Cybersecurity & School Safety

CISA Holding Virtual National Summit on School Safety, Cybersecurity for Local, State K-12 Leaders, Educators

Free Event Nov 1-3 Aims to Provide Actionable Recommendations to Keep School Buildings and IT Infrastructure More Secure

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 10/21/22

Registration is now open for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s virtual 2022 National Summit on K–12 School Safety and Security, scheduled for Nov. 1–3, 2022, from 2 to 4 p.m. ET each day.

The summit is specifically for public school leaders and policymakers at the state level and for local K–12 administrators, principals, educators, IT practitioners, school safety officials, mental health professionals, and school board members, CISA said.

The three-day event aims to provide attendees with “actionable recommendations that enhance safe and supportive learning environments in kindergarten through grade 12 schools,” CISA’s announcement of the event said.

Each of the three days will feature multiple expert speakers focusing on the theme of that day: Nov. 1 theme is Violence Prevention, Nov. 2 theme is Cybersecurity and Online Safety, and Nov. 3 theme is Physical Security. The summit will be accessible through a browser or the Microsoft Teams app.

There is no cost to attend. Register at https://2022CISASchoolSummit.eventbrite.com.

Summit panel discussions and keynote speakers will include government, school safety, and private sector experts and leaders and will cover the following topics:

• Cybersecurity
• Physical Security
• Emergency Planning
• Capacity Building
• Training, Exercises, and Drills
• Targeted Violence
• Reporting Systems
• Threat Assessment
• Violence Prevention
• Online Safety

The following speakers have been announced for each day of the summit:

Nov. 1 Speakers: Violence Prevention

• Alejandro N. Mayorkas, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Keynote Speaker)
• Lina Alathari Ph.D., Chief, National Threat Assessment Center, U.S. Secret Service
• Theresa Campbell, CEO, Safer Schools Together
• Steven Driscoll, Assistant Chief, National Threat Assessment Center, U.S. Secret Service
• Colton Easton, Project and Training Manager, Safer Schools Together
• Michele Gay, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Safe and Sound Schools
• Frank Henderson, President, Seaman School Board
• Sharon Hoover, Ph.D., Co-Director, National Center for School Mental Health
• Greg Johnson, Principal, West Liberty-Salem High School
• Amy Lowder, Director, Student Safety & Well-Being for Cabarrus County Schools
• Rob Mayo, Ph.D., Technical Assistance Specialist Senior Consultant, American Institutes for Research
• Donna Michaelis, Director, Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety and Public Safety Training
• Jenny Presswalla, Director, Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Sgt. Pamela Revels, School Resource Officer, Lee County of the Alabama Sheriff's Office
• Margaret Sedor, Ph.D., School Psychologist, District Suicide Prevention & Wellbeing Coordinator

Nov. 2 Speakers: Cybersecurity and Online Safety

• Jen Easterly, Director, CISA (Keynote Speaker)
• Stephen Balkam, Founder and CEO, Family Online Safety Institute
• Kyla Guru, Founder and CEO, Bits N’ Bites Cybersecurity Education
• Stacy Garrett, Vice President, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
• Michael Klein, Digital Infrastructure Fellow, Office of Education Technology, U.S. Department of Education
• Keith Kruger, CEO, The Consortium for School Networking
• Doug Levin, National Director, K12 Security Information Exchange
• Melissa McConnell, Manager, National School Public Relations Association
• Amy McLaughlin, Project Director, The Consortium for School Networking
• Derek Moore, Chief Technology Officer, Palo Alto Unified School District
• Neal Richardson, Co-Chairman, K–12 Working Group, Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center
• April Schentrup, Founding Member, Stand with Parkland
• David Stern, Analytic Cell, Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, CISA

Nov. 3 Speakers: Physical Security

• Tony Montalto, President, Stand with Parkland (Keynote Speaker)
• David Mussington, Ph.D., Executive Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security, CISA (Keynote Speaker)
• Mo Canady, Executive Director, National Association of School Resource Officers
• Mike Christianson, Protective Security Advisor, CISA
• Guy Grace, Chairman of Advisory Committee, Partner Alliance for Safer Schools
• Judith Hoskens, Chairperson, Committee on Architecture for Education, American Institute of Architects
• Janelle Hughes, Project Director, REMS-TA Center
• Brian Jackson, Ph.D., Senior Physical Scientist, RAND Corporation
• John-Michael Keyes, Executive Director, The I Love U Guys Foundation
• Kathy Martinez-Prather, Ph.D., Director, Texas School Safety Center
• Susan Schneider, Branch Chief, Active Assailant Security, Office of Security Programs, CISA
• Emily Torok, Executive Director, Ohio School Safety Center

Learn more at CISA.gov/national-school-safety-summit.