School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies.

In this episode of School Safety Today, Dr. Amy Grosso speaks with Jana French of Crisis Text Line about the essential role the organization plays in supporting mental health, especially among students during the back-to-school season. They explore how Crisis Text Line empowers individuals to define their own crises, the impact of strategic school partnerships, and how to promote mental well-being in school communities. The conversation also addresses common misconceptions about crisis services and highlights accessible tools for both individuals and institutions.

KEY POINTS:

• Crisis Text Line provides support to people in distress by allowing them to text 741741 for help.
• The individual determines what counts as a crisis, whether it's a breakup or a suicidal situation.
• Crisis Text Line partners with schools providing access to customized reports and resources.

Jana French is the Community Partnerships Director at Crisis Text Line, where she leads a team of 3 in building and managing strategic partnerships with community organizations, such as nonprofits, governments, and educational institutions. These critical partnerships assist Crisis Text Line in reaching more people who need mental health and crisis services, recruit new volunteers, and generate revenue for the organization. Jana also manages the organization's work with 988, the national suicide prevention hotline, ensuring compliance and coordination with federal and state agencies. With over 7 years of experience in nonprofit partnerships, Jana has a passion for creating social impact and improving mental health outcomes.

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso is joined by Allison Rone from Epilepsy Alliance Ohio and Tina Hegner from PublicSchoolWORKS to discuss the importance of epilepsy and seizure training for school staff. They explore how proper education, planning, and partnerships are vital to keeping students—and all members of a school community—safe and supported.

KEY POINTS:

• Epilepsy affects 1 in 26 people, and 1 in 10 will experience a seizure, making training essential for anyone working in schools.

• Training ensures that educators not only stay compliant with state laws but are also confident in responding to seizures.
• Tools like seizure action plans, rescue medication protocols, and on-demand training videos provide actionable resources that improve response times.

Allison Rone is a Community Educator at Epilepsy Alliance Ohio, where she provides epilepsy education and awareness to schools, law enforcement, and community groups. With two years at EAO and nine years of prior law enforcement experience, Allison is dedicated to building community understanding of epilepsy and teaching others how to recognize and respond to seizures.

Tina Hegner leads the research and course development team at PublicSchoolWORKS, overseeing the creation of engaging, evidence-based safety and compliance courses for K-12 schools. With over 25 years in content creation and more than 13 years focused on school safety, Tina ensures the company’s programs meet regulatory standards and drive positive behavior change, helping establish PublicSchoolWORKS as a leader in the field.

School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies.

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso talks with TJ Markland, General Manager of Payments at Raptor Technologies, to discuss the often-overlooked safety challenges of school events—from daytime assemblies to Friday night football. As schools work to balance hospitality with security, TJ shares how digital tools are helping them plan smarter, monitor more effectively, and respond faster. With the right technology in place, schools can move beyond reactive protocols and start designing safer, more seamless event experiences for students, families, and the community.

KEY POINTS:

• Why the same safety protocols used during the school day should apply to everything from small assemblies to Friday night football.
• How tools like geo-fenced check-ins, AI, and digital ticketing give schools real-time visibility, faster response, and tighter control over events.
• How data acts as a quiet partner in school safety, revealing patterns that help schools predict risks, deploy staff more effectively, and make each event safer than the last.

Our guest, TJ Markland, is a leading authority in school payment systems and event safety. He has spent time building integrated payment gateways for SaaS platforms, making it easier for businesses to process transactions. Previously, TJ was the General Manager of PayK12, a cloud-based solution that simplifies school payments and financial management, now part of the Raptor Platform. Over more than five years at PayK12, he was instrumental in enhancing the platform’s features, with a strong emphasis on minimizing risk and boosting efficiency for schools. Currently, as General Manager of Payments, TJ has helped launch Raptor’s latest innovation, EventSafe™, which enables school staff to plan and manage events—such as assemblies, performances, and parent visits—while maintaining a high standard of campus safety.

Ray Fuller, Coordinator of Threat Assessment and Safety at Texas' Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District, talks threat assessment.

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso sits down with Dr. Vincent Iturralde, Chief Operations Officer for North Chicago School District 187. Dr. Iturralde shares insights from his educational journey, emphasizing the need for schools to update emergency response protocols, strengthen communication systems, and prioritize collaboration over mere compliance to ensure the safety of students and staff. Through real-world examples, he illustrates the challenges of reunification efforts and underscores the critical role of proactive planning.

KEY POINTS:

• Emergency management is more than drills and compliance—it is critical all stakeholders understand the why.

• Reunification planning is complex and must be practiced and continued to be refined.

• Emergency management is bigger than one person and collaboration is key to success.

Our guest, Dr. Vincent Iturralde is the Chief Operations Officer for North Chicago School District 187 and oversees the district’s operations, security, facilities, and school leadership. Dr. Iturralde has proven experience as an Educational Leadership Consultant, a Transformational Coordinator for North Chicago School District 187, a Leadership Coach for the University of Illinois Center for Urban Education Leadership, and a Part-Time Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign and Concordia University. Before these positions, Dr. Iturralde was the founding principal of the Tarkington School of Excellence in Chicago, IL. He has his Educational Doctorate and Master of Education from the University of Illinois in Chicago. He was an educator in the Chicago Public Schools system for 20 years as a teacher, technology coordinator and school improvement coordinator. In 2008, Dr. Iturralde became a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and, in 2009, received the Re-Generation Award for Excellence in Environmental Education from the U. S. Department of Green Building Council. 

In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso interviews Shawn Toadvine, Manager of Student Programs, Client Services, PublicSchoolWORKS. The discussion emphasizes that anonymous reporting is not just a compliance tool but a critical element in school safety and student well-being.

KEY POINTS:

• Fostering a culture of trust is essential for anonymous reporting to work effectively.

• Comprehensive training ensures educators, students, and parents understand how to use the system and the process for follow-up.

• Anonymous reporting addresses not only threats but also student mental health and well-being.

Our guest, Shawn Toadvine is an accomplished professional serving as the Manager of Student Programs at PublicSchoolWORKS since 2013. With a background in theatre, he holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Northern Kentucky University and later pursued a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Cincinnati. Drawing from his experience as an administrator, Shawn brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role, developing meaningful programs that positively impact students' lives. His dedication to education and commitment to excellence make him an invaluable asset to the Raptor pack!

In this episode of School Safety Today, host Dr. Amy Grosso speaks with Lea Bauer, an expert in threat assessment and protective intelligence. Lea highlights the value of incorporating a student's digital world into threat assessments and offers schools practical guidance and resources for success. She also provides guidance on how to build and maintain trust with various stakeholders. 

 KEY POINTS: 

• Integrating a student's digital world is vital for a thorough behavioral threat assessment. 
• Adding a tech-savvy educator to the team ensures the student's digital presence is accurately assessed. 
• Building and maintaining trust is essential for sustaining campus safety throughout the threat assessment process. 

Our guest, Lea Bauer, brings over 25 years of expertise in threat assessment, protective intelligence, physical security operations, executive protection, and investigations. She is the founder of Bauer S&I Specialists, LLC, a private investigative and security firm serving corporate and individual clients, with a specialized focus on protective intelligence and security solutions for the entertainment industry. 

As a consultant for SIGMA, now part of Raptor, Lea provides expert guidance and training in threat assessment and management to K-12 schools, colleges, workplaces, and high-profile individuals and families. A licensed private investigator, she is also an active member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). 

Lea’s impressive career includes her tenure as a Senior Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service, where she conducted threat assessments, provided physical security, and safeguarded national leaders. She also worked closely with the Department of Defense to deliver training on counterterrorism strategies, including tackling extremist threats and terrorist financing. Before her law enforcement career, Lea was a licensed professional counselor, giving her a unique perspective on human behavior and risk dynamics. 

In this episode of School Safety Today, host Dr. Amy Grosso speaks with Michele Gay, co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools, about the critical role of learning from averted school violence incidents. Michele highlights the importance of the Averted School Violence (ASV) Project, a unique resource that collects and analyzes "saves"—instances where school tragedies were successfully prevented.

Drawing on her extensive experience as an educator and advocate, Michele discusses how these prevention stories offer actionable insights that help improve school safety policies and procedures.

KEY POINTS:

• The ASV Project provides essential lessons from incidents where crises were prevented, helping schools refine their safety measures.

• Stories from the ASV Project highlight practical steps schools can take to identify and address potential threats before they escalate.

• Strong relationships between students, staff, and safety teams are at the core of early intervention and effective crisis prevention.

• How to learn more about the ASV Project and Safe and Sound Schools.

Our guest, Michele Gay, mother, educator, and co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools, chose to take action after losing her daughter Josephine Grace on December 14, 2012. Since that time, she has channeled her work as an advocate, improving safety and security in schools and communities across our country. With a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Towson State University, Michele earned her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College. Prior to the Sandy Hook tragedy, she taught at the elementary level in the Maryland and Virginia public schools. Now a nationally and internationally recognized public speaker, school safety expert, and a regular contributor for print, radio, and television outlets.

As the primary visionary and author of Safe and Sound’s programs and materials, Michele has served as a stakeholder voice in national legislative discussions. Through these works, she continues to build Safe and Sound Schools as a national hub of school safety education, technical assistance, expert content, and best practices. An educator by training — and fueled by the heart of a mother and community member — Michele is uniquely positioned to help others prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from tragedies of their own. Remaining inspired by Josephine, every day, she dedicates herself to honoring Josephine’s memory through this work to ensure that every school, every child, and every community is truly safe and sound.

In this episode of School Safety Today, host Dr. Amy Grosso speaks with Michele Gay, co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools, about the critical role of learning from averted school violence incidents. Michele highlights the importance of the Averted School Violence (ASV) Project, a unique resource that collects and analyzes "saves"—instances where school tragedies were successfully prevented.

Drawing on her extensive experience as an educator and advocate, Michele discusses how these prevention stories offer actionable insights that help improve school safety policies and procedures.

KEY POINTS:

• The ASV Project provides essential lessons from incidents where crises were prevented, helping schools refine their safety measures.

• Stories from the ASV Project highlight practical steps schools can take to identify and address potential threats before they escalate.

• Strong relationships between students, staff, and safety teams are at the core of early intervention and effective crisis prevention.

• How to learn more about the ASV Project and Safe and Sound Schools.

Our guest, Michele Gay, mother, educator, and co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools, chose to take action after losing her daughter Josephine Grace on December 14, 2012. Since that time, she has channeled her work as an advocate, improving safety and security in schools and communities across our country. With a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Towson State University, Michele earned her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College. Prior to the Sandy Hook tragedy, she taught at the elementary level in the Maryland and Virginia public schools. Now a nationally and internationally recognized public speaker, school safety expert, and a regular contributor for print, radio, and television outlets.

As the primary visionary and author of Safe and Sound’s programs and materials, Michele has served as a stakeholder voice in national legislative discussions. Through these works, she continues to build Safe and Sound Schools as a national hub of school safety education, technical assistance, expert content, and best practices. An educator by training — and fueled by the heart of a mother and community member — Michele is uniquely positioned to help others prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from tragedies of their own. Remaining inspired by Josephine, every day, she dedicates herself to honoring Josephine’s memory through this work to ensure that every school, every child, and every community is truly safe and sound.

This episode of the School Safety Today podcast, by Raptor Technologies, features an in-depth discussion with Dr. David Diehl, Director of Student and Community Services at Selma Unified School District (CA), about the critical role of preparation in ensuring school safety. Dr. Diehl shares his experiences, including a pivotal crisis incident, and emphasizes how proper planning, technology, and a culture of safety can mitigate risks and enhance crisis responses in schools.

KEY POINTS:

• A well-executed reunification process is critical for the safe return of students to their guardians in crises, reducing the potential for miscommunication or harm.

• Detailed, actionable emergency plans tailored to specific scenarios are essential. They should include realistic drills and role-specific responsibilities for staff.

• Using technology to streamline crisis management through providing real-time student accountability, ensuring efficient communication and deployment of resources during emergencies.

Our guest, Dr. David Diehl, is the Director of Student and Community Services for the Selma Unified School District (CA). He was previously a Coordinator of MTSS and an Assistant Principal for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. Before entering education, he retired as a police sergeant after 24 years in law enforcement. Dr. Diehl’s Doctoral research was inspired by the 21 students he lost to gang-related homicides while teaching in a Central California court school. He has worked extensively with system-involved youth in court schools, community day schools, and alternative education settings. A sought-after speaker and published author, Dr. Diehl is a proponent of data-informed interventions prior to 6th grade, along with providing educators with increased awareness into the lives of street-socialized students from marginalized communities. He believes this approach can improve student engagement, increase resilience, and impede future incarceration.