National Summit to Address High School Safety and Security Issues

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.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Amy Banks, Management and Program Analyst for the Center for School Preparedness, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, U.S. Department of Education; Russell E. Bentley, Chief of Campus Police at Bibb County Public Schools (Macon, GA); and Jeff Franks, Supervisory Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

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.

SUMMIT AGENDA

Agenda (Tentative)

2/17/15

NCS4 conducted a nation-wide survey to gather feedback on current safety and security issues facing interscholastic athletics. The results of the survey identified six major safety and security issues. The Summit will address these issues and identify solutions and future best practices. Attendees will have to opportunity to participate in moderated discussions (round robin format) for each of the designated issues:

GameDay/After-School Activities Plan
- Facilitator: Tom Gunnell, Chief Operations Officer, Katy Independent School District
Emergency Operations Planning
- Facilitator: Kenna Powell, Director of School Safety, Providence Day School

Identifying Risk and Threats
- Facilitator: Daniel Ward, Training, Exercise and Assessment Coordinator, NCS4
Facilities Design/Environment
- Facilitator: Mark Vander Voort, Principal, Education Group Director, HKS Architects

Building a Safety and Security Aware Culture
- Facilitator: Elliot Hopkins, Director of Sports Sanctioning and Student Services, National Federation of State High School Associations
Staff Development and Team Building
- Facilitator: Larry Johnson, Assistant Superintendent and Executive Director of Public Safety and School Security, Grand Rapids Public Schools

March 21, 2015 Saturday

7:30 – 8 a.m. Registration

Breakfast

8 – 8:40 a.m. Summit Opening and Welcome

Gary Gardner, Summit Moderator

Dr. Lou Marciani, Director, NCS4

Everett (Rusty) Barnes, Executive Director, Mississippi Office of Homeland Security

Elliot Hopkins, Director of Sports Sanctioning and Student Services, National Federation of State High School Associations

8:40 - 9 a.m. Keynote Speaker

Every Inch Counts

Dr. Chuck Benigno, Superintendent, Laurel Schools

9 – 9:30 a.m. Keynote Speaker

Dr. Amy Banks, Management and Program Analyst, Center for School Preparedness, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, U.S. Dept. of Education

9:30 – 10:15 a.m. Panel

School District Senior Administrators: Major Safety and Security Issues facing Interscholastic Athletics and After-School Activities

Dr. Chuck Benigno, Superintendent, Laurel Schools

Jermaine Brown, Principal, Hattiesburg High School

Wayne Folkes, Director of Student Services, Lamar County School District

10:15- 10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. – Noon Discussion Groups (groups rotate every 1.5 hours)

Rotation 1

Noon- 1:30 p.m. Lunch

Keynote Speaker

Russell E. Bentley, Chief of Campus Police, Bibb County Public Schools – Macon, GA

Panel

Athletic Directors: Major Safety and Security Issues facing Interscholastic Athletics and After-School Activities

Ryan Anderson, Athletics & Activities Director, School District of Menomonee Falls

Marmion Dambrino, Director of Athletics, Houston Independent School District

Tom Gladney, Athletic Director, Biloxi Public Schools

Richard Lopez, Christian Collegiate Academy

1:30- 3 p.m. Discussion Groups Rotation 2

3:00 – 3:15 p.m. Break

3:15 – 4:45 p.m. Discussion Groups Rotation 3

4:45 - 5 p.m. Closing Statement

5 – 6:30 p.m. Reception

March 22, 2015 Sunday

7:30 – 8:15 a.m. Breakfast

Don Hinton, Executive Director, Mississippi High School Activities Association

8:15 – 9 a.m. Panel

Public Safety: Major Safety and Security Issues Facing Interscholastic Athletics and After-School Activities

Rick Findlay, Deputy Chief of Police (ret.), Salt Lake City PD; Executive Director, Schoolhouse Dynamics, LLC

Corey Ray, School Resource Officer, Buncombe County, NC

Matt Liston, Community Education Coordinator, Derby Police Department

9 – 10:30 a.m. Discussion Groups Rotation 4

10:30 – 11 a.m. Break

11 – 12:30 p.m. Discussion Groups Rotation 5

12:30 – 2 p.m. Lunch /Keynote Speaker

Jeffrey Franks, FBI, Jackson, MS

2 – 3:30 p.m. Discussion Groups

Rotation 6

3:30 – 4 p.m. Break

4 – 5 p.m. Assessing High School Risk Through Simulation

Dr. Lou Marciani, Director, NCS4

Charles Lester, Simulation Application Consultant, INCONTROL

Ryan Anderson, Athletics & Activities Director, School District of Menomonee Falls