This Week in School and Campus Safety

Good morning,

This Weekly Update by the Illinois School and Campus Safety Program links to SchoolSafety.gov's Back-to-School Campaign, bids farewell to Program Director Eric Arnold and welcomes Derek Carle, shares information on the Illinois School Safety Conference and the Active Threat & Mental Wellness Conference, provides a final opportunity to register for the Sept. 4-5th and Sept. 10-11th classes, and promotes the additional upcoming classes.

Thank you for your interest in school and campus safety. However, if you wish to no longer receive our emails, let me know and I will remove you from our contacts list.

Respectfully,

Laura Black

le-black@wiu.edu

Program Coordinator

Illinois School and Campus Safety Program

SchoolSafety.gov Launches

Back-to-School Campaign

"The SchoolSafety.gov Back-to-School Campaign provides information and guidance that K-12 schools and school districts can use to prepare for a safe return to school. The campaign aims to empower K-12 communities to learn about and engage with resources, trainings, and tools available through SchoolSafety.gov before, during, and after the back-to-school season.

The 2025 SchoolSafety.gov Back-to-School Campaign focuses on prevention, highlighting resources and actions to prevent or deter school safety threats or incidents and create safer learning environments for students and educators. As part of the campaign, SchoolSafety.gov provides a back-to-school reading list, prevention tip sheet, communications toolkit, and ready-to-use social media posts and graphics. Feel free to copy, download, and share the materials found below to learn more about the campaign, access helpful resources and guidance, and spread the word to others in your school and community."

For more information and the access the resources, click here.

Farewell to Eric Arnold and Welcome Derek Carle

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program would like to thank former Program Director Eric Arnold for his dedication to school and campus safety. We are honored to have had him on our team. Eric has accepted a Safety and Security Specialist position at West 40 ISC. Eric, we wish you success in all of your future endeavors!

Additionally, we would like to welcome Derek Carle, Program Director of the Center for Homeland Security & Leadership, to the Illinois School and Campus Safety Program team!

Last Chance to Register!

Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management in a School Setting September 4-5th in Crestwood

This is the last chance to register for the Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management in a School Setting class in Crestwood Sept. 4-5th.

This two-day training through Deisinger Consulting, LLC, in collaboration with SOS Global Consulting, will help participants to better understand the dynamics of targeted violence and to develop and enhance strategies for early identification, assessment, and intervention with threatening and concerning behaviors.

For more information and to register, click here.

Last Chance to Register!

Campus Threat Assessment and Management September 10-11th in Normal

This is the last chance to register for the Campus Threat Assessment and Management class in Normal September 10-11th.

This two-day workshop for institutions of higher education will help participants to better understand the dynamics of targeted violence and to develop and enhance strategies for early identification, assessment, and intervention with concerning situations.

For more information and to register, click here.

There's Still Time to Register!

"It IS Your Business": Grooming and Sexual Assault Awareness for K-12 Schools and Institutions of Higher Education September 18th in Centralia

There's still time to register for the "It IS Your Business": Grooming and Sexual Assault Awareness for K-12 Schools and Institutions of Higher Education class on September 18, 2025, in Centralia, IL.

"It IS Your Business" engages participants in learning about grooming and sexual assault so they have the knowledge to recognize behaviors and intervene when a situation may be arising. At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

• identify grooming as it is outlined in Faith's and Erin’s Law that now mandates training for all schools on such behaviors
• understand the co-occurring nature of interpersonal violence crimes (i.e., sexual assault, stalking, domestic violence)
• understand the elements of Title IX as it pertains to both K-12 schools and higher education
• compare normal mentoring behaviors with classic predatory behaviors and recognize the difference between the two interactions
• apply the knowledge they now have on grooming to implement better and more clear policies and procedures on the boundaries of professional conduct
• evaluate situations where professional boundaries may have been crossed and feel more confident in their decisions to intervene with employees or students, as well as feel better prepared on how to support survivors

For more information and to register, click here.

There's Still Time to Register!

Behavioral and Digital Threat Assessment™ 

September 19th in Carterville

There's still time to register for the Behavioral and Digital Threat Assessment™ class on September 19th in Carterville, IL.

BDTA™ integrates Safer Schools Together’s Digital Threat Assessment® training and best practice from the National Threat Assessment Center’s Behavioral Threat Assessment model. BDTA™ includes a 3-step response plan developed to help S/TA teams ensure all worrisome, concerning, and threat-related behaviors are proactively responded to, reducing the potential of violence within your community. The training will examine techniques for identifying and assessing individuals who engage in behaviors consistent with a threat and provide S/TA teams with the tools to ensure a thorough data collection process. Additionally, the training will provide an overview of the assessment process, including best practices for interviewing and progress monitoring. Participants will obtain the tools vital for proactively and effectively identifying, assessing, and responding to worrisome and/or threat-related behavior through a BDTA™ management lens.

For more information and to register, click here.

There's Still Time to Register!

Site Safety Security Assessment September 23rd in Glenview

There's still time to register for the Site Safety Security Assessment class on September 23, 2025, in Glenview, IL. The training provides awareness resources and preparedness training to enhance organizational capacity to conduct multidisciplinary site assessments. The process of conducting a school site safety security assessment creates opportunities to reduce or eliminate potential hazards and develop recommendations for improvement.

For more information and to register, click here.

Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management in a School Setting September 29-30th in Addison

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is pleased to announce the class Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management in a School Setting will be held September 29-30th in Addison, IL.

This two-day training through Deisinger Consulting, LLC, in collaboration with SOS Global Consulting, will help participants to better understand the dynamics of targeted violence and to develop and enhance strategies for early identification, assessment, and intervention with threatening and concerning behaviors.

For more information and to register, click here.

Digital Threat Assessment® on October 17th via Zoom

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program, in partnership with Safer Schools Together, is pleased to announce an upcoming session of Digital Threat Assessment® on October 17th via Zoom.

The Digital Threat Assessment® training will enable participants to establish a framework to better assess all threats by constructing and considering the digital baseline of a threat maker by locating, documenting, and evaluating social media data through a threat assessment lens. A significant portion of the day will be spent engaging in hands-on exercises on the most prevalent social media platforms and associated search applications. 

For more information and to register, click here.

Advanced Digital Threat Assessment® on November 7th via Zoom

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program, in partnership with Safer Schools Together, is pleased to announce an upcoming session of Advanced Digital Threat Assessment® on November 7th via Zoom.

Building upon the Digital Threat Assessment® class by Safer Schools Together, Advanced Digital Threat Assessment® advances participants' understanding of finding and curating relevant digital information consistent with real-life digital threat assessment data gathering scenarios. Significant engagement and hands-on practice will take place. 

For more information and to register, click here.

Campus Threat Assessment and Management November 10-11th in Woodstock

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is pleased to announce a session of the Campus Threat Assessment and Management class is being held in Woodstock, IL November 10-11th.

This two-day workshop for institutions of higher education will help participants to better understand the dynamics of targeted violence and to develop and enhance strategies for early identification, assessment, and intervention with concerning situations.

For more information and to register, click here.

Illinois School Safety Conference October 1st

The Illinois School Safety Conference is scheduled for October 1, 2025, from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm in Niles, IL. This conference is free for school personnel, police, fire, emergency preparedness personnel, and public safety officers (you must bring your school or agency ID to enter the event). The conference includes speakers from various organizations, free continental breakfast and lunch, and onsite vendors. Additionally, paperwork will be provided on site for school personnel seeking Professional Development hours. For more information and to register, click here.

2025 Active Threat & Mental Wellness Conference in Joliet

The Active Threat & Mental Wellness Conference in Joliet is being held November 5-7, 2025. "As an attendee, you ​will hear from those involved in some of our nation’s most noted active shooter events. Presenters will share their firsthand accounts from the event as well as the subsequent trauma and effects. The conference will help you plan strategically for preventing and responding to events, as well as prepare for the long and difficult journey of community recovery in the aftermath."

 For more information and to register, click here.