[Video] AASA Exhibit Hall Focuses on School Safety and Security (2:50)
David Watson, director of safety and security in School District 49, in Peyton, Colo., highlights the importance of safety and security in school systems and shares some tactics for preventing potential threats. Watson gives a detailed rundown of all the measures his district uses to ensure a safe environment for everyone who is a part […]
Schools Must Express Vulnerabilities Before They Can Be Safe Places, Workshop Participants Learn
Zero shootings. Zero anxiety. ZeroNow. Safety in schools is of the utmost importance, and a pre-conference workshop on Wednesday afternoon at the AASA national conference considered whether it is possible to create environments where schools again become the safest place for students to learn and thrive. These advancements cannot be done without community collaboration and […]
Hard-Won Lessons From a Tragic Day at Sandy Hook: Michele Gay’s Emotion-Laden Keynote at General Session 2
Michele Gay’s speech during General Session 2 at the AASA national conference on Friday began with easy-to-digest information on school safety and her own experiences as a teacher and mother of three school-age daughters. Around the 25-minute mark, though, a sense of dread began to build. For the next 40 gripping, agonizing minutes, Gay took […]
Exhibit Hall’s Inaugural School Safety Lab Moves an Already High Priority to Central Focus for School Leaders
Few questions are more important, yet few answers are more elusive than this: How can schools ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff? In the post-Columbine/Sandy Hook/Marjorie Stoneman Douglas era, it’s a perplexing issue that every superintendent places at the top of the agenda today. AASA’s 2024 national conference recognizes that priority with a […]
Safety and Security Takes a Major Place in the AASA Conference’s Exhibit Hall in San Diego
The number of students thinking about harming themselves or having suicidal thoughts was 52,491 out of 146,000 items uncovered by Gaggle during 2018-19 school year, according to company flyer distributed in the AASA national conference’s exhibit hall.
Fighting Fake News Takes on New Importance for School Districts
In an age where social media has amplified every voice, fake news is a newfound phenomenon that often drowns out the facts and can bring chaos to a community. The AASA conference session on Saturday morning titled “Making Your District Message Real in the Fake News Age” offered superintendents guidance on building credibility in the […]
Conscious Efforts Needed to Support LGBT Students, GLSEN Director Says
New Jersey passed legislation this month mandating boards of education ensure their curriculum and instructional material include an accurate portrayal of the social, economic and political contributions made by LGBT people and individuals with disabilities. The bill was proposed by GLSEN, a national LGBT advocacy organization that works with students and educators at the local, state […]
Virginia Beach Leader Uses Local Panel to Bolster Its Schools’ Security
On the one-year anniversary of the tragic mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., superintendents gathered at an AASA conference session Thursday morning on “Rethinking School Safety and Successfully Leveraging Community Experts for Change.”
VIDEO: School Safety and Security (1:59)
Nearly 20 companies in the AASA conference’s exhibit hall are promoting services and tools for addressing school security and student and staff safety.
