Schedule

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6*

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST

Opening Keynote: No Higher Calling, No Greater Responsibility

Speakers:

  • John McDonald, COO, The Council for School Safety Leadership

Description: Law enforcement and educators alike share a common bond and belief that protecting our most precious resource–our children– is the greatest of responsibilities. Breaking down silos and a willingness to have difficult conversations today is the difference in success or failure of tomorrow's crisis. This presentation shares proven and successful strategies that will create a climate and culture of safety and quality education.

11:15 AM - 12:00 PM EST

Part 1: Know More, Do More: Identifying and Responding to Stalking on College Campuses

Track: Higher Ed Training

Speaker: Jennifer Landhuis (she/her/hers) Director Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC)

Description: Stalking is a prevalent, dangerous, and often misunderstood crime and individuals ages 18-24 experience the highest rate of stalking. This presentation explores stalking on college campuses by discussing the dynamics of stalking, common tactics used by perpetrators, stalking’s co-occurrence with other victimizations, and the importance of looking beyond one discrete incident to fully explore any related pattern of behavior.

Protest on Campus: Preparing for the Protest Before, During & After

Track: Training

Speaker: Joseph J. Pangaro, CEO, Training and Security Consulting

Description:

This program will review the plans, processes, and actions a school can take before, during, and after a protest to create and maintain a safe environment for all.

The attendee will learn:

  1. What are the areas of concern that should be addressed before, during, and after a protest takes place on campus.
  2. The Role of security or campus police relating to protests.
  3. Creating a safe environment for protesters and non-protesters.
  4. Actions to consider during the protest.
  5. Recovery concerns after the protest.

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM EST

Sponsor Showcase Break – Raffles & Networking 

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM EST

Part 2: Know More, Do More: Identifying and Responding to Stalking on College Campuses

Track: Higher Ed Training

Speaker: Jennifer Landhuis (she/her/hers) ,Director, Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC)

Description: Stalking is a prevalent, dangerous, and often misunderstood crime and individuals ages 18-24 experience the highest rate of stalking. This presentation explores stalking on college campuses by discussing the dynamics of stalking, common tactics used by perpetrators, stalking’s co-occurrence with other victimizations, and the importance of looking beyond one discrete incident to fully explore any related pattern of behavior.

Integrating Mental Health and School Safety for Holistic Student Well-being

Track: Mental Health

Speakers: Kristi Peters, Dr. Ed Guardo

Description: This session will provide an in-depth exploration of the Appoquinimink School District's journey, offering participants valuable insights into the integration of mental health and school safety initiatives. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from district leaders, mental health experts, and safety professionals who have been instrumental in shaping these innovative approaches. This session will allow for group discussion and questions from participants to ensure practical and relevant information is shared.

1:45 PM - 2:45 PM EST

Easy Ways to Improve Operations, Impress Leadership, and Elevate Planning

Track: Leadership Lessons

Speaker: Jessy Sears, Director of Emergency Management, Idaho State University

Description: Ever notice how everyone pays attention to Public Safety when the campus is hosting a big event or active in emergency operations? Much different is the enthusiasm level on the days leading up to the big day when attention needs to be given to the essentials of successful emergency preparedness and event planning such as data collection, planning, training, and hosting meetings. Come see how one University elevates planning and impresses leadership all while improving campus operations.

3:00 PM- 3:15 PM EST

Sponsor Showcase Break – Raffles & Networking 

Use this time to visit our sponsor partners for 2023 and enter to win some raffles & prizes!

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM EST

Leadership Lesson Learned from a Crisis Utilizing the After Action Review Model

Track: Leadership Lessons

Speaker: Joseph Paulino, Chief of Police, San Bernardino City Unified School District School Police; Eric Vetere, Safety & Emergency Manager, San Bernardino City Unified School District

Description: On April 10, 2017, the estranged husband of a special education teacher at North Park Elementary in San Bernardino, CA, entered the school and shot and killed his wife. One student was also killed and another was injured before the attacker took his own life. The San Bernardino City Unified School District, still recovering from the impact of the December 2, 2015, terrorist attack, was forced to manage yet another senseless act of violence. During this session, we will share how the district, its police department, as well as its office of emergency management, managed the response to and recovery from this tragedy. Lessons learned will also be discussed.

Digital Threat Assessment® - How to Identify, Assess and Respond to Online Threats

Track: Training

Speaker: Colton Easton, Project and Training Manager,
Safer Schools Together, USA 

Presented by:   

Description:

Safer Schools Together (SST) provides your Safety / Threat Assessment teams with the tools needed to identify if an individual is on the pathway to violence, homicide, suicide, radicalization, or gang associated behavior. Nearly 90% of today's threats are communicated digitally. Digital Threat Assessment® (DTA®) training provides participants with direct skills and tools that are effective and can be utilized immediately by your teams. You will learn how to identify digital leakage, check to see if the individual has access to the means to carry out a threat, and proactively reduce the potential of violence within your community.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7*

11:15 AM - 12:00 PM EST

How Innovative School Safety & Policing Can Transform Campus Culture

Track: Leadership Lessons

Speaker: Clarence Yarbrough, Chief of Police, Manor ISD; Jeffrey Yarbrough, Chief of Police, Hutto Police Department

Description: The Four Pillars of School Safety and Policing as a transformative school and campus safety model. It is a multi-layered and holistic approach to safety and security built on the four pillars of safety and security, student advocacy, educational equity which focuses on student needs, and behavioral health strategies that include the benefits of adding social workers to a police department. The model is designed to effectively create cultural change and a mindset shift to the importance of school and campus safety beyond building hardening solutions. The Four Pillars of School Safety and Policing is an innovative model that is the blueprint for post-modern school and campus safety.

Safe Campuses: Understanding & Navigating Sex Trade Risks for Youth

Track: Training

Speaker:

Rachel Foster, World Without Exploitation, Founding Co-Chair; Sarina Cooper, World Without Exploitation, Program Coordinator

Description: World Without Exploitation, the largest national coalition working to combat commercial sexual exploitation, will provide an introductory training on the realities, risks, and harms of sex trade with information on who is bought and sold, who the buyers are, and what the business entails, and how you can support youth.

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST

Sponsor Showcase Break – Raffles & Networking 

Use this time to visit our sponsor partners for 2023 and enter to win some raffles & prizes!

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST

Increasing Preventive Measures and Deterrents on College Campuses

Track: Mental Health

Speaker: Dr. Kimya Nuru Dennis

Description: This presentation is about how school decision makers can increase resources needed to reduce the occurrence of violent crime, property crime, and financial crime on campuses and near campuses.

Many people struggle with legal substances, illegal substances, weapons use, mental health conditions, physical health conditions, and life stressors. These contribute to self-identities, social identities, social interactions, agreements, and disagreements. This can result in power, power disparities, power abuse, and forms of violence. Struggles vary within and across identities and experiences, shift with technological advancements, shift with media outlets, and shift with environmental, sociocultural, sociopolitical, and socioeconomic shifts.

School decision makers should not ignore or deny these realities. Unfortunately, the decision makers for many schools attempt to ignore or deny these realities until there is a news story, social media trend, or tragedy.

It is important to consistently increase preventive measures and deterrents to consistently improve safety near campuses and on campuses. Increasing resources does not solely rely on law enforcement (security guards and police departments). Like most people in cities and states do not want to be monitored and controlled by law enforcement over time (which is different than realistic deterrence methods, first responders, and emergency assistance), most students, staff, faculty, and campus visitors do not necessarily feel safer based on law enforcement being the welcome mat and logo for the school. Instead, preventive measures and deterrence factors must be addressed to avoid pretending offenses are only done by people who invade the campus and avoid pretending there is a such thing as a locked fence or wall to be built around campus.

Preventive measures and deterrents do not include pretending to build locked gates or walls to block the campus. Such claims are often made after people from the surrounding area victimize people on the campus. The false claim gets media attention and is an attempt to improve the marketing, recruitment, and funders for the campus. Still, this does not reduce the likelihood of negative outcomes. Campuses cannot be blocked. People cannot be controlled. Instead, there is a need for realistic options, especially because most campuses collect and distribute property crime data, violent crime data, and substance use data that reflect offending and victimization a distance from campus, near campus, and on campus.

Active Shooter Problem & How to Minimize Victims

Track: Preparedness

Speakers: Ed Monk, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Retired), Last Resort Training & Consulting

Description: Schools in the U.S. have failed at planning for and responding to the Active Shooter attack for four decades. This presentation will show how and why these failures have occurred. It will recommend changes schools should make in planning, policy, training, and property that will minimize victim count in future attacks.

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM EST

The Gift of Time, sponsored by ZeroNow

Track: Preparedness

Speakers:

  • Chris Grollnek, Managing Principal of the Active Shooter Prevention Project, ZeroNow Advisory Council
  • Ara Bagdasarian, ZeroNow Advisory Council

Description:

Join us for an insightful and vital presentation by Chris Grollnek, an expert in active shooter response and prevention, titled "The Gift of Time". This is a must-attend session for anyone interested in understanding the realities of active shooter situations and learning how to protect themselves and others.

In this engaging session, Grollnek shares hard-hitting facts about active shootings, backed by thorough research and real-world statistics. He emphasizes the crucial concept of buying time in these critical situations, highlighting that the average school shooting lasts eight minutes - the same amount of time it typically takes for police to respond. Grollnek discusses how reducing the time to recognize and respond to such threats can be life-saving.

Drawing on his extensive experience and analysis of major incidents, including Columbine, Virginia Tech, Parkland, and Uvalde, Grollnek presents a compelling case for a proactive approach to safety. He offers practical advice, including knowing your environment, having a clear action plan, and the importance of acting decisively rather than hiding.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights from a leading expert in the field.

* timing and schedule subject to change