Real-World Strategies for Safer Schools & Coordinated Emergency Response

On today’s episode of School Safety Today, Michelle Dawn Mooney chatted with Mike Matranga, former Director of Safety and Security at Texas City ISD and CEO of M6 Global. They talked about how situational awareness skills can be used to implement early intervention measures, how schoolwide training is critical for identifying and providing mental health resources, and the importance of practicing emergency response plans with all stakeholders.

Honing situational awareness skills is key to enacting a multi-faceted approach to identifying concerning behaviors in order to prevent harm to self or others. It is critical now more than ever to move from being reactive to proactive in identifying these behaviors and having the resources to refer and help those in need. All roles in the school community have this collective responsibility – a well-trained and informed staff, parent groups, and student groups are key.

When it comes to emergency response planning, it is not enough to just have a plan. Schools need to coordinate and rehearse the plan. And no single department or role should the plan fall to; all stakeholder groups need to come together to develop, review, and practice.

Mike Matranga is the founder and CEO of M6 Global Defense Group, an elected Texas City Independent School District (TCISD) Board Member at Large, and a former TCISD Executive Director of Security and School Safety with a demonstrated history of working in multiple facets of the security and investigations industry. He has been featured in several national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, WIRED Magazine, and the Security Magazine cover story in March 2020. He was recently ranked No. 5 in the nation for his unique school security planning and operational experience using technology and human behavior techniques to thwart mass attacks. Matranga has been a pioneer in school-based security practices, even leading to legislation being written per his recommendations.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Education R&D
Will the New Education R&D Bill Spark the Innovation Schools Desperately Need?
April 25, 2025

In a rare show of bipartisan cooperation, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and John Cornyn (R-TX) have introduced the New Essential Education Discoveries (NEED) Act, aimed at revolutionizing how the U.S. invests in education innovation. The bill proposes a new National Center for Advanced Development in Education—akin to DARPA but for schools—within the Institute for…

Read More
How Verizon Business Utilizes UGC for Sales Enablement
How Verizon Business Utilizes UGC for Sales Enablement
April 24, 2025

In this episode of UGC for B2B, host David Dabney welcomes Cesar Teran, Verizon’s Sales Enablement Lead for Channel, to explore how user-generated content (UGC) is transforming training and team engagement at Verizon Business. Cesar shares the journey of introducing UGC into Verizon’s training initiatives, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, collaboration, and celebrating contributions….

Read More
digital freight invoicing
ODeX Is Leading the Charge in Digital Freight Invoicing
April 24, 2025

Global shipping continues to grapple with fragmented billing processes, often delaying cargo movement. According to McKinsey, adopting an electronic bill of lading could save $6.5 billion in direct costs and enable $40 billion in global trade. As vessels carry goods for thousands of shippers per voyage, the administrative burden of managing and reconciling invoices…

Read More
Human Intelligence Movement
Just Thinking… about Reimagining Education for the AI Era with the Human Intelligence Movement
April 24, 2025

As artificial intelligence reshapes education, work, and daily life, educators are grappling with how to prepare students for a future where human skills—not just knowledge—will be paramount. In fact, a growing number of reports highlight that employers increasingly value collaboration, communication, and emotional intelligence over memorized content. Amid this transformation, the Human Intelligence Movement…

Read More