5 Ways Schools Can Identify Threats... Before They Escalate with Bruno Dias

About this episode

This episode discusses how schools can identify threats before they escalate through behavioral threat assessment.

What if the warning signs are already there—but we’re not seeing them clearly enough? In this episode of The Sound Off on School Safety , Michele Gay sits down with Bruno Dias, PhD, CTM—nationally recognized expert in behavioral threat assessment and management—to explore how schools can move from reacting to crises to preventing them. Drawing on experience across law enforcement, federal service, and K–12 education, Bruno breaks down how behavioral threat assessment helps schools identify concerning behavior early, understand it in context, and respond in ways that support students before situations escalate. This conversation challenges a common assumption: that safety starts in the moment of crisis. Instead, it shows how prevention lives in the everyday moments—what we notice, how we interpret it, and what we do next. In this conversation: The 5 ways schools can identify threats before they escalate Why behavior is often the earliest and most important signal How context changes the meaning of concerning actions What a structured threat assessment process actually looks like Why early intervention is a form of support—not punishment How schools can build systems that…

People in this episode

Host: Michele Gay

Guest: Bruno Dias

Topics covered

• school safety
• behavioral threat assessment
• crisis prevention
• early intervention
• student support
• concerning behavior

Keywords

• threat assessment
• school safety
• early intervention
• behavioral signals
• crisis prevention

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Safe and Sound Schools, LinkedIn

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