UB to Host Sixth Annual Safe Schools Initiative Seminar March 12

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo will host the sixth annual Safe Schools Initiative Seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 12 in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

The seminar will focus on the importance of developing a school safety plan that involves all school personnel and the benefits of developing the plans in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and emergency services. In addition, it will look at the importance of holding full-scale drills and the role of communication and networking.

The program is free and open to all school personnel who deal with safety issues, including grade school, middle school, high school and district faculty and staff; college and university administrators; emergency personnel; and police officers and other law-enforcement officials.

The seminar will examine the experiences of school officials who participated with law enforcement and emergency personnel in a full-scale threat incident exercise this winter at a local high school.

The exercise, which was video-recorded, involved an actual class day at Amherst High School, with two student gunmen, weapons, a car fire in the faculty parking lot, suspicious packages, bombs, gunfire and simulated death and injuries. The incident scenario was kept confidential, with only a few, key personnel informed of the exercise ahead of time to make the event as realistic as possible for all responders.

The seminar will utilize the video recording and follow-up interviews with key players from the school, Amherst Police Department and Town of Amherst Department of Emergency Services and Safety. In addition, a panel composed of officials participating in the exercise will be on hand to discuss key elements of the simulation.

For more information and to register, go to https://www.ubevents.org/event/safeschools09.

The event is sponsored by the U.S. Secret Service; Student Affairs, University Police and the Western New York Educational Service Council, all at UB; National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; the U.S. Attorney's Office WDNY; Amherst Police Department; Amherst Central School District; Town of Amherst Department of Emergency Services and Safety; Homeland Security Management Institute, and the Utica National Insurance Group.