The Naperville Unit 203 Board of Education on Aug. 4 approved a district Behavior Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) plan after staff described the process and board members asked how it relates to existing student supports.
Board and staff clarified that the BTAM process is intended to determine the level of threat a student may pose to others and to direct immediate safety steps. Administration said the threat‑assessment process is separate from MTSS (multi‑tiered systems of support), IEPs and other ongoing interventions but acknowledged that when a threat assessment identifies ongoing needs, the district may connect a student to MTSS supports, special education evaluation, or other services.
Board members, including Melissa Kelly Black, asked for data about which students have been subject to threat assessments in the past — demographic trends, whether students with IEPs or 504 plans are disproportionately represented, and what steps preceded assessments. Administrators said some of those questions are appropriate but are part of a different reporting cycle; the board asked staff to provide that information through the district’s scheduled annual discipline and safety reporting process so the board and public can review it in context.
Action: A motion to approve Item 6.02, the district Behavior Threat Assessment plan and team, passed by roll call vote.
Why it matters: The plan governs district procedures to evaluate and respond to possible threats in schools; board members sought clarity on how the plan will be balanced with existing academic and behavioral supports and how data will be reported to the board and public.
Next steps: Board members were invited to submit written questions to administration for consolidated answers; staff also agreed to consider including BTAM‑related data as part of the annual discipline report.
Ending: The board adopted the BTAM guidance and asked administration to return with discipline‑cycle data in the appropriate reporting window for a fuller review of trends and supports.