School Safety is the topic as three international and local safety experts talk about school violence and solutions at Harris County Department of Education Oct. 15, from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Psychologist Scott Poland, emergency preparedness expert Michael Dorn and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez lead the discussions.

The Center for Safe and Secure Schools, a division of HCDE, and the Harris County Sheriff's Office partner to present the School Safety Forum 2019.

Learn to recognize, respond to and prevent acts of violence as the forum equips parents, teachers, students and the community with an empowerment toolkit. Cost is $95. Register at https://bit.ly/30QTPSP.

Presenters: Scott Poland, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and international recognized school safety expert. His presentations include youth suicide, self-injury, bullying, school crisis prevention/intervention, threat assessment and parenting during challenging times. He co-authored Suicide Safety School Plans for the state of Texas and was the former psychological services director for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.

Michael Dorn is executive director for Safe Havens International where he shares his expertise in safety, security, culture, climate and emergency preparedness assessments. Dorn is an established school safety expert who works internationally; he has authored or co-authored 27 books on school safety and emergency preparedness. As a renowned public speaker, he known to speak on topics ranging from bullying prevention to student supervision.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, keynote speaker, served 18 years in the Houston Police Department before joining the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. He served on the HCSO hostage negotiation team and was assigned to homicide as an investigator prior to becoming sheriff. As chair of City Council’s Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee, Gonzalez broke new ground with initiatives to protect vulnerable seniors from elder abuse. He has also expanded the HCSO’s fight against human trafficking, His law enforcement background strengthens his ability to improve public safety and protect area neighborhoods.

(This project was supported by Grant No. 2018-YS-BX-0153 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Program, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U. S. Department of Justice.)

About Harris County Department of Education: HCDE is a unique, educational hybrid serving school districts, governmental agencies, nonprofits and the public in the third-largest county in the U.S. HCDE annually serves a quarter-million students and educators through schools for students with profound special needs; the largest adult education program in Texas; Head Start early childhood education; school-based therapy services; and afterschool programs. Educator professional development and certification, school safety, records management, and a purchasing cooperative are also provided. #SeeTheImpact at www.hcde-texas.org.