The Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety (CISELSS) at WestEd will present at the New York State Education Department (NYSED) School Safety Summit, May 31–June 1, in Albany, New York.
The NYDED’s Office of Student Support Services and the New York State Center for School Safety are hosting a two–day, in–person school safety summit that will provide training, information, and resources on topics related to Emergency Response Plan development and implementation, and sessions designed to help create safe and supportive learning environments for the whole school community.
The conference will also highlight many New York–based technical assistance centers to connect participants with high quality resources available to support school personnel in fostering safe schools.
Dr. Christina Pate, Deputy Director of CISELSS and Director of the Office of the California Surgeon General’s Statewide Trauma Informed Professional Learning, will deliver a keynote address highlighting the concepts of safety and wellbeing, and supports for New York educators. Lauren Trout, Krystal Wu, Dr. Pate will also facilitate a session on “reimagining school safety and practice.”
We hope to see you in New York!
WestEd Presentations
Keynote Address: The Conditions for Thriving: Unearthing the Root Causes of Safety and Wellbeing
Presenter: Dr. Christina Pate
School safety remains front and center on the public agenda. There is concern of too much focus on solutions that often do not work in isolation and not enough focus on a comprehensive and integrated approach that addresses the underlying issues associated with un/safe schools. As we examine and implement solutions like expanded mental health services, threat assessments, and gun control, we also must take the long view and work to change the culture of many of our schools and communities. We have to implement policies and practices that create schools and communities in which all students and staff feel included, supported, respected and cared for. Dr. Pate will highlight a need for more conversation about the very concepts of safety and wellbeing: what they are (and aren’t), who gets to define them, how they’re achieved, and at what cost – all to support New York educators’ safety plan development and implementation
Facilitated Session: Reimagining School Safety in Practice
Presenters: Lauren Trout, Krystal Wu, and Dr. Christina Pate
What if we defined “safety” not as the absence of a negative but rather the existence of positive elements, such as interconnection, belonging, voice, and agency? In this interactive session that builds on the ideas in Dr. Christina Pate’s keynote address, we invite you to consider what reimagining school safety might look like in practice. Drawing on Reimagining School Safety: A Guide for Schools and Communities, we will share key concepts and frameworks—including complex adaptive systems, restorative practices, and design thinking—as fodder for reflection and discussion. With space to explore several examples of small actions other schools and community organizations have taken to reimagine safety, you will leave the session with new ways to approach existing school safety issues and practices to help you move toward co-designing a way forward.