School Safety Today

Ray Fuller, Coordinator of Threat Assessment and Safety at Texas' Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District, talks threat assessment.

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sits down with Dr. Vincent Iturralde, Chief Operations Officer for North Chicago School District 187. Dr. Iturralde shares insights from his educational journey, emphasizing the need for schools to update emergency response protocols, strengthen communication systems, and prioritize collaboration over mere compliance to ensure the safety of students and staff. Through real-world examples, he illustrates the challenges of reunification efforts and underscores the critical role of proactive planning. KEY POINTS: * Emergency management is more than drills and compliance—it is critical all stakeholders understand the why. * Reunification planning is complex and must be practiced and continued to be refined. * Emergency management is bigger than one person and collaboration is key to success. Our guest, Dr. Vincent Iturralde is the Chief Operations Officer for North Chicago School District 187 and oversees the district’s operations, security, facilities, and school leadership. Dr. Iturralde has proven experience as an Educational Leadership Consultant, a Transformational Coordinator for North Chicago School District 187, a Leadership Coach for the University of Illinois Center for Urban Education Leadership, and a Part-Time Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign and Concordia University. Before these positions, Dr. Iturralde was the founding principal of the Tarkington School of Excellence in Chicago, IL. He has his Educational Doctorate and Master of Education from the University of Illinois in Chicago. He was an educator in the Chicago Public Schools system for 20 years as a teacher, technology coordinator and school improvement coordinator. In 2008, Dr. Iturralde became a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and, in 2009, received the Re-Generation Award for Excellence in Environmental Education from the U. S. Department of Green Building Council.

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso interviews Shawn Toadvine, Manager of Student Programs, Client Services, PublicSchoolWORKS. The discussion emphasizes that anonymous reporting is not just a compliance tool but a critical element in school safety and student well-being. KEY POINTS: * Fostering a culture of trust is essential for anonymous reporting to work effectively. * Comprehensive training ensures educators, students, and parents understand how to use the system and the process for follow-up. * Anonymous reporting addresses not only threats but also student mental health and well-being. Our guest, Shawn Toadvine is an accomplished professional serving as the Manager of Student Programs at PublicSchoolWORKS since 2013. With a background in theatre, he holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Northern Kentucky University and later pursued a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Cincinnati. Drawing from his experience as an administrator, Shawn brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role, developing meaningful programs that positively impact students' lives. His dedication to education and commitment to excellence make him an invaluable asset to the Raptor pack!

In this episode of School Safety Today, host Dr. Amy Grosso speaks with Lea Bauer, an expert in threat assessment and protective intelligence. Lea highlights the value of incorporating a student's digital world into threat assessments and offers schools practical guidance and resources for success. She also provides guidance on how to build and maintain trust with various stakeholders.   KEY POINTS:  * Integrating a student's digital world is vital for a thorough behavioral threat assessment.  * Adding a tech-savvy educator to the team ensures the student's digital presence is accurately assessed.  * Building and maintaining trust is essential for sustaining campus safety throughout the threat assessment process.  Our guest, Lea Bauer, brings over 25 years of expertise in threat assessment, protective intelligence, physical security operations, executive protection, and investigations. She is the founder of Bauer S&I Specialists, LLC, a private investigative and security firm serving corporate and individual clients, with a specialized focus on protective intelligence and security solutions for the entertainment industry.  As a consultant for SIGMA, now part of Raptor, Lea provides expert guidance and training in threat assessment and management to K-12 schools, colleges, workplaces, and high-profile individuals and families. A licensed private investigator, she is also an active member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).  Lea’s impressive career includes her tenure as a Senior Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service, where she conducted threat assessments, provided physical security, and safeguarded national leaders. She also worked closely with the Department of Defense to deliver training on counterterrorism strategies, including tackling extremist threats and terrorist financing. Before her law enforcement career, Lea was a licensed professional counselor, giving her a unique perspective on human behavior and risk dynamics.

In this episode of School Safety Today, host Dr. Amy Grosso speaks with Michele Gay, co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools, about the critical role of learning from averted school violence incidents. Michele highlights the importance of the Averted School Violence (ASV) Project, a unique resource that collects and analyzes "saves"—instances where school tragedies were successfully prevented. Drawing on her extensive experience as an educator and advocate, Michele discusses how these prevention stories offer actionable insights that help improve school safety policies and procedures. KEY POINTS: * The ASV Project provides essential lessons from incidents where crises were prevented, helping schools refine their safety measures. * Stories from the ASV Project highlight practical steps schools can take to identify and address potential threats before they escalate. * Strong relationships between students, staff, and safety teams are at the core of early intervention and effective crisis prevention. * How to learn more about the ASV Project and Safe and Sound Schools. Our guest, Michele Gay, mother, educator, and co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools, chose to take action after losing her daughter Josephine Grace on December 14, 2012. Since that time, she has channeled her work as an advocate, improving safety and security in schools and communities across our country. With a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Towson State University, Michele earned her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College. Prior to the Sandy Hook tragedy, she taught at the elementary level in the Maryland and Virginia public schools. Now a nationally and internationally recognized public speaker, school safety expert, and a regular contributor for print, radio, and television outlets. As the primary visionary and author of Safe and Sound’s programs and materials, Michele has served as a stakeholder voice in national legislative discussions. Through these works, she continues to build Safe and Sound Schools as a national hub of school safety education, technical assistance, expert content, and best practices. An educator by training — and fueled by the heart of a mother and community member — Michele is uniquely positioned to help others prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from tragedies of their own. Remaining inspired by Josephine, every day, she dedicates herself to honoring Josephine’s memory through this work to ensure that every school, every child, and every community is truly safe and sound.