Marie Gay reflects on her sister Joey's life and legacy on her 20th birthday.

I am thrilled to invite our Safe and Sound community to the International Summit on Threat Assessment for K-12 Schools, a gathering intentionally created to bring together the founders, builders, and leading practitioners of the most widely used school-based behavioral threat assessment models in the world.  

This season reminds us that the gifts of time, talent, and treasure, are at the heart of every safe and thriving school community, and Bright Futures brings those values to life every day.  

For the past few years on my birthday, I’ve taken a moment to pause and reflect on the work we’ve done together through Safe and Sound Schools and to share a wish for the year ahead.  

Michele Gay connects with Nikita Gupta, product manager for mobile safety solutions at Verkada, to explore how schools can leverage mobile technology, AI, and data-driven insights to stay ahead of a wide variety of needs, from high-level risks to everyday use cases.

Michele Gay is joined by Shauntelle Cota and Rhett Larsen of the Utah State Board of Education’s School Safety Center to explore how Utah is redefining what school safety means — from compliance to culture, from procedures to shared purpose.

As we launch this year’s Season of Thanks and Giving, I invite you to be a part of what comes next. With Verkada’s generosity, your donation will go twice as far in supporting our work to ensure that every school has access to the tools, training, and resources they need to prevent tragedy and build a culture of safety.  

We’re thrilled to share that Lindsay Durham has joined us as Program Marketing Manager and Madi Koenig as the Special Events Manager! 

Michele Gay sits down with Amanda Bigbee, school law expert and Division Director of Policy Service for the Texas Association of School Boards, to explore practical strategies for creating safe schools.

As we enter Safe Schools Week, I want to take a moment to celebrate the inspiring work being done by our Bright Futures Communities to keep students safe and thriving! 

Michele Gay sits down with Dr. Stephanie Grant — child development expert, trauma-informed educator, and Safe and Sound Schools Speaker — for a deep, compassionate look at what’s really happening beneath the surface of student behavior.

Safe and Sound Schools founder and executive director Michele Gay previews the summits, conferences, and virtual learning opportunities that Safe and Sound Schools will be hosting with their community of partners.

Michele Gay speaks with Jermaine “Tall Cop” Galloway about what’s really happening in schools, the blind spots adults often miss, and how communities can adopt prevention strategies that work.  

Michele Gay speaks with Jermaine “Tall Cop” Galloway about what’s really happening in schools, the blind spots adults often miss, and how communities can adopt prevention strategies that work.  

Michele Gay speaks with Barb Grimm, Founder of School Responder and longtime champion of Safe and Sound Schools, about the role of connection in prevention and response.

Please join us in welcoming Doug Hunt to the Safe and Sound Schools team! Doug has joined us to champion our work as the Associate Director of Bright Futures Mission Advancement.

The redesign of the Averted School Violence (ASV) website and enhanced database marks a major milestone in our ongoing effort to strengthen school safety through prevention. Like any website transformation, this project brought together big-picture goals and a deep sense of purpose.

Welcome, Dr. Savahanna Wagner & Officer Meg Soultz!

Michele Gay and Dr. Kathy Martinez-Prather, Director of the Texas School Safety Center, explore how school safety has evolved into a proactive, holistic effort.

I am proud to announce that Safe and Sound Schools, in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), has launched BTAM & ASD: An e-Guide for Assessing Students on the Autism Spectrum, a new resource equipping educators and practitioners to administer behavioral threat assessment management (BTAM) for special needs students with confidence and fidelity.