National Interscholastic Athletics and After School Activities Safety and Security Summit set for March 21-23

More than eight million students participate in interscholastic athletics sports and after-school programs each year, along with 336 million spectators attending these events. When a school-based emergency or incident occurs, oftentimes it is the school personnel who are first to arrive on the scene.

In order to make sure these personnel are prepared for safety and security issues, superintendents, principals, athletic administrators, local law enforcement, and school resource officers from across the country will converge on The University of Southern Mississippi's Hattiesburg campus March 21-23rd for the National Interscholastic Athletics and After-School Activities Safety and Security Summit, hosted by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security's (NCS⁴).

“The National Interscholastic Athletics Safety and Security Summit affords the high school community the opportunity to establish best practices in regard to their campuses during the time of activities, athletics and events from the time school is out until these events conclude,” said Bob Gardner, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations.

 “Most schools do an excellent job providing security for their students, staff and visitors during the school day. When the academic day ends, the challenges of security grow with the many activities held after school. This Summit will bring together the best minds to address this growing concern.”

The Summit will provide a mechanism to share ideas and explore solutions to develop "Best Practices" through addressing designated major safety and security issues. Attendees of the summit will have the opportunity to hear from top safety experts and participate in moderated discussions for designated issues such as gameday/activities, emergency operations planning, identifying threats and hazards, safety and security staff training, facilities design/environment and building safety and security aware culture.

The establishment of a “Best Practices Guide” for Interscholastic Athletics and after school activities will result from the Summit and will become a key resource for safety and security for school districts throughout the United States. The first edition of the "Best Practices" will be introduced at the 2015 High School Symposium at the National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition at Walt Disney World in Orlando on July 6-9th.

“To develop a comprehensive set of best practices, we need a diverse group of school personnel in attendance,” said NCS⁴ Director Lou Marciani. “Whether a school is located in an urban setting or in a rural area, this event will provide a mechanism for safety and security officials to learn from one another and for the first time have a set of best practices to reduce risk at their school programs.”

For more information about the National Interscholastic Athletics and After-School Safety and Security Summit, visit https://www.ncs4.com/events/interscholastic-summit. Limited seating is available.