The Growing Role of Early Intervention in School Safety
Recent policy developments, student support initiatives, and behavioral threat assessment efforts reflect a growing recognition that early intervention, student well-being, and school safety are closely connected.
Children's well-being declined in 29 states between 2019 and 2024, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable foundation focused on improving the well-being of children, families, and communities in the U.S.
The report, which tracks indicators of child well-being across all 50 states, says the decline was driven largely by significant drops in reading and math proficiency as well as worsening health and mental health outcomes. Overall, the nation's child well-being score fell from 553 to 547 on a 1,000-point scale.
As schools look for ways to address these challenges, many are placing greater emphasis on prevention-oriented approaches that connect student well-being, behavioral threat assessment, mental health supports, and early intervention strategies.
Connecting Threat Assessment and Student Support
Last week, Georgia released a new resource designed to help schools align Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) with Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). The guide was developed in partnership with Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security (FEMA/HS), the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), the National Center on PBIS, and Oxford Community Schools.
The resource outlines ways schools can better align threat assessment, intervention, and student support efforts as part of a coordinated prevention strategy. Its release reflects a broader shift toward integrating threat assessment with the student support systems schools already use to identify and address concerns before they escalate.
Its release also comes not long after new school safety requirements were passed by the Georgia Legislature in 2025. One provision is designed to speed up the transfer of student records between schools, a change supporters say could help districts access relevant behavioral and safety-related information when students enroll.
“Schools with incoming students can see when a student has had a profile of behavioral problems,” Homeland Security’s Linda Criblez said earlier this month during the 2026 Georgia School Safety and Homeland Security Conference.
The legislation was introduced following the 2023 Apalachee High School shooting that claimed the lives of two teachers and two students. Officials later said the suspect's previous school district was not notified after law enforcement investigated online school shooting threats involving the student, raising questions about how behavioral and safety-related information is shared when students transfer between districts.
While behavioral threat assessment teams are often associated with identifying and responding to potential threats, effective prevention depends on more than the assessment process itself. Schools must also have access to relevant information, support services, and intervention resources.
How Prevention Is Influencing Policy Decisions
Recent state and federal actions also suggest a growing recognition that student well-being, early intervention, and school safety are closely connected. Across the country, policymakers are investing in both student support services and the personnel needed to identify and address behavioral, emotional, and developmental needs before concerns escalate.
For instance, Florida lawmakers recently advanced legislation aimed at strengthening student support initiatives and improving access to services for children and families. In part, the bill removes some certification barriers for school counselors, a profession that continues to face shortages in many K-12 schools.
At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Education announced a new Personnel Development funding opportunity to help prepare and train professionals who provide educational and related services to children with disabilities. Programs like these help schools build the capacity needed to support students with complex behavioral and mental health needs.
Discussions about student well-being are also influencing broader education policy conversations. Recent cell phone restriction legislation in Illinois and Pennsylvania, along with new screen use guidance for children aged 5-16 released in the United Kingdom, reflect growing interest in how technology use may affect student engagement, learning, and mental health.
These developments show that schools are increasingly being asked to do more than educate students. Whether through behavioral threat assessment, student support services, records-sharing requirements, or technology policies, many schools are focused on identifying concerns earlier and creating more opportunities for intervention and support.