School safety continues to be at the forefront of conversation in education, so Harris County Department of Education’s (HCDE) Center for Safe and Secure Schools (CSSS) continues to serve as an industry leader in providing professional development and training opportunities for school district leaders, first responders and community partners. 

The latest training gave nearly 50 attendees a hands-on approach to best optimize their emergency preparedness plans. Held Sept. 9 at the Irvington conference center, the daylong “Operationalizing School Safety Training” best defined real-world strategies to manage incidents, demonstrated clear roles and responsibilities and helped participants develop tools to build safety and empower proactive action. 

The event was a collaboration between CSSS, REDBAG Vice President Carly Posey and Circle of Trust Training Systems. Posey, whose son survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, connected with CSSS School Safety and Security Specialist Janice Owolabi at a prior conference. The primary presenter was Chris Zimmerman, a principal in Colorado and former “I Love U Guys” Foundation instructor. 

National partnerships continue to position CSSS as an industry leader in helping local school districts and organizations best realize the importance of operationalizing safety.