Consortium of State School Boards Association - St. Louis will host the National School Safety Symposium, the premier gathering for education and safety leaders dedicated to ensuring secure learning environments. This highly anticipated event, organized in collaboration with the MSBA Center for Education Safety and the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute (PENNSSI), is hosted by the Consortium of State School Boards Association’s Unified Boards Alliance and will take place June 25-27, 2025. The event will be held at the Marriott Grand in St. Louis, Missouri.

The symposium will bring together top national school safety and security experts to share the latest strategies, best practices, and innovative solutions to address today’s evolving safety challenges. Attendees will gain critical insights into risk mitigation, emergency preparedness, and crisis response while participating in interactive, hands-on sessions designed to strengthen and enhance their district’s safety plans. Attendees are encouraged to bring their current school safety plans as there will be time to update and enhance them based on information provided at the symposium.

"School safety is a top priority for educators, administrators, and communities across the country," said Executive Director of the Consortium of State School Boards Association, Tom Bertrand. "This symposium provides a unique opportunity for school and safety leaders to collaborate, learn from experts, and walk away with actionable plans to improve security in their districts."

Symposium keynote speakers include:

Dr. Melissa Reeves, PhD, NCSP, LPC is a nationally certified school psychologist, licensed special education teacher, licensed professional counselor and former district coordinator of social/emotional/behavioral services. She is a threat assessment and mental health specialist who serves as senior advisor for Safe and Sound Schools, founded by two parents who lost children in the Sandy Hook tragedy. Dr. Reeves actively works and consults with K-12 schools regarding threat assessment cases and helps establish safety, suicide and threat assessment protocols.

Frank DeAngelis is a retired principal of Columbine High School. He has been involved in numerous professional activities and associations, and has received multiple awards for his teaching, leadership and coaching skills. DeAngelis is a national-level speaker on recovery after a school tragedy. He has visited, consulted and assisted school communities nationwide following incidents of violence and tragedy. He is a safety and emergency management consultant for the Jeffco School District in Colorado. He travels nationally and internationally, speaking and consulting on school safety and preparedness.

The National School Safety Symposium is designed for school safety and security teams, including:

• Superintendents
• District safety personnel
• School resource officers
• School communications professionals
• Law enforcement officers
• School board members.

The cost to attend is $625 per person with discounts given for safety teams of three or more at $535 per person if everyone registers at the same time. Space is limited, so early registration is recommended. The host hotel is the Marriott Grand in St. Louis, Missouri. Attendees can reserve specially priced rooms at $204 per night.

For more information, go to https://www.cossba.org/events/school-safety-symposium.

A flyer on the event is available here.