A Comparison of December 2023 to 2024
This month’s Behavioral Data Bulletin compares data from December 2023 to December 2024. View recent sample case consultations and Worrisome Online Behavior encountered by SST’s team of experts.
Our Senior Threat Analyst Nick Chernoff was recently featured on Safe and Sound Schools’ Tuesdays at the Table. Chernoff talked with Michelle Gay and her team about both the good and bad trends that we are seeing young people engage in online. Watch below for some of the ways parents can navigate the online world and help their children foster healthy connections during COVID-19.
This month’s Behavioral Data Bulletin compares data from December 2023 to December 2024. View recent sample case consultations and Worrisome Online Behavior encountered by SST’s team of experts.
This month’s Behavioral Data Bulletin compares data from October 2024 to November 2024. View recent sample case consultations and Worrisome Online Behavior encountered by SST’s team of experts.
Get the latest updates on digital and behavioral threats to keep your school safe.
Chief Security Officer
Snap, Inc (Snapchat)
James Murray, former Director of the U.S. Secret Service, is currently the Chief Security Officer at Snap, inc. Jim brings a wealth of experience to his role, which will help ensure the safety and security of the more than 5,000 Snap employees who live and work across the globe. Murray began his federal service with the U.S. Department of Transportation and as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. Years later, he joined the Secret Service as a Special Agent, where he investigated cyber-enabled financial crimes and served as the agency’s liaison to the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Panel Session
Gangs & Guns Prevention
School Violence Prevention
February 14, 2025 • 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM PST
Stay tuned for details regarding the Panel Session with panelists Theresa Campbell, Dr. Peter Langman, James Murray, Dr. Melissa Reeves, & Steven MacDonald.
School Counselor
Cheatham County School District
On September 28, 2016, an eighth grader armed with a semi-automatic handgun and a plan to kill people on campus went to the counseling department at Sycamore Middle School in Pleasant View, Tennessee, to find his school counselor. After ninety minutes of talking with the young man and praying beside him on her knees, the counselor was able to convince him to relinquish the weapon to her with no shots fired and no lives lost. For her efforts, she became a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor’s Citizens Honor for a single act of heroism. In her twenty-fifth year in education, she remains the school counselor at Sycamore Middle School
Keynote Session
School Violence Prevention
February 14, 2025 • 9:45 AM – 11:45 AM PST
There is no profile of school shooters, nor any one cause that accounts for their attacks. This presentation explores a wide range of potential factors that may contribute to rampage attacks. These factors include the biological (genetics, developmental, body-related issues), three psychological categories of perpetrators (psychopathic, psychotic, traumatized), a variety of social failures, and cultural influences such as role models, ideologies, and the desire for fame.
School Violence Prevention
February 14, 2025 • 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM PST
Join Molly Hudgens as she shares the story of how she prevented a school shooting on September 28, 2016, when a student with a fully-loaded semi-automatic handgun came to her with a plan to kill people on the school’s campus, he told her, “I came to you because you’re the only person who can talk me out of this.” After a ninety-minute intervention, the student relinquished the weapon to Mrs. Hudgens with no shots fired and no lives lost. Molly’s retelling of the event walks the audience through the specifics of the incident that took place in her office and highlights previous training that affected her decision-making process during the event. Molly speaks boldly of her faith throughout and challenges those in attendance to remember that every human interaction matters and that one life can make a difference. Molly Hudgens became the first Tennessean and only the tenth woman to become a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation’s Citizens Medal of Honor for her efforts that day.
Senior Director of Projects, Programs, and Training
School Violence Prevention
In-Person Only
February 13, 2025 • 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM PST
Join this workshop with Michele Gay & Dr. Joseph McKenna, for a meaningful introduction to Safe and Sound Schools’ newest program, Staying Safe. Developed in partnership with the Texas School Safety Center and ALERRT, Staying Safe equips school teams to teach PK-12 students developmentally appropriate safety actions. This program aligns with best practices and expertise from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), and Safe and Sound Schools. Discover how this innovative program can enhance your school’s inclusive, comprehensive safety preparedness and support a secure learning environment.
School Violence Prevention
February 14, 2025 • 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM PST
Designed to support an inclusive approach to safety preparedness in educational settings, Especially Safe helps you plan, prepare, teach, and train to meet the special needs of students, staff, and visitors in your school community. With considerations for developmental disabilities, communication challenges, medical needs, mobility challenges, and more, this training creates a culture of safety and security that everybody can depend on in emergencies of all kinds.
Speaker, Trainer, National Parent Ambassador
Safe and Sound Schools
Missy’s story entails how she has transitioned from victim to survivor and from teacher to school safety advocate. Missy Dodds serves as a Safe and Sound Schools National Parent Ambassador, speaker and trainer. Sharing her very personal story about the 2005 tragedy at Red Lake High School, Missy has navigated a path to healing in order to help schools, parents and communities understand the importance of a comprehensive approach to school safety and recovery.
School Violence Prevention
February 13, 2025 • 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM PST
In this moving presentation, Missy shares her personal journey of navigating life after a school shooting and her quest to understand how such a tragedy can occur. She openly discusses the pain, guilt, and difficult decisions she faced, detailing her struggles and successes, and how she now defines acceptance. Missy also shares lessons learned and reveals what she believes could have prevented the events on March 21, 2005. Her goal is to leave attendees with hope and courage, demonstrating that through perseverance and self-work, one can find the strength to progress from being a victim to becoming a survivor.
Lead School Psychologist
District in Northern Virginia
Benjamin S. Fernandez, MS Ed. believes school safety is everyone’s responsibility and that we all have a part in creating a safe and supportive school environment for all to thrive. He provides leadership and an array of psychological and school-based mental health services as a lead school psychologist and crisis team leader for his school district. For the National Association of School Psychologists, he serves on the School Safety and Crisis Response Committee conducting presentations and contributing to topics related to youth suicide, PREPaRE, and school safety and crisis intervention.
Gangs & Guns Prevention
School Violence Prevention
In-Person Only
February 13, 2025 • 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM PST
Pathways for Prevention, a Signature Program of Safe & Sound Schools, focuses on universal violence prevention strategies, as well as targeted and intensive interventions for preventing and responding to violent behaviors to support safe learning environments. Pathways for Prevention is rooted in the application of Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and identifying and utilizing systems of support within school communities to ensure student growth, wellness, and safety. In this session, Ben Fernandez will introduce attendees to the program and provide real-world illustrations and examples of MTSS as a model for prevention, intervention, and postvention.
Director of Research and School Safety Training
Drift Net, LLC
Dr. Peter Langman is a psychologist whose research on school shooters has received international recognition. His book, Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters, was named an Outstanding Academic Title and was translated into German, Dutch, and Finnish. His work has been cited in congressional testimony on Capitol Hill and he has been interviewed by the New York Times, The Today Show, 20/20, Nightline, Fox, CNN, the BBC, and 400 other news outlets on five continents. After the Sandy Hook attack, the CEO of the American Psychological Association presented Dr. Langman’s recommendations on school safety to President Obama. He has presented at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, and been hired by the Department of Homeland Security to train professionals in school safety. He maintains the largest online collection of materials relating to school shooters at schoolshooters.info, including over 400 documents totaling 60,000 pages. His latest book is School Shooters: Understanding High School, College, and Adult Perpetrators.
Keynote Session
School Violence Prevention
February 14, 2025 • 9:45 AM – 11:45 AM PST
There is no profile of school shooters, nor any one cause that accounts for their attacks. This presentation explores a wide range of potential factors that may contribute to rampage attacks. These factors include the biological (genetics, developmental, body-related issues), three psychological categories of perpetrators (psychopathic, psychotic, traumatized), a variety of social failures, and cultural influences such as role models, ideologies, and the desire for fame.
Panel Session
Gangs & Guns Prevention
School Violence Prevention
February 14, 2025 • 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM PST
Stay tuned for details regarding the Panel Session with panelists Theresa Campbell, Dr. Peter Langman, James Murray, Dr. Melissa Reeves, & Steven MacDonald.
Owner & Founder
Voices Carry, LLC
Michelle Denault, owner and founder of “Voices Carry, LLC”, is a survivor of Educator Sexual Abuse and the creator of the training “Grooming 101 – A Predator’s Playbook”. In 2015, after decades of believing she had been in a “love relationship” with a trusted teacher, a moment in time shifted her perspective and opened her eyes to the truth that she hadn’t been loved but instead preyed on and abused. Since that time, Michelle has been speaking her truth, advocating for change, and in a fight in the justice system to bring accountability to her abuser and his enablers. “Grooming 101” has been in numerous schools and at several institutional conferences throughout Illinois to train adults on how to recognize the signs a child is being groomed and to teach students how to recognize they or their peers may be being groomed. Michelle is married to Mike Denault, Superintendent of the Waltonville School District, and has two boys, Jonny and Jacob Forbes, and two stepdaughters, Emersyn and Addysen. Michelle has an insane love of Disneyworld and a passion for Duke Basketball. What students and adults alike find most entertaining about her presentation is that her high school mascot was a Pretzel. Everyone loves it when she teaches them how to make a pretzel with their fingers!
Keynote Session
Gangs & Guns Prevention
School Violence Prevention
February 13, 2025 • 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM PST
How often do you see a headline that a trusted authority figure has been in an “inappropriate relationship” with a minor? These are not “relationships” but instead abuse that begins with grooming. “Grooming 101 – A Predator’s Playbook” is conducted by Michelle Denault from her dual lens of educator abuse survivor and superintendent’s wife. Michelle weaves her story in as she breaks down each step of grooming, allowing participants to see through the lens of a survivor how predators use a child’s natural want for love to manipulate them into consenting to their own violation.
Panel Session
Gangs & Guns Prevention
School Violence Prevention
February 13, 2025 • 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM PST
Stay tuned for details regarding the Panel Session with panelists Michelle Denault, Carol Todd, Tiana Sharifi, Emily Terrett, & Jed Roffers.
President & Chief Executive Officer
Safer Schools Together
Theresa Campbell is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and founder of Safer Schools Together (SST), an organization focused on promoting a climate and culture of safety in schools. Theresa established SST in 2008 to provide law enforcement agencies, school districts, and community partners with comprehensive violence prevention/intervention training. In 2018, she expanded her role to include CEO and founder of the International Center for Digital Threat Assessment® (ICDTA). Previously, Theresa served as the Executive Director of the International Center for Threat Assessment (ICTA). As a Subject Matter Expert in School-Based Behavioral and Digital Threat Assessment, violence prevention, and trauma response, Theresa regularly consults on high-profile cases throughout North America.
Panel Session
Gangs & Guns Prevention
School Violence Prevention
February 14, 2025 • 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM PST
Stay tuned for details regarding the Panel Session with panelists Theresa Campbell, Dr. Peter Langman, James Murray, Dr. Melissa Reeves, & Steven MacDonald.
Consultant & Trainer
Safer Schools Together
Dr. Melissa Reeves is a nationally certified school psychologist, licensed special education teacher, and professional counselor with over 20 years of experience in public and private schools. She has taught psychology courses and served on the university’s Critical Incident Management Team and the College of Arts and Science COVID-19 Recovery committee.
Dr. Reeves is a threat assessment and mental health specialist and senior advisor for Safe and Sound Schools, an organization founded by parents who lost their children in the Sandy Hook tragedy. She is also a consultant and trainer for SIGMA Threat Management Associates and delivers the USSS/NTAC model-based Behavioral and Digital Threat Assessment® (BDTA) training for SST.
Dr. Reeves is the lead author of the South Carolina Department of Education School-Based Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Best Practice Guidelines for South Carolina K-12 Schools and has conducted over 350 workshops and presentations. She has authored six books and has testified in front of the U.S. Senate Ad Hoc Subcommittee for Disaster and Recovery.
Gangs & Guns Prevention
School Violence Prevention
February 13, 2025 • 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM PST
Stay tuned for details regarding Dr. Melissa Reeves and Steven MacDonald’s session.
Panel Session
Gangs & Guns Prevention
School Violence Prevention
February 14, 2025 • 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM PST
Stay tuned for details regarding the Panel Session with panelists Theresa Campbell, Dr. Peter Langman, James Murray, Dr. Melissa Reeves, & Steven MacDonald.