacific Time), online synchronous format.
Class dates: Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Oct. 19, Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9, Nov. 16, Nov. 30
Tuition: $1,000
We are a Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) clock hour provider approved by the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB).
BTAM 101: Foundations of School Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management
Course Description
Provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles, practices, and frameworks used in school behavioral threat assessment and management. Examines how educational institutions identify, evaluate, and respond to potential threats of violence, with a focus on prevention, early intervention, multidisciplinary collaboration, and supportive school climates.
Over the course of the quarter, students will:
- Examine core principles and terminology in school behavioral threat assessment and management
- Learn how to differentiate types of threats and levels of concern
- Identify behavioral and contextual indicators associated with potential violence
- Apply structured threat assessment models to case scenarios
- Explore the functions of digital investigations in BTAM
- Analyze legal, ethical, and privacy considerations in school settings, including issues of cultural competence, bias awareness, and student rights
- Describe the roles of multidisciplinary teams in prevention and response
Jason Matlock
Senior Advisor, Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management; Public Consulting Group
Jason Matlock is a senior advisor for the Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management business line at Public Consulting Group. For the past three years Jason has traveled the country supporting school districts from 200 to 200,000 students with their journey to have effective and equitable BTAM programs. In addition to consulting and training staff, Jason has been the product lead for PCGs digital BTAM case management solution inside of their EdPlan platform. Working to bridge the gap between the needs of practitioners and the capabilities of large-scale software. His current focus is on expanding adoption and fidelity of implementation of the SK Cascade Student Preventive Threat Assessment and Management Protocol.
Before joining PCG, Jason spent 25 years in the public safety space. He spent 13 of those years with the Minneapolis Public Schools as the Director of Emergency Management, Safety & Security. He led the team that is responsible for all security, emergency management, and threat assessment functions within the district as well as supporting behavior response and intervention for any behaviors that pose a safety risk. During Jason’s tenure the department underwent a complete redesign. Increasing in size, scope, and responsibility after the district made the decision to move away from school resource officers. The department used stakeholder input and engagement as well as best practices to create a system that emphasized adult responsibility to guide, educate and protect students in new ways.
Jason is a long-time member of ATAP and spent a decade collaborating with leaders from across the country as a part of the Council of Great City Schools (CGCS). Traveling to districts providing peer review and improvement suggestions and organizing an annual gathering to promote collaboration and learning.
Prior to moving into education full time, Jason was a police officer in Illinois where he had a wide range of experience from patrol through SWAT entry team member and spent the last 6 years as an SRO for a middle school in a smaller economically depressed district where he had to balance safety and positive engagement and supports for students. Jason holds a Masters of Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey School and a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and justice administration with an African American Studies Minor from Western Illinois University. He is a proud husband and father of three daughters.
