5 Ways Schools Can Identify Threats Before They Escalate

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.

Bruno brings a multidisciplinary perspective shaped by experience in law enforcement, federal service, and K–12 education. He breaks down how behavioral threat assessment equips schools to identify concerning behavior early, understand it within the full context of a student’s life, and respond in ways that provide support before situations escalate.

Throughout the conversation, he challenges a common assumption: that safety begins in the moment of crisis. Instead, he reframes prevention as something that lives in everyday moments — what we notice, how we interpret it, and what we choose to do next.

Together, Michele and Bruno explore how structured threat assessment processes help schools move beyond guesswork, why behavior is often the earliest and most reliable signal, and how early intervention can shift outcomes while keeping students connected to the support they need.

Watch the full episode below: