Twenty-first annual Safe Schools Initiative Seminar returns to UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Educators, law enforcement, first responders, mental health professionals and other school stakeholders including parents and guardians are invited to attend the 21st Annual Safe Schools Initiative Seminar to help them be proactive in their violence-protection efforts. 

“Working Together to Reduce the Threat of Violence in our Schools & Communities,” will be held 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, in the Center for the Arts Main Stage Theatre on the University at Buffalo’s North Campus.

The free event will be accessible both in-person and virtually. Registration is required. Please visit http://eclef.org/safe-schools to register.

This annual event is presented by the Erie County Law Enforcement Foundation (ECLEF), and is a forum for school safety stakeholders to come together and learn about important topics tied to protecting children and communities. 

The seminar includes presentations by Patricia Logan-Greene, PhD, associate professor and associate dean for academic affairs in UB’s School of Social Work. She will provide an overview of her research on gun violence prevention and intervention, including key takeaways from the recent report of the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare’s Grand Challenge to Prevent Gun Violence,which she co-authored.

“American youth are growing up under a specter of gun violence that affects their families, communities and mental health,” says Logan-Greene. “Policy approaches to our gun violence epidemic face many barriers. However, there are still important actions that school personnel and allied professionals, parents and guardians can take to make kids safer and support their development in these challenging times.”

The program includes the latest research focused on reducing gun violence, and how schools and law enforcement can utilize the Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management model for addressing school safety.

An overview of ERPO (Extreme Risk Protection Order) legislation, which can be used to temporarily remove gun access during a crisis, along with other prevention strategies to reduce harm, will also be discussed.

A full description of the event’s speakers and panel members taking part in the discussion is available on the Erie County Law Enforcement Foundation website.