In this episode of The Sound Off on School Safety, Michele Gay sits down with Lori Alhadeff — mother, advocate, and founder of Make Our Schools Safe — to reflect on the life and legacy of her daughter Alyssa, who was killed in the 2018 tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

A safety plan developed on a comprehensive framework helps schools identify potential risks, strengthen protective measures, respond effectively when challenges arise, and support recovery after an incident. Most importantly, it helps schools create environments where students can focus on learning and growing.

The most successful school safety efforts I've witnessed are never the result of a single initiative. They are the result of sustained collaboration among caring professionals who recognize that safety is both a shared responsibility and an ongoing journey.

AJ and Madalena both bring a unique combination of insight, experience, and purpose to every audience they engage. Their stories reflect the very principles that guide Safe and Sound Schools: preparedness, response, resilience, continuous learning, and an unwavering commitment to creating safer communities for all.

In this episode of The Sound Off on School Safety, Michele Gay sits down with Lori Alhadeff — mother, advocate, and founder of Make Our Schools Safe — to reflect on the life and legacy of her daughter Alyssa, who was killed in the 2018 tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Throughout May, members of the Safe and Sound Schools team and community traveled across the country — both in-person and through computer screens — to continue those conversations across trainings, keynote presentations, and collaborative learning opportunities.

While the importance of a teams-based approach is widely recognized, training is often unintentionally limited to just a few individuals. This can make navigating crisis situations difficult as there is no clear coordination across roles or shared understanding of safety goals.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a reminder to slow down and consider whether we are doing everything possible to support the mental health of students in our communities.

In this episode of The Sound Off on School Safety, Michele Gay sits down with Craig Straw — former Director of Security and School Safety — to explore what it means to move beyond planning and into real-world execution.

This resource offers a framework for thoughtful decision-making – one that helps schools balance readiness with care, urgency with responsibility, and action with reflection. It is an invitation to pause, to evaluate, and to move forward with intention, because the goal has never been simply to practice for a crisis.

In this episode of The Sound Off on School Safety, Michele Gay sits down with Sammie Wicks — nationally recognized practitioner and researcher in behavioral threat assessment and targeted violence prevention — to explore the gap between recognizing concerning behavior and actually preventing violence.

It is with both a heavy heart and immense gratitude that I join in celebrating the life of Bob Martin, a truly remarkable man.

Across Bright Futures communities, that question is being answered every single day — not through big promises, but through small, consistent actions that make a real difference.

In this episode of The Sound Off on School Safety, Michele Gay sits down with Bruno Dias, PhD, CTM — nationally recognized expert in behavioral threat assessment and management — to explore how schools can move from reacting to crises to preventing them.

April brings with it a sense of renewal. Classrooms are busy, the school year is beginning to round its final corner, and many of us are looking ahead to what still needs to be done before summer arrives. It is also Autism Awareness Month, a time that invites reflection, both personally and professionally.

In this episode of The Sound Off on School Safety, Michele Gay sits down with Katey McPherson to explore what it truly means to lead in today’s complex environment, and why no one should have to do it alone.

There are many misconceptions around safety planning for special needs populations that result in critical gaps and safety risks. At Safe and Sound Schools, we partner with safety teams to push thinking, provide practical resources, and create safety plans that help make school safety truly comprehensive. Here are five common misconceptions your team may not have considered when planning.

We are honored to welcome Katey McPherson as an exclusive member of the Safe and Sound Speakers Bureau! With more than 27 years of experience as a teacher, counselor, and school administrator, Katey has dedicated her career to supporting the social, emotional, and digital well-being of young people.

From volunteer-led programs to creative partnerships and student-driven initiatives, Bright Futures communities across the country are working every day to remove barriers and strengthen the environments where students learn and grow.

We all want our children to walk into school each morning and feel safe, wholly and completely safe. That means physically protected, emotionally supported, and welcomed into a community that sees them, knows them, and has their back. And yet, too often, our conversations about school safety stop at checklists and boxes: Do we have a plan? Are the drills done? Are the doors locked?