School Safety Today

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 educators and communities in prevention and supp...

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 to discuss the complexities surrounding the issue of students experiencing homelessness and the educational strategies required to address these challenges effectively. • The critical role of local homeless education liaisons in sc...

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 school safety, including early interven...

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 intervention to discuss the importance of: • The inception and de...

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 and ensuring the safety of their children within the educational environment and how schools can strengt...

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 kindness. • How bullying has evolve...

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 age, young individuals are more susceptible to mental...

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 joy of youth. During the podcast, t...

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 Mark Ruiters, Founder of SchoolPass and Chief Strategy Officer at Raptor Technologies to shed light on the benefits and challenges of private schools automating campus operations through adopting transformative technology and discu...

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 suicide prevention is now more pertinent than ever, with educators enlis...

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. Schach...

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 their ways of maintaining a safe space for all? On this episode of School Safety Today, ho...

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 that communities will need in the aftermath of o...

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...

Finding adequate funding can be 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 provided. However, there are stipulations that come with these...

Over the last 20 years, partnerships between schools and law enforcement have 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 favor. Federal and state funding supporting law enforcement and school district collaboration as well as recent research demonstrates they ar...

Weather emergencies may not be top of mind when thinking about the school safety benefits of a visitor management system. However, when Hurricane Ian struck Florida in September 2022 that’s what Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) turned to for safety, accountability, and peace of mind. SCPS school buildings were utilized as shelters for the public, providing refuge for many. While this experien...

Police, social work, and school resources are crucial to providing all-encompassing care to 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 of Hutto, TX, and former Round Rock ISD Police Chief. H...

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. In fact, there have been 948 school shootings since the Sandy Hook tragedy in December 2012. That’s an average of just over 94 shootings a year. And further data shows that nearly 300K students have been present on campus during a shootin...

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, which claimed 26 lives, including Gay’s first grade daughter. She...

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, which claimed 26 lives, including Gay’s first grade daughter. She...

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 an educator for eight years before pivoting to counseling in...

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 an educator for eight years before pivoting to counseling in...

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 the m...