This Week in School and Campus Safety

Good morning,

This Weekly Update by the Illinois School and Campus Safety Program links to the COPS Office Critical Incident Preparedness Toolkit, provides a final opportunity to register for the Dec. 3-4th class, and promotes the upcoming classes on Preventing Targeted Violence Through Leakage and Cyber Investigations, Trauma-Informed Safe and Caring School Communities, Current Online Behavioral Trends and Updates, and Cyberbullying, Sextortion, and the Pathway to Radicalization.

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

Critical Incident Preparedness Toolkit: Assessing Capacity to Respond to Active Assailant Events

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) website features a critical incident preparedness toolkit to help determine preparedness level in the event of an active assailant. The Critical Incident Preparedness Toolkit: Assessing Capacity to Respond to Active Assailant Events allows users to select the audience type, which includes school safety administrators, and also allows users to choose which sections of the assessment to include. After answering the associated questions for the sections chosen, users simply click the calculator button to populate their score.

They're Here! New Trainings via Zoom in 2026

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is pleased to announce a new lineup of trainings being held via Zoom in 2026! We are partnering with Safer Schools Together to bring full-day trainings on Trauma-Informed Safe and Caring School Communities and on Cyberbullying, Sextortion, and the Pathway to Radicalization. There will also be monthly (excluding July & August) 2-hr Current Online Behavioral Trends and Updates classes to help keep up to date on the most recent trends and changes to the ever-changing digital landscape. Additionally, we will once again be hosting sessions of the Digital Threat Assessment® class via Zoom as well. The registrations have now opened for the sessions scheduled through June 2026. While the first 3 classes are included lower in this newsletter, you can access the registration links for all the sessions on the Upcoming Events page of the Illinois School and Campus Safety Resource Center website.

Last Chance to Register!

Campus Threat Assessment and Management December 3-4th in Chicago

This is the last chance to register for the Campus Threat Assessment and Management class in Chicago, IL December 3-4th.

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!

Preventing Targeted Violence Through Leakage and Cyber Investigations December 15-16th in Glenview

There's still time to register for the Preventing Targeted Violence Through Leakage and Cyber Investigations class December 15-16, 2025, in Glenview, IL. Class objectives include:

• Why it is important NOT to disregard information given to LEO or school officials.
• What the term "Leakage" means and how we can interpret the information.
• Learn free and open source online investigative tools into social networks and App generated phone numbers.
• Learn to identify and collect cyber evidence to identify suspects.
• Learn the three-step process in investigating internet crimes.
• Learn the importance of Preservation, Exigent Circumstances, and Search Warrants.
• Learn how to obtain IP's, screen names, screen captures, and email headers.
• State laws: Terrorist Threat, Falsely Making a Terrorist Threat, Swatting, and Causing a Catastrophe.
• Suspect search warrant, arrest, interrogation, and mental health evaluation.
• Examine a successful cyber-crime case study investigation from start to finish.

For more information and to register, click here.

Current Online Behavioral Trends and Updates Classes

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is pleased to announce upcoming sessions of the monthly 2-hr Current Online Behavioral Trends and Updates class from 9am-11am via Zoom on Jan. 22, Feb. 27, March 25th, April 23rd, May 27, and June 25th.

The monthly Current Online Behavioral Trends and Updates sessions complement Safer Schools Together’s Digital Threat Assessment® training. These monthly sessions have been developed out of a need to continue to keep school safety and threat assessment teams informed so that they are able to adapt to the ever-changing digital landscape. Staying up to date with the current digital landscape will help teams build capacity and sustainability within your community. Each monthly session will review the most current trends in social media, with updated information each month!

For more information and to register, click here.

Cyberbullying, Sextortion, and The Pathway to Radicalization on Jan. 28th via Zoom

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is pleased to announce a session of the Cyberbullying, Sextortion, and the Pathway to Radicalization class on Jan. 28th via Zoom.

This essential training tackles the difficult realities of cyberbullying, sextortion, and online radicalization, highlighting their evolution in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Drawing on SST cases, data-driven best practices, and years of hands on experience, this training provides attendees with the tools and knowledge to identify and support vulnerable youth, understand the impact of these concerns, and develop proactive prevention and intervention strategies. 

For more information and to register, click here.

Trauma-Informed Safety and Caring School Communities on Feb. 10th via Zoom

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is pleased to announce a session of Trauma-Informed Safe and Caring School Communities class will be held on Feb. 10th via Zoom.

Trauma-informed practices help create environments where the brain is able to learn rather than existing in a state of hyperarousal. By understanding trauma and its effects, school staff can respond to challenging behavior in a way that supports the students, families, and staff alike.

 For more information and to register, click here.