NC safety summit help school leaders stay ahead of evolving security threats

Organizers with N.C. Center for Safer Schools (CSS) are talking with a few hundred educators and officers, while third-party vendors wait to discuss their products and services to bolster security efforts in their schools. The group is under the umbrella of the State Bureau of Investigation. 

Statesville is hosting the eighth annual RISE Summit. It stands for resiliency, information, support and empowerment – what CSS hopes to provide local educators with as they work to stay ahead of evolving security threats. 

While speakers provide insights on threat assessments and protocols, they’ll also discuss mental health, behavioral management and school climate. 

Participants will also give feedback on what classroom leaders are dealing with now. 

“I understood we had a chink in the armor, and that was people on school property not communicating with each other,” said one local school leader. “These teams forced that communication, and it better enables you to decern if a child has an issue and to what level that issue rises.” 

Organizers take their suggestions back to raleigh to draft best practices and advocate for public school needs. 

They recently helped create House Bill 605 – which requires schools to report the number of threat assessments they do annually and list the actions they take in when they come across potential danger.  

Leaders will likely discuss what grants may be available for schools this year – due to changes in federal funding sources. 

The summit will continue through Wednesday.