RADFORD, Va. (WDBJ) – The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Radford University to host its first ever three-day Regional School Safety Symposium.
The symposium brings together a variety of law enforcement agencies and school divisions across Southwest Virginia to provide high quality training opportunities to the region.
The symposium features presentations from subject-matter experts across disciplines. Attendees include educators and school leaders, school resource officers, law enforcement, emergency responders, and other professionals involved in school safety and crisis response.
“If we can bring our partners together, our community partners and our other agencies together, you know, that’s beneficial for everybody,” said Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Kimberly Hodge.
Lt. Hodge said the Regional School Safety Symposium brings high-quality training closer to home and strengthens partnerships to keep schools and communities safe; covering K-12 violence prevention, youth trauma, crisis communications, threat prevention, school safety best practices, and emergency preparedness.
“Collaboration is important between us and the school system and the region. You know, we need to bring everybody together because all of us need to be able to work together and kind of be on the same page for the kids,” Lt. Hodge said.
Day one covered supporting students with disabilities, crisis communications, law enforcement and FERPA, the Family Education and Rights Privacy Act, as well as threat assessment guidance from the National Threat Assessment Center.
Day two focuses on youth trauma, suicide prevention, and school incident command, including a presentation from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The final day includes legal updates and local leaders’ plans for building safer communities.
“The more training that we can get, the more service we can provide to these kids, and the better response they’re going to get from us for what they need,” added Hodge.
School leaders from Pulaski County Public Schools are excited to continue participating in future symposiums, saying it’s important for other divisions and law enforcement agencies to learn from each other.
“I think it’s great just to share and be able to come together and say, ‘oh, well, that worked for them. Let’s implement it in our division.’ School safety is our top priority. We have to ensure that our students are safe. If they feel safe, then they can learn. So we take that as a commitment to ensuring that our schools are safe,” said Student Services & Safety Director, Mary Cheverton.
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office thanks Radford University, the Radford University Police Department, speakers, partner agencies, and attendees for their commitment to protecting children and keeping schools safe.
They plan to host another symposium at Radford University next year.
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