Post University’s School of Education and John P. Burke School of Public Service have joined forces to present a unique one-day conference aimed at preventing lethal school violence. “A village response: Building resiliency to prevent lethal school violence” will be held on Post’s Waterbury campus, 800 Country Club Road, on Thursday, May 21, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for mental health professionals through the Connecticut Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (CTMFT).
Featuring a keynote speaker, several breakout sessions, and a multi-disciplinary roundtable, the conference will focus solely on prevention of lethal school violence by bringing together law enforcement, education, and mental health professionals in a collaborative environment. Conference planners, including Deans Bonnie Rabe, Ph.D., and Richard Strompf, Psy.D., and Academic Program Manager for Emergency Management and Homeland Security David Jannetty, are excited by the event’s “groundbreaking approach” aimed at “stimulating conversations and developing new partnerships.”
The conference’s keynote speech will be delivered by Jonathan Doll, Ph.D., an Education Consultant with the Michigan Department of Education and author of the book “Ending School Shootings: A National Perspective on Prevention.” Breakout sessions include “Cultivating resiliency and its effect on lowering violence,” “Learning to assess and ‘red flag’ students who have had catastrophic events,” “How to build positive and strength-based connections with students,” “Coordinating efforts among law enforcement, education, and mental health,” “Law enforcement roundtable: Preventing school violence,” and a multidisciplinary roundtable entitled, “How can law enforcement and mental health professionals partner to prevent school violence.” A total of 16 professionals will lead the breakout sessions.
Registration for the conference is now open online at https://eventbrite.com/event/16334727610/. The conference fee is $99, and includes participation in the keynote speech, breakouts, roundtables, and a keynote wrap-up at the conclusion of the event. The fee also includes continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks. For further information, contact Administrative Assistant to the Deans Lisa Gaj (lgaj@post.edu / 203.591.5606).
ABOUT KEYNOTE SPEAKER JONATHAN DOLL, PH.D.
Dr. Jonathan Doll, the conference’s keynote speaker, is an Education Consultant with the State of Michigan Department of Education. In addition to his position as Educational Consultant, Dr. Doll is also an Agency Fellow with the Strategic Data Project of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.
He wrote the book, “Ending School Shootings: A National Perspective on Prevention,” in response to the Arapahoe High School shooting, which occurred on December 2013. It highlights a strengths-based framework for working with students who may be at risk of committing a violent act.
In Massachusetts, State Representative Paul Heroux (D-Attleboro) cosponsored a bill with Dr. Doll to test the interventions of the book. The bill is HD 933, the Strengths-Based Bullying Prevention Pilot Study.
Dr. Doll’s aim is for a seamless integration of system-wide efforts to reach schools in school violence prevention. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A & M University. Dr. Doll also holds a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, and Teacher Certification in Secondary Math, Grades 7-12 (Alaska).