Brenna Morse
Brenna Morse serves as the Senior Advisor for Safe and Sound Schools. As the former Senior Director of School Safety and Transportation for the Tennessee Department of Education, she led statewide school safety initiatives that included the design and adoption of a comprehensive framework for school emergency planning, a multi-disciplinary school safety mentor program, and a robust school safety specialist academy. During her eight-year tenure, she responded to a multitude of school safety incidents such as natural disasters, school threats and violence, and critical transportation accidents.
Previous work experience for Ms. Morse includes serving as an emergency management planning and training officer for Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and as a fixed nuclear facility planner for McMinn County Emergency Management Agency.
Ms. Morse holds a Master of Arts in Homeland Security from American Military University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Tennessee.
Special Advisor, Safe and Sound Schools
Sessions
Wednesday, November 2 | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | Breakout Session
Especially Safe: Safety Planning for Individuals With Special Needs
Safe and Sound newest program, Especially Safe: An Inclusive Approach to School Safety. Developed with expert practitioners from across the disciplines, the program includes resources, tools, and teaching ideas to meet the safety needs of community members with special needs. We will share an overview of the Especially Safe Planning & Preparation Guide, review key considerations for inclusive safety planning, and introduce the TEAMS framework for inclusive safety planning and the Individual Safety Plan (ISP).
- Michele Gay & Brenna Morse
Wednesday, November 2 | 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Breakout Session
Don’t Fret Emergency Planning! Simple Steps for Developing an EOP
Being tasked with creating an emergency operations plan can feel overwhelming, but don’t fret! This session will provide simple steps on how to identify team members, structure your tasks, and build an emergency operations plan that represents the uniqueness of your school.
- Brenna Morse
Thursday, November 3 | 9:45 am – 10:45 pm | Leadership Panel
Rising to the Challenge: Creating a Peer-Driven, School Safety Support Program
In 2015, the Tennessee School Safety Center launched the TN School Safety Mentor Program in an effort to provide peer-driven, school safety training and technical assistance to schools. This session will provide a blueprint of how this program was developed, overcame roadblocks, and achieved sustainable success in supporting safe and supportive learning environments.
- Brenna Morse, Jeff Hicks, Casey Kelley, Mike Herrmann, Tad Roberts, Kimberly Daubenspeck Amy Roderick (moderator)
Thursday, November 3 | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | Breakout Session
A School Bus Can Be Your Rolling Classroom: How to Create Safe and Supportive Environments on the School Bus
Millions of students begin and end their day on a school bus. This session will outline steps for creating a positive and welcoming school bus environment that result in a decrease in discipline referals and an increase in student safety and bus driver retention.
- Brenna Morse
Thursday, November 3 | 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Breakout Session
Ready to Respond: Key Takeaways from a Tragic School Bus Accident
The bus ride home on October 27, 2020 was just like any other day until a utility truck collided with a Meigs County, TN School bus, resulting in the loss of the bus driver and one student. This session will recount the immediate actions taken, review the findings from the NTSB investigation, and identify the key takeaways that can improve emergency preparedness for transportation safety.
- Brenna Morse & Tad Roberts
This Midwest School Safety Summit is brought by Safe and Sound Schools in partnership with Missouri School Boards’ Association Center for Education Safety.
