Training Events

March 9 * Hotel Albany, Albany, NY  www.cpalbany.com

Need a room?
Contact the Hotel Albany (formerly the Crowne Plaza), Albany City Centre, State and Lodge Streets, Albany, NY 12207, 518-462-6611 or www.cpalbany.com; $152 single and $162 for double occupancy; enter group booking code 1 GEY. Book your hotel reservations by February 24! After that date, reservations will be taken on an availability basis. Contact the Hotel Albany directly. Mention the NYSSBA 2013 Capital Conference.

Cost:

Safe Schools, Safe Students/March 9
$75 NYSSBA members, $150 nonmembers

(Program includes resource materials, lunch and a nonrefundable $25 administrative fee. Cancellations will not be refunded after the pre-registration/cancellation deadline. No-shows will be billed.)

Safe Schools, Safe Students - March 9
In cooperation with the Utica National Insurance Group
Begin with a day-long interactive session packed with school safety information and practical strategies to help keep your schools safe.

Cost: $75 members / $150 nonmembers

Conference Kick Off – Welcome and Introductory Remarks

Thomas Nespeca, President New York State School Boards Association

Sponsor Remarks
Utica National Insurance Group

General Session: School Safety - The Law Enforcement Perspective
Are we doing enough? Hear from top state and national authorities on their view of what constitutes appropriate and effective school safety plans and practices, including the use of school resource officers.

Panel:
SSA Andre Simons, Behavioral Analysis Unit, Behavioral Threat Assessment Center, FBI
Arthur J. Kelly, III, Consultant, Behavioral Threat Assessment and Targeted Violence and former Chief of Police, New Bedford, Massachusetts       
Bryan Vossekuil, Retired, United States Secret Service; The Metis Group, Inc. 
Captain John Agresta, New York State Police
Sgt. Renise Holohan, New York State Police

Moderated by Jay Worona, General Counsel, NYSSBA

• Tools to Review and Improve Your School Safety Plan

New York school safety experts will share best policies and practices to help make your schools safer, including the importance of staff training and conducting drills. 

Elizabeth Mastro, Director, New York State Center for School Safety Linda Bakst, Deputy Director of Policy Services, NYSSBA

• Collaborating with First Responders: Before, During and After a  Crisis

Learn the most effective ways to build and sustain relationships with first responders that will secure safer schools.

Robert Bloom, Teacher, Co-Chair, District SAVE Committee (Safety, Emergency Planning, Emergency), Hyde Park Central School District

General Session: Creating Innovative Student Support Systems to Increase Safety, Resiliency, and Academic Success  
What can school districts do to establish and maintain a school culture that promotes the healthy well-being of students?

Gil Noam, Ed.D., Ph.D, Director, Program in Education, Afterschool and Resiliency (PEAR), McLean Hospital; and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School

• Best Ways to Access and Enhance Student Support Services

What resources do school districts have? Understand the roles of student support services and community resources.

Panel:  
John Kelly, School Psychologist, Commack Union Free School District, representing New York State Association of School Psychologists
Hai-Ping Yeh, School Social Worker, representing New York State Association of School Social Workers
Gloria Jean, School Counselor, representing New York State Association of School Counselors
David Saffer, LCSW, Council for Prevention of Alcohol and Substance Abuse

Moderated by Linda Bakst, Deputy Director of Policy Services, NYSSBA

• Educate the Whole Child, Engage the Whole School

Learn how to integrate social-emotional learning into school curriculum and programs. Review guidelines for the Social Emotional Development and Learning (SEDL) in New York State.

Mark Barth, Education Consultant; former Associate, New York State Education Department; former Albany City School Board Member and Secondary School History Teacher

• Building a Stronger Safety Net: Mental Health and Schools

Hear from the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) about its efforts to collaborate with schools.  See a demonstration of an innovative no-cost online staff development tool “At-Risk for High School Educators,” which helps staff to recognize when a student is in distress and how to connect them with help.

Melanie Puorto Conte, MS, Director of the NYS OMH Suicide Prevention Initiative

Facilitated Roundtable Discussion: Where Do We Go From Here?

Timothy G. Kremer, Executive Director, NYSSBA

Final Thoughts

Thomas Nespeca, President, NYSSBA