This episode of the School Safety Today podcast, by Raptor Technologies, features an in-depth discussion with Dr. David Diehl, Director of Student and Community Services at Selma Unified School District (CA), about the critical role of preparation in ensuring school safety. Dr. Diehl shares his experiences, including a pivotal crisis incident, and emphasizes how…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy speaks with Benjamin S. Fernandez, MS. Ed., School Psychologist about the crucial role of crisis teams in schools. The discussion emphasizes the importance of preparedness, prevention, and relationship-building to effectively manage crises and ensure student wellbeing. KEY POINTS: Crisis teams play…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso speaks with Melissa Kree about fostering resilience in students. Kree shares insights from her role in student mental health and school safety. The discussion emphasizes the role of trusted adults in supporting students, exploring how resilience involves ongoing support from…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso interviews Chief Ronald Applin, Chief of Police at Atlanta Public Schools. The conversation centers around the department’s unique approach to law enforcement, focusing on student well-being, mental health, and reducing the school-to-prison pipeline. Chief Applin explains how the department addresses…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sat down with Dr. Stephanie Leite, Senior Threat Manager. Gain valuable insights from her expertise as she delves into behavioral threat assessment, with a particular emphasis on understanding threat assessment in autistic students. KEY POINTS: Recognizing the critical distinction between…

In this episode of “School Safety Today”, host Michelle Dawn Mooney speaks with Lt. Pamela Revels, President of NASRO and Lieutenant of the School Resource Division at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama. Drawing from 20 years of experience as an SRO, Lt. Revels highlights the vital role School Resource Officers have in…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sat down with Craig Straw, Director of Safety and Emergency Management for Houston Independent School District (HISD). Listen and learn as he shares his experiences and strategies for back-to-school preparations and school safety management. KEY POINTS: Holistic Approach to School…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with special guest, TJ Markland, General Manager of PayK12. Pay K12 is a cloud-based software platform that provides districts, schools, and departments within, one digital hub for managing school payments and funds. In this episode, we’ll discuss how schools…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, join host Dr. Amy Grosso as she sits down with Michael Matthews, the Director of Operations for the Fairview Park City School District in the Greater Cleveland Area.  Together, they discuss the crucial preparations and strategies necessary for ensuring a safe return to…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with special guest, Carrie Mockler, the Vice President of Operations at PublicSchoolWORKS, a Raptor Technologies company. PublicSchoolWORKS is a fully automated, all-in-one learning management system for online training for school staff and a comprehensive risk management program. Key Takeaways: •…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, join host Dr. Amy Grosso as she sits down with Officer Meg Soultz, Co-Founder of Rescue in Color.  Together, they delve into the vital collaboration between law enforcement and school districts to enhance school safety.  Meg shares insights from her diverse career in public…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with special guest, Pat Hamilton, the new executive director of The “I Love U Guys” Foundation, who discusses his extensive background in school safety, the history and impact of the Foundation, and the future initiatives aimed at enhancing safety…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, join host Dr. Amy Grosso as she sits down with Dr. Allison Willemin, Executive Director of School Safety, Operational Technology, and Student Services at Oxford Community Schools, Michigan.  Together, they delve into the crucial topic of school safety during the summer months, focusing on…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with Dr. Marisa Randazzo to discuss the importance of continuous improvement in threat assessment practices.  Dr. Randazzo shares her extensive experience in threat assessment, emphasizing the importance of quality training and to regularly evaluate and enhance their threat assessment…

School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies. In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, join host Dr. Amy Grosso as she sits down with Shannon Jenkins, M.Ed., Coordinator of Mental Health at Thompson School District in Loveland, Colorado. Together, they delve into the crucial topic of supporting staff wellbeing within…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with Adam Coughran, President, Safe Kids, Inc.  During the conversation, they discussed proactive strategies for preventing violence in schools, focusing on the importance of communication channels within schools, behavioral awareness, and community involvement to aid in early detection and…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sat down with Heilit Biehl, Director of Judicial Services, Jeffco Public Schools in Jefferson County Colorado, Board of Directors Vice-Chair for the “I Love U Guys” Foundation and President of the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment…

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with Bruce Canal, Executive Lead for K-12 / Higher Education at Genetec, Inc. During the conversation, they focused on several critical aspects of enhancing safety in educational environments, including threat Assessments, access Control, and analytics. Key Takeaways: • The…

School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies.  In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sat down with Bree Borgsteadt, LCSW-S, Director of Outpatient Services at Georgetown Behavioral Health Institute.  During the conversation, they discussed Self-Injury Awareness Month and the importance of understanding, identifying, and addressing self-injury among…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with Matias Klein, Founder & CEO of Kognition AI. During the conversation, they discussed leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance security in educational settings. Matias shares his journey from aspiring healthcare professional to tech entrepreneur, emphasizing the role of AI…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sat down with Angela Lee, Director of Love Is Respect at the National Domestic Hotline. During the conversation, they discussed Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and the significance of educators understanding the signs of unhealthy relationships and teen dating violence so…

School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies. In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with Jamison Peevyhouse, VP of Public Safety, RapidSOS.  During the conversation, they discuss enhancing emergency response outcomes by securely linking life-saving data from connected devices directly to emergency services. Key Takeaways:…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sat down with Annabelle Thomson, Program Specialist with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) Child Sex Trafficking Team, to discuss the nature and scope of child sex trafficking, misconceptions and warning signs in children, the role of…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with Natalie Mactier, CEO of Vivi International. Natalie discusses the evolution of classroom technology into an integrated school safety communication system that includes: • Highly targeted emergency notifications and integrations with other security systems, enhancing campus safety and situational…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sat down with Kenya Haynes, Program Specialist at the National Center for Homeless Education to discuss the complexities surrounding the issue of students experiencing homelessness and the educational strategies required to address these challenges effectively.  The broad definition of homelessness according…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sat down with Liz Nowland-Margolis, Executive Director of School Safety and District Operations for Ann Arbor Public Schools for part two of a two-part series on proactive student wellbeing through early intervention to discuss the importance of: Proactive approaches to…

In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sat down with Dr. Frank Straub, Senior Director of Violence Prevention Research and Programs at Safe and Sound Schools and Co-Director of the “Protect 2 Prevent” project for part one of a two-part series on proactive student wellbeing through early…

School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies. In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with Missy Dodds, speaker and trainer for Safe and Sound Schools, a national non-profit school safety advocacy and resource center. They discussed the pivotal role parents play in advocating for…

In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sat down with Carolyn Jennings-Brown, Founder and Program Director of “Hey Dude, Nice Shoes” to discuss the importance of: Raising awareness about bullying and shifting the focus from merely identifying the problem to finding solutions and promoting…

Student suicide prevention is a paramount concern among mental health providers. For one organization, student suicide prevention is more than a concern: it’s their mission. The alarming rise in mental health crises among youth has become a pressing concern in recent times. With the complexities of modern life and the challenges of the digital…

School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies. In today’s episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Michelle Dawn Mooney sat down with John-Michael Keyes, executive director and co-founder of the “I Love U Guys” Foundation to shed light on their mission, collaboration, and unique approach to training, all aimed at protecting the…

The digital revolution is not just changing daily life; it’s reshaping the education landscape, particularly in private school operations and student safety. With the advent of the global pandemic, the urgency to adapt and innovate has become paramount. With their unique management structures and independent funding, private schools are navigating their own challenges. According…

The rise in adolescent suicides is an alarming trend, gaining global attention in recent years. Youth and young adults ages 10-24 comprise 15% of suicide deaths in the United States and are the second leading cause of death amongst this age group. Amidst these grim statistics, the essential role of educational institutions in youth…

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…

Student safety has been a major topic in the last few years as more violent acts have occurred on school grounds. While some of it happens after school hours, student safety is still under threat, and the ways we combat this danger has room to improve. So how are schools ensuring student safety and improving…

Natural disasters are one of the most unpredictable, but expected forms of destruction that humanity can expect to happen anywhere and at any time. Unfortunately, many types of disasters result in the loss of life, in addition to wide-scale devastation. When it comes to educational facilities like schools, there’s a certain type of disaster 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…

Over the last 20 years, partnerships between schools and law enforcement has become more common with a primary purpose of protecting the school community from active shooters and other violence. Police officers in schools has cyclically fallen in and out of favour. Federal and state funding supporting law enforcement and school district collaboration as well…

Finding adequate funding can be a difficult task for some schools. But there is a benefit when a school district, and ultimately its schools, become a grant recipient. These grants can help schools implement more educational and extracurricular programs, and even hire more staff, which can have a major impact on the quality of education…

The importance of a visitor management system in school safety may not be immediately associated with weather emergencies. However, when Hurricane Ian struck Florida in September 2022, it was the Raptor Visitor Management system that Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) relied upon for safety, accountability, and peace of mind. The district’s school buildings were used…

Police, social work, and school resources are crucial for safety awareness and all-encompassing care for students in need. However, there are gaps in job requirements and, therefore, gaps in support for at-risk students. On this episode of School Safety Today, host Michelle Dawn Mooney talks to Police Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough. Yarbrough is the Police Chief…

No one likes to think about the worst happening at their local schools. Unfortunately, in the United States school shootings alone have become shockingly common, making it all the more important to have a school emergency communication plan. In fact, there have been 948 school shootings since the Sandy Hook tragedy in December 2012. That’s…

Fostering a safe environment for kids to learn is a priority for many. To discuss the 2022 State of School Safety findings, host Michelle Dawn Mooney spoke with Michele Gay, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Safe and Sound Schools. Safe and Sound Schools was founded shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012,…

Safety in schools is of the utmost importance. As such, host Bobby Brill speaks with author and school counselor Molly Hudgens about her heroic story and the importance of student wellbeing as it pertains to school safety. Hudgens, a School Counselor and Author of Saving Sycamore: The School Shooting That Never Happened, served first as…

Joey Wahler interviews Michael Rodgers, founder and CEO of the Critical Response Group (CRG). CRG and Raptor Technologies are working together to provide efficient protection for first responders in schools through digital floor plan mapping technology. CRG also provides this technology to businesses, hospitals, and many other important infrastructures. Rodgers shares how his experience from…

Joey Wahler interviews Michael Rodgers, founder and CEO of the Critical Response Group (CRG). CRG and Raptor Technologies are working together to provide efficient protection for first responders in schools through digital floor plan mapping technology. In addition to the technology’s usefulness school safety protocols, CRG also provides this technology to businesses, hospitals, and many…

Michael Reidenbach, Executive Director of Security and Emergency Management for the Charleston County School District 3999 in North Charleston, SC, spent a significant portion of his police career working with schools and universities as a campus police officer and school resource officer (SRO.) Reidenbach became a recent finalist for K-12 Campus Safety Director of the…

Dr. Paula Love, Founder of RFP Match, joined Tyler Kern for a refresher on ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) to talk about the latest funding available to help schools. There were plenty of updates and opportunities to share. Since the pandemic, several different COVID relief acts and packages have provided much-needed funds to…

All over the country, volunteers are serving their school districts and communities. Finding them isn’t the only task but managing and maintaining volunteer relationships canquickly become a challenge without the proper tools and resources.. Host Tyler Kern talked to a school official with a lifetime of volunteer experience. Chris Robinson, the Volunteer Program Supervisor for…

Talking about some of the heavier aspects of school safety is not always a pleasant topic to discuss, but it is critical in today’s environment. People need to know how school districts approach educating and training students on maneuvering and, in worst-case scenarios, surviving violent school incidents. Adam Coughran, co-founder of Safer Kids, Inc., and…

The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) was created in 2013 on the heels of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The Security Industry Association (SIA) and the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) collaborated on the formation of PASS, a volunteer organization focused on providing school administrators, school boards, and public safety officials with a…

In this episode of School Safety Today, host Daniel Litwin spoke with Raptor Technology’s SVP of Product and Engineering, Chris Noell, on the importance of cybersecurity in the classroom. Noell spoke about what it means to have best-in-class IT security requirements to reduce the likelihood of new and dangerous cybersecurity breaches impacting educational settings while…

Lockdown drills: they may be an increasing trend in education systems across the country, but there is a debate on the merits of these drills versus the impact they have on students, teachers, and staff. Which causes more harm, the threat of a shooting occurring, or the stress imposed by participating in lockdown drills? School…

School safety is an umbrella with many different aspects underneath it. The evolution of this principle continues, as it has to include everything from natural disasters to violence to a pandemic. Providing insights on challenges to school safety, School Safety Today host Daniel Litwin spoke with the former superintendent of Santa Fe TX ISD, Dr….

Is there a gap between how parents and students perceive a particular school’s safety and how the school administrators do? A 2021 survey in partnership with Raptor Technologies revealed a wide gap in the perception of school safety initiatives. Students and parents are less confident than administrators in several critical areas, including a 30-point gap…

With so many different federal actions providing COVID-19 funding for schools to reopen this Fall, educators, administrators, and facility managers are struggling to understand the best way to take advantage of all of this assistance and how to center their strategies in thoughtful ways. Here to give insights on this episode of School Safety Today,…

Schools will be back and mostly open for in-person learning in a few weeks. As students return, the importance of navigating school safety and dealing with emergencies remains paramount. So, how can schools be prepared? Offering his expert perspective, Frank Kitzerow, Retired Chief of Police and District Security for Palm Beach County School District, spoke…

As in-person schooling returns, what should the top priorities be for facility managers? What are the new safety challenges facing schools? After all, school safety priorities, strategies and challenges have changed. To address these, School Safety Today host Daniel Litwin spoke with Paul Timm, VP of Facility Engineering Associates. Timm has years of experience in…

Returning to school full-time is going to be a challenge for students. Combine the anxiety of being back together with uncertainty and a readjustment to in-person classroom life, some of which will also likely be mixed in with remote learning, and life moving forward will be complicated for students. On this episode of the School…

In the ever-evolving landscape of school safety, proactive measures, grounded in technology and community collaboration, are not just an advantage—they’re essential. Strategic partnerships that bridge the gap between nonprofits, for-profit organizations, educational bodies, and government sectors are the unseen heroes, paving the way for enhanced security in our educational institutions. One such alliance, which…

In today’s digitized world, innovations in technology are continuously reshaping our approach towards safety and security. A prime example of this is Raptor Alert, a breakthrough school safety software by Raptor Technologies, designed to provide rapid and targeted responses in emergencies. This system seamlessly amalgamates critical features such as geofencing, real-time messaging, and precise…

The importance of maintaining a secure learning environment in schools has gained significant traction across the country. To this effect, institutions have started to leverage innovative technology-centered approaches to safeguard their students and ensure a productive academic atmosphere. A crucial aspect of this involves having concrete emergency preparedness measures, such as structured drills and…

Raptor Technologies, the leading provider of integrated school safety technologies, celebrated International Women’s Day with an inspiring commitment to further enhance safety in schools. The company, renowned for its innovative solutions such as the Raptor Reunification program, stressed the importance of fostering a safe learning environment for all. The team recognized the significance of…

In an era where the safety of students is paramount, technology is offering ingenious solutions for effective school management. Among these is the Raptor reunification program – a tool that revolutionizes how schools manage the vital task of connecting students with their guardians in emergency situations. Often, the administrative process of tracking, verifying, and…

In the challenging landscape of educational administration, embracing technology to enhance safety and security measures is a critical step forward. Grove City Area School District, led by the formidable team of Assistant Superintendent John Weaver and Director of Technology Judy Dennis, stands as a testament to this trend, illustrating the transformative impact of integrating…

As Raptor Technologies marks its 20th anniversary, the firm is garnering well-deserved appreciation for its significant contributions to school safety. A wide range of individuals, including Michelle Gay and Molly Hedchens from Safe and Sound Schools, and industry expert Anne Marie Christian, have extended their heartfelt congratulations, lauding the company’s dedication to enhancing K-12…