If you are looking to improve your own school safety, increase awareness on updated school safety related to COVID-19, infuse social justice principles into school and system wide policy decisions and gain awareness of secure tactics to secure online learning, then this School Safety Forum is for you. A collaboration by the Center for Safe and Secure Schools (CSSS) and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), this year’s School Safety Forum will be held virtually for the first time.
When:
Where: This is a virtual event that will take place on Zoom. We will provide instruction on how to join closer to the event.
Who: District and school leaders, safety and security committees, threat assessment teams, school community partners, school law enforcement officers and parents.
Cost: Free (Includes Digital Swag)
Save the date for this action-packed, eight-hour event. You don't want to miss out! Register today for the HCDE's Virtual School Safety Forum.
Morning Keynote: Recommunicating School Safety and Developing Trends in School Emergency Preparedness
Presented By: Michael Dorn, President, Safe Havens International
Back by popular demand! Due to overwhelming positive feedback from his last keynote presentation, Michael Dorn will deliver a presentation and breakout session that is both timely and relevant. This session will provide tangible and actionable tips on how districts can bring staff and students up to speed on emergency preparedness measures that may have become stale during the extended closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The session will also address significant changes in the standard of care-for-school emergency preparedness measures and emerging concerns impacting how schools use and protect robust technology systems.
Afternoon Keynote: From Sandy Hook to COVID-19: Lessons Learned
Presented by: Carly Posey, Mission Director, I Love U Guys Foundation
Carly Posey offers her heartbreaking story of what happened inside Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. In addition,Carly links the current COVID-19 crisis by sharing steps on ways to reassemble the school community, secure trust and feelings of safety.
Carly, mission director for I Love U Guys Foundation, is a national advocate for school safety. The I Love U GuysFoundation programs for crisis response and post-crisis reunification are used in more than 30,000 schools and municipalities around the world. They are created through the research-based best practices of school administrators, psychologists, public space safety experts, families and first responders.
Ask the Expert – Hot Topics in School Safety
Presented By: Michael Dorn, President, Safe Havens International
Based on participant feedback from his last interactive question and answer session for the Center for Safe and Secure Schools, we have asked Michael to use an open forum approach to answer your questions about school safety, security and emergency preparedness. While the focus will be on hot topics at the time of our conference, Michael welcomes any questions – and comments from participants on any school safety, security, climate, culture and emergency preparedness that is within his areas of expertise. In his last Q&A session for our Emergency Operations Board of Directors, the discussion was so engaging that most participants asked that the session continue far beyond the time allotted for the activity! This session is designed to provide all participants of our event to this highly productive format.
Trauma 201: Advanced Trauma Informed Classroom Strategies
Presented By: Sharifa J. Charles and Nicole Milton, Professional Development Specialist; Center for School Behavioral Health at Mental Health of America - Greater Houston
This session will provide more in-depth strategies to utilize in creating and nurturing trauma-informed classrooms. The session will also address how cultural awareness, equity, and racial/historical trauma impact school campuses.
Human Trafficking: Keeping Our Students Safe
Presented By: Christa Mayfield, Director of Prevention, Unbound Houston
Human trafficking happens in our community, and our students are at-risk. Unbound is working to protect youth by giving them their educators and their caregivers the information needed to stay safe from human trafficking.
Best Practices for Social Justice in Schools
Presented By: Charles A. Barrett, Ph.D., NCSP, Lead School Psychologist Loudoun County Public Schools
Having been recently adopted as a strategic goal of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), this session will discuss the organization's commitment to social justice in all aspects of the profession including: research, practice, teaching, advocacy, and policy. Using NASP resources, Dr. Charles A. Barrett will provide practical suggestions for embedding a social justice paradigm into psychological services for students, families, schools and communities. This session will highlight NASP resources to support professional learning about social justice.
This session will discuss National Association of School Psychologists' (NASP) commitment to social justice in all aspects of the profession, including research, practice, teaching, advocacy, and policy. Using NASP resources, this session will provide practical suggestions for embedding a social justice paradigm into psychological services for students, families, schools, and communities.
The Intersection of Systemic Racism and Police Violence: Implications for Promoting Positive Outcomes for Students
Presented By: Charles A. Barrett, Ph.D., NCSP, Lead School Psychologist Loudoun County Public Schools
This session will explore the relationship between the longstanding underpinnings of systemic racism and contemporary incidents, particularly police violence against communities of color and subsequent protests for racial justice. Specific attention will be given to the psychological toll that COVID-19 and racially motivated acts of discrimination has on students (especially students of color) and their families.
Online Predators
Presented By: Harris County Sheriff Office Cybersecurity Team
This course provides an overview of online safety for students with a focus on protection from online predators. This course covers: types and indicators of online predator activity, and several prevention strategies.
Cybersecurity for the Online Learning Environment
Presented By: Harris County Sheriff Office Cybersecurity Team
This course provides an overview of online safety for students & teachers with focus while participating in distance learning.
Click here to see the full agenda!
This event is hosted by the Center for Safe and Secure Schools and Harris County Sheriff's Office.
STOP (Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing) School Violence Grant Program is designed to improve school security by providing students and teachers with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to, and help prevent acts of violence.
