Hybrid Conference – Building Effective Threat Assessment Teams to Prevent Targeted Violence – Nov. 28, 2023

November 28, 2023 @ 8:15 am – 2:30 pm

Registration: 8:15 – 8:45 am
Conference: 8:45 am – 2:30 pm

In person registration closed.
Virtual registration closes November 27, 2023

Attend In Person or Via Zoom

Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School
758 Marrett Road
Lexington, MA 02421

To receive PDPs, participants must attend this conference and the conference, 2023 MPY School Safety Summit: Current Challenges in Keeping our Schools Safe, on November 14, 2023. Members can participate in-person, virtually or by viewing the recording.

Speakers

Description

MPY’s 2023 School Safety Summit addressed challenges schools face to create safe and supportive school environments. In this second conference focusing on school safety, presenters will introduce realistic strategies to address school threats including understanding the difference between transient and substantive threats and how schools can build effective threat assessment teams. Attendees will gain a better understanding of tools available to understand targeted violence and terrorism and how they can be prevented by working with mental health and social services agencies, and other community-based programs.  School administrators, mental/behavioral support staff and public safety professionals are strongly encouraged to attend this outstanding conference.

About the Speakers

Todd McGhee is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and an international speaker on counterterrorism and violent extremism. Todd is the author and course developer of the Behavior Observation Skills (BOS) Course and the Airport Physical Screening (APS) Course written and developed for the Department of State, Office of Antiterrorism Assistance. Both courses are currently being delivered around the world to US Partner Nations to help combat against global terrorism and to build international relationships.

Mr. McGhee started his law enforcement career in 1987 and retired from the Massachusetts Department of State Police after serving twenty-four successful years in public safety. He was assigned to the Massachusetts State Police Troop F Headquarters at Logan International Airport’s Massport Authority as a specially trained officer and lead trainer of their Anti-Terrorism Unit. Mr. McGhee earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Anna Maria College in Massachusetts.

He has authored the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Training System® and the Security Awareness and Vigilance for Everyone™ (S.A.V.E.™) course curriculums which are Department of Homeland Security approved training courses. Todd has authored, developed, and successfully delivered the Active Shooter Awareness course around the US which is designed to prepare civilians and private security professionals for the unthinkable.

James Barrett, Ph.D., Psychologist, Cambridge Police Department, is the Director of School-Based Programs in the Division of Child/Adolescent Psychiatry at the Cambridge Health Alliance and an Instructor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the site director of the Safety Net psychology fellowship program and clinical coordinator of the Safety Net Collaborative in partnership with the Cambridge Police Department. Dr. Barrett has presented at numerous national conferences on juvenile justice, preventing retaliatory violence, juvenile risk assessment, and police-mental health partnerships. He is a contributor to Psychological Services, Adolescent Psychiatry, The Community Psychologist, and The Handbook of Human Development for Health Professionals.

Vincent Cerce, M.Ed., C.A.G.S., is currently the Director of Pupil Personnel Services for the Norton Public School System. He has worked in that capacity since 2020. Prior to that he was the Director of SEL and Counseling for Norton and worked with various school and community providers to help Norton achieve the designation as nationally recognized “SEL District”. Before coming to Norton, Mr. Cerce worked for the Brockton School System for over 25 years in a variety of positions that support students and families. This included as a school adjustment counselor, autism specialist and eventually for the last 10 years there as the Special Education Administrator for Therapeutic Services. Prior to entering public education, Mr. Cerce worked in the private mental health hospital setting and opened the first child partial hospital in the state of Massachusetts.

Kathlyn Elliott, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital Trauma and Community Resilience Center.  She earned her Ph.D. in Education Leadership at Drexel University. Her research interests are preventing violent extremism through education, education in emergencies, gender and education, and global citizenship education. Kathlyn was a Fulbright Scholar in Finland for the 2021-2022 academic year researching teachers’ perceptions of educating to prevent violent extremism. Kathlyn holds a B.S. in International Culture and Politics, specifically religion and politics, from Georgetown University (2007), and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction (2009) from the University of San Diego. Prior to starting her Ph.D., Kathlyn taught high school history for 10 years in Houston, Shanghai, and San Diego.

Sandra Goldstein, MSW, is the Director of School Counseling and Admissions at Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School. She is also the Early College Designation Program Coordinator and an active member of the Crisis Team and Threat Assessment Team. Since joining Essex Tech in 2014, Ms. Goldstein has held positions as a Freshman School Counselor, School Adjustment Counselor and Admissions Counselor. Before joining Essex Tech, she served first as a School Adjustment and Guidance Counselor for Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School and later as their District’s Curriculum Coordinator. Ms. Goldstein began her career as an Educational Advocate with the Juvenile Rights Division of the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn, NY. Ms. Goldstein also facilitates several community partnerships on behalf of Essex Tech relative to student and staff wellness, mental health, and social emotional learning. 

Catherine Kilcoyne, M.Ed., has worked as a  special educator since 1985 with the last 11 years in her current role as Director of Student Services in Hudson Public Schools. Catherine’s career has spanned a number of roles as a special education teacher in multiple districts including teaching in substantially separate programs, inclusion facilitator, dual role as general education and special education classroom teacher, Team Chair and Director of Student Services. In her role as Director of Student Services in Hudson Public Schools, Catherine established the Social Emotional Learning team to identify tiered supports for students and identified Chose Love as the SEL curriculum for general education across the district. In addition, Catherine is a registered certified yoga instructor and has worked with veterans in Yoga Warrior classes to reduce the impact of stress and trauma in the lives of veterans. 

Robert Mahoney is the DHS Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships otherwise referred to as CP3, Regional Prevention Coordinator for the New England Region. Rob has a master’s degree in Emergency and Disaster Management along with over 15 years’ experience within the Prevention/Preparedness arena at all levels of Government. His presentation today focuses on the mission of CP3 and the services that his office offers to state and local agencies to help in the fight against violent extremism.

John Oteri, M.Ed., has over 33 years of experience in working with students and schools. John was a Social Worker for DSS for 9 years before transitioning to an educator at Somerville High School. John served as a Social Studies teacher, Assistant Principal and then as Principal of Somerville High School. John became Superintendent of the Malden Public Schools. After retiring, John joined Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth as the School Safety Coordinator. In this role, John works with MPY and Children’s Hospital through the Department of Homeland Security on reducing targeted violence in schools. John is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and UMass/Lowell.

Kathleen Provost, Ed.D., has been in public education for 25 years, the last 6 in her current role. Her career started as a special education teacher and as a classroom teacher in an elementary school in Upstate New York. After moving back to Massachusetts, she has worked in Hudson for the past 18 years, serving as a reading specialist and a literacy coach before moving into the Assistant Superintendent role. She is proud of the work occurring in Hudson addressing the social emotional learning and academic needs of all of their students. 

To receive PDPs, participants must attend this conference and the conference, 2023 MPY School Safety Summit: Current Challenges in Keeping our Schools Safe, on November 14, 2023. Members can participate in-person, virtually or by viewing the recording. Participants who qualify for CEUs, will receive an email with a link to the application form. If you do not qualify for PDPs and/or CEUs, you may request a Certificate of Attendance.

Membership Information

Most MPY webinars are available ONLY to current staff from member districts and organizations. Public school memberships include police and fire personnel. Former and retired employees and members of committees, including but not limited to, PTO/PTA, PAC, School Improvement Councils, Health Councils, Drug/Alcohol Councils, and school volunteers, are not considered MPY members.

PDPs and CEUs

MPY is an approved Professional Development Provider through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (Provider No. F20180079). Professional Development Points (PDPs) are offered for most MPY professional development webinars. PDPs are issued in 10 hour increments, per DESE requirements.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for clinical staff through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc. (MaMHCA). The NASW and the MaMHCA approve each event individually. CEUs may be given in hourly increments.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must pass the quiz. The PDP quiz will be made available only be participants who have registered for and attended both conferences.

Event Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to attend a MPY webinar you must cancel, through Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org, one business day before the webinar.

For MPY hybrid conferences, the date in-person registration closes will be posted on MPY’s website. Virtual conference registration will close one business day before the hybrid conference. You cannot cancel or switch your registration from in-person to virtual after in-person registration closes. Please email Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org with any questions regarding registration.