Turning Pain Into Purpose – A Father’s Journey to Make Schools Safer After the Parkland School Shooting

According to Education Week‘s school shooting tracker, there have been 18 school shootings this year alone. With the increasing number of these violent incidents, what’s being done to make schools safer?

School Safety Today’s host, Michelle Dawn Mooney, is joined by Max Schachter, the Founder of Safe Schools for Alex, to discuss his advocation for policy change to better safeguard students. Schachter’s youngest son Alex was one of the 17 victims of the 2018 Parkland school shooting. Since then, Schachter channeled his pain to be a national school safety advocate. He discusses what his organization does to ensure school safety and what their goals are now and for the future.

Listen to today’s podcast to learn:

  • New policies at the state and federal levels focused on safer educational settings
  • How to use data to reduce violence in school communities
  • Recommendations for how district leaders and law enforcement officials can work best together

Schachter was appointed to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission where they were tasked with investigating and analyzing information from the Parkland school shooting to develop recommendations to prioritize safety and security in schools. He highlights the successes in working with the Florida Department of Education to create data points that school districts and parents can use to make informed decisions and policies about school safety. The collaboration was the impetus for the School Safety Dashboard where districts, parents and all stakeholders can access this data on a user-friendly platform to help create a safer environment for all.

Some other developments that have come from the commission include the creation of an Office of School Safety, a school safety specialist in every Florida district, an anonymous threat reporting system statewide, a panic app for teachers, a threat assessment team, and a mental health coordinator in all Florida school districts.

Additionally, Schachter pushes for law enforcement to prioritize preparedness and training. “You can’t start the process in the middle of a tragedy or after a tragedy. Now, law enforcement has access to cameras in an emergency. There are reunification plans in place and we now have mandatory active shooter drills on all campuses…and a minimum of at least one, armed officer on every campus throughout the entire state.”

Max Scratcher is the Founder and Executive Director of Safe Schools for Alex. He’s one of the nation’s leading school safety advocates, serving as a corporate and governmental advisor on matters related to school shootings and security. Schachter works alongside members of Congress, leaders of federal agencies, and Presidents of the United States which has led to the creation of the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse at SchoolSafety.gov. He’s interviewed with many media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and ABC.

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

Image

Latest

data center design
Applied Digital’s Data Center Design for a 100 MW AI Factory Built from the Ground Up
July 2, 2025

AI workloads are redefining the limits of data center design and infrastructure. Legacy data centers, built for traditional co-location, cannot handle the density, thermal demands, or power dynamics of accelerated computing. The AI boom has upended the data center sector, forcing a rapid shift to liquid-cooled racks as facilities pivot from sub-10kW racks to…

Read More
Commerce media
A Look at the Rise of Commerce Media Networks: How Nift Helps Brands Own How Their Message Shows Up
July 2, 2025

As traditional digital advertising struggles to retain consumer trust, brands are exploring new, more authentic ways to connect with shoppers. Platforms like commerce media networks, which weave together commerce, content, and data, are emerging as powerful tools in this shift. Research from MG2 Advisory reveals that only about 37% of consumers feel brands genuinely…

Read More
Hospitality leadership
Heart-First Hospitality Leadership: How Saying ‘Yes’ Transforms Guest Experiences, Boosts Staff Morale, and Drives Business Results
July 2, 2025

As the hospitality industry emerges from years of pandemic-driven upheaval, hospitality leadership is evolving to meet new challenges. Leaders are looking for new ways to retain staff, elevate guest satisfaction, and drive revenue without burning out their teams. One trend gaining traction is the power of “Yes”: empowering employees to say yes more often,…

Read More
civic leadership
Mayor Gerard Hudspeth’s Civic Leadership Journey: What Politics Teaches About People
July 2, 2025

What does a mayor learn about human nature? In this episode of Professional Quotient: Conversations that Build Equity, host Jason Winningham sits down with Gerard Hudspeth, longtime mayor of Denton, Texas, and a respected figure in civic leadership. Drawing from his years in public service, Hudspeth explores how leading a city reveals the core…

Read More