National School Safety and Security Summit Coming February 2022

Inviting all school leaders and law enforcement professionals across the nation to learn more about improving the safety of students in K-12 schools

PHOENIX, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National School Safety, Security, and Trauma Informed Practices Summit will be held February 6-8, 2022, at Grand Canyon University, located at 3300 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, Arizona.

School violence reached a record high in 2021 with more than 240 school shooting incidents according to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s K-12 School Shooting Database.

This summit brings together nationally renowned experts in school safety and national security to discuss best practices and trends in violence prevention, school shooting mitigation, and community response to mass casualty tragedies. The summit will feature technology and security experts in the school safety space, along with law enforcement leaders and behavioral health professionals to discuss mental health crises, threat assessments, crisis intervention and technology available to help protect students while they are at school.

In addition to several breakout sessions and learning workshops, this three-day event will feature the following keynote speakers:

Dr. Leigh Wall, the School Superintendent who notably led the Santa Fe Independent School District through the third deadliest high school shooting in United States history. Ten people were fatally shot, and thirteen others were wounded.

Jody Weis, Former Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department and career Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he led violent crime investigations, bombing investigations, and the counterterrorism division. Weis is a nationally renowned expert in public safety and national security.

Clarence Anthony, CEO & Executive Director, National League of Cities, the largest and oldest organization representing America’s cities and their leaders. NLC has advanced policy and funding for local programs directly related to public safety, infrastructure, transportation, and sustainability.

Mark Sullivan, Global Security Consultant and former Director of the US Secret Service. The U.S. Secret Service and National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) have a long history of protecting our Nation’s leaders, events, and infrastructure against targeted violence. They play an important role in lessons learned from past tragedies and best practices in protecting our children.

“It’s an honor to host this event. We all have a responsibility to protect our students,” said Dick Foreman, President & CEO Arizona Business & Education Coalition. “By bringing together those who have firsthand experience dealing with school tragedies, law enforcement leaders, technology experts, behavioral health specialists, and educators, we can explore innovative proactive solutions to crises in schools.”

“Every child in America should feel safe at school and it takes a village to ensure their safety,” said Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone. “That’s why it is so important for everyone who has a role in the safety of our Nation’s schools to come together and work to identify prevention strategies, threat assessment framework, and share best practices in response to incidents of violence threatening our schools.”

“We all know that only by working together with interested parties from every level can we effectively make our schools safer,” said Mark Joraanstad, Executive Director, Arizona Association of School Administrators.

Educators, school leaders, law enforcement leaders, and policy makers from across the nation are invited to attend. Registration is limited, click here to register for the summit.

The National School Safety, Security, and Trauma Informed Practices Summit is hosted by the Arizona Business & Education Coalition, in partnership with the Arizona School Administrators Association, Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone, and Grand Canyon University. Mutualink, Inc. is proud to be the title sponsor of the event.