School Safety and Security Symposium

Effective positive behavior interventions and supports are actualized via connections and infrastructures with both state and national resources. The Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support Network’s goal is to ensure that all schools have the necessary technical assistance, collaborative opportunities, and evaluation tools needed to overcome non-academic barriers to learning. This session will orientate attendees to the PBIS evidence-based systems needed to establish a positive social culture and proactive learning environment for all students.

Misbehavior and delinquency in school settings create barriers to effective learning, health, and safety for students of all ages. Left unmanaged, minor problems can lead to larger problems that become systematic and embedded in school cultures. This presentation reviews research related to school-based strategies focused on how improvements to school climate and culture lead to more positive environments for learning. A summary of evidence-based programs and best practices will provide a foundation for policy direction.

This session will focus on handling policies, procedures, and documentation related to school safety and security—What documents should be board policies? What documents should be internal procedures or administrative regulations? What types of documentation are required and how should they be handled? What should I know about records retention and audits? Presentation followed by question and answer period.

This presentation will build upon current understandings of violence, delinquency, and aggression in youth to provide you with the necessary foundation for developing competencies for effecting change in schools. Participates will be offered the opportunity to integrate and apply understandings within case studies and vignettes. The use of a formalized assessment process will be evaluated in terms of the opportunities to identify specific areas of need that may be used to guide school-based intervention efforts.

Snaps, Likes, Hashtags, Ephemeral Posts, and Augmented Reality, the presenters will discuss how social networking sites (SNS) are used and how professionals can navigate the influence these mediums have on the culture in schools. The presenters will discuss the status of the literature on adolescent social media use, including motivating factors. In addition, the presenters will focus on the role and influence of parents and how schools can support them.

You have likely read about the rising interest in social and emotional learning (SEL) in the education landscape, but you may not have associated it with school safety. After all, how can teaching kids “soft skills” really make a school safer? Social and emotional learning programs develop skills such as self-management, relationship skills, responsible decision-making, and self-awareness, and they are an important key to establishing the type of healthy school environment that promotes safety. Schools that embrace SEL and weave it into daily practices and everyday interaction produce more peaceful and inclusive schools. Come learn more about how SEL interventions can transform your school environment and equip your students with lifelong skills.

The discussion will involve a critical overview of active shooter incidents in the United States with a focus on school-related incidents. Topics discussed will include a history of active shooter incidents and recommendations for schools to best prepare for and respond to such incidents. Additional topics will include suggestions for hardening school facilities, enhancing policies and procedures, and improving emergency communications.

This presentation will provide an overview of identifying and managing common behavioral health conditions in children and adolescents. The audience will learn how to identify symptoms of these conditions and why it is important to refer as soon as those signs are recognized. The presentation will review Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and conduct disorders, which are the most common disorders seen in children and adolescents. Audience members can expect to participate openly in a discussion related to treatment options, current research findings, and best practices. As it is necessary for systems to work together for the success of the child, this presentation will discuss methods to overcome obstacles related to treatment coordination and referrals.

Over 1,100 schools in Pennsylvania are associated with the Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support Network, with high-fidelity implementation occurring in 317 schools during the 2017–18 academic year. Outcomes related to reductions in disruptive behavior, out-of-school suspensions, out-of school placements, and other key indicators will be reviewed to provide evidentiary support for expansion of implementation to other schools.

The Science of Addiction and Recovery (SOAR) is a curriculum developed by Faces and Voices of Recovery in collaboration with the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This training provides individuals with a better understanding of the science behind addiction and recovery. While experience changes beliefs, the facts about how substances dramatically affect the brain are a key component in helping the public understand the recovery process.

The Office of the Attorney General will be present to conduct refresher training on the Safe2Say Something platform.

In 2017, Suicide took the lives of 47,173 persons in the United States—over 5,400 of those persons were under age 18. In Indiana County, according to the Pennsylvania Youth Survey, in 2017 over 38 percent of youth felt “sad or depressed most days over the past 12 months,” and almost 17 percent have seriously considered suicide. Recognition of the warning signs of suicide risk and knowing what and how to address suicide and suicidal thinking and actions is a critical need in the schools. While the new “Safe to Say” initiative is a good step, this presentation offers the current best practices at suicide prevention and intervention, with a strong focus on local efforts and resources.

You have likely read about the rising interest in social and emotional learning (SEL) in the education landscape, but you may not have associated it with school safety. After all, how can teaching kids “soft skills” really make a school safer? Social and emotional learning programs develop skills such as self-management, relationship skills, responsible decision-making, and self-awareness and they are an important key to establishing the type of healthy school environment that promotes safety. Schools that embrace SEL and weave it into daily practices and everyday interaction produce more peaceful and inclusive schools. Come learn more about how SEL interventions can transform your school environment and equip your students with lifelong skills.

Courtney Anderson, Doctoral Candidate, Administrative Leadership, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

The Why, What, and Where of School Violence today will be addressed in this presentation.

Why, A developmental approach to the question of why we are being confronted with the issue of violence in our school systems and society at large will be reviewed. A look at the developmental theory, boundary setting, and parenting styles will be discussed.

What, An approach to what the the Open Door is doing from a crisis management perspective when a student is aggressive toward self or others and/or self-describes a crisis situation will be shared. Information regarding telephone, walk-in, and mobile services in Armstrong and Indiana counties will be shared, including a targeted risk assessment developed by Luke Frank of the Crisis Intervention Unit.

Where, A proactive approach to where we can go from here offered by the Department of Education and Consultation Services of the Open Door: the Positive Presence Program. This program is currently being piloted at Apollo-Ridge School District.

Participants in this session can expect to learn the impact of trauma on mental health and behavior in children and adolescents. The presentation will include the different ways trauma presents itself in these age groups, the long-term impact of trauma, and approaches to helping those affected cope with their trauma. The audience can expect to learn why understanding the impact of trauma is not only important for people in the mental health field, and how being aware of the effects of trauma can benefit children and adolescents in any setting.

It is time to break down the communication barriers between mental health professionals and law enforcement. This session will explore how crucial it is for schools to utilize both law enforcement and mental health crisis workers to evaluate threats involving your school districts.

Concurrent investigations will lead to safer outcomes for students, faculty, and staff while providing school districts with the much-needed threat assessment tools needed to make appropriate decisions related to student discipline, treatment, and building safety.

This presentation gives participants a foundational education on understanding the social media sites children use and how to keep them safe while using them. Participants will learn how to navigate and learn how to enable the security features on the “apps,” along with recognizing the importance of knowing a child’s passwords. Monitoring children’s behavior and interactions on the Internet is very critical in today’s world. Children are being targeted by online predators and cyberbullying at an alarming rate.

Culture plays a role in everything we do—it is an essential part of how we learn. It plays a role in communicating and receiving information, and in shaping the thinking process of groups and individuals. Culturally responsive teaching that acknowledges, responds to, and celebrates fundamental cultures offers full, equitable access to education for all students. This training will provide participants with opportunities to examine culture—their own culture and the cultures of the students they serve.

This presentation will give a brief overview of what emergency management is and what services they can provide. The presentation will also include a review of the various federal and Commonwealth acts as they pertain to school management of incidents and exercises. This includes the required FEMA courses schools are obligated to take. Finally, topics of training based on best practices that can be provided locally will be discussed as well.

This is a panel discussion designed to address how the local community responds to school safety threats. We will discuss the legal framework in which we operate, as well as the major successes and challenges that we face. The panel will consist of the Honorable Judge Thomas Bianco, Indiana County Court of Common Pleas; Sarah Ross, Esq., director of Indiana County CYS; Joe Bujdos, Armstrong Indiana Mental Health director; and Kammi Anderson, Armstrong Indiana Drug and Alcohol Commission director.

Attorney Repak will be discussing boosting security in schools and the differences between SROs, SPOs, and security guards and the best method for each school. Furthermore, Attorney Repak will be discussing how some schools have taken matters into their own hands by arming administrators and introducing metal detectors in schools and the legalities behind each implementation.

This presentation gives participants a foundational education on understanding the social media sites children use and how to keep them safe while using them. Participants will learn how to navigate and learn how to enable the security features on the “apps,” along with recognizing the importance of knowing a child’s passwords. Monitoring children’s behavior and interactions on the Internet is very critical in today’s world. Children are being targeted by online predators and cyberbullying at an alarming rate.

The threat of an active shooter attack is rare, but very real. Improving situational awareness and dismissing the “It can’t happen to me” mentality is a must. Having a plan and training your brain on how to RUN, HIDE, and FIGHT is critical to your survival. This training will empower you to make life-saving decisions.

It is time to break down the communication barriers between mental health professionals and law enforcement. This session will explore how crucial it is for schools to utilize both law enforcement and mental health crisis workers to evaluate threats involving your school districts.

Concurrent investigations will lead to safer outcomes for students, faculty, and staff while providing school districts with the much-needed threat assessment tools needed to make appropriate decisions related to student discipline, treatment, and building safety.

The Office of the Attorney General will be present to conduct refresher training on the Safe2Say Something platform.

The Science of Addiction and Recovery (SOAR) is a curriculum developed by Faces and Voices of Recovery in collaboration with the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This training provides individuals with a better understanding of the science behind addiction and recovery. While experience changes beliefs, the facts about how substances dramatically affect the brain are a key component in helping the public understand the recovery process.

Culture plays a role in everything we do—it is an essential part of how we learn. It plays a role in communicating and receiving information, and in shaping the thinking process of groups and individuals. Culturally responsive teaching that acknowledges, responds to, and celebrates fundamental cultures offers full, equitable access to education for all students. This training will provide participants with opportunities to examine culture—their own culture and the cultures of the students they serve.