2025 School Safety Training Forum

This session will offer participants information in two distinct areas. First, participants will be provided information and considerations regarding autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The second part of the training will provide insight into components that make up a psychological threat risk assessment.  This session provides training on autism spectrum disorder, including essential factors to consider when interacting with an individual with ASD. Additionally, the following will be addressed: the truth about ASD versus stereotypes, symptoms that are often included with ASD (e.g., insensitivity to pain, avoidance of touch, uneven physical skills, repetitive behaviors, inappropriate laughing, etc.), de-escalation techniques, and comorbid diagnoses. The training on psychological threat risk assessments, specifically within the school setting will include the components that make up and are considered for each assessment. This training will help participants better understand the difference between a risk assessment and a threat assessment, the progression after an individual is deemed to pose a potential threat against the school setting, the different types of threats (direct, indirect, veiled, conditional), the relationship between violence and mental illness, high-risk factors for violence, pertinent information that is effective in conducting the risk assessment, and what information will be needed and pertinent for a violence risk assessment.

Do people perform better when they feel safe? Using data from the DCJS School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions and Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning Test Results, this presentation demonstrates an observable relationship between the perceptions of safety reported by students, classroom instructors, and staff in Virginia schools and the academic performance of students at those schools.