2023 D.A.R.E. International Training Conference
Conference Attendee Registration Information
Early Discounted Registration
(Before 4/3/23)
Conference Registration (After 4/3/23)
Cancellation Fee: Any attendee cancellations prior to 4/3/23 will receive 50% of their registration fee. Cancellations after 4/3/223 will not receive a refund but allowed to substitute attendees without a fee. A $25 administrative fee is assessed to all cancellations.
About The Conference
WE ARE BACK TO IN PERSON TRAINING
Prevention: The Common Denominator to Student Health and School Safety
For nearly forty years, D.A.R.E. has been devoted to student safety, health, and wellbeing. D.A.R.E. is the most comprehensive and widely taught prevention education program in the world. More than 3 million K-12 students throughout America and 29 other countries receive D.A.R.E.’s evidence-based, proven effective curricula each year.
The 35th Annual D.A.R.E. International Training Conference will provide D.A.R.E. Instructors, SROs, educators, and key decision-makers with vital information and prevention tools to help prepare, cope, and respond to the significant health and safety crises students, law enforcement, and schools face in 2023 and beyond. These include:
- Significant increases in substance abuse, particularly abuse of opioids.
- The health and safety consequences of student vaping.
- Student mental health crises including depression, bullying, and suicide ideation.
- The impact of social media on emotional stability and self-esteem; and
- Trust issues between schools, families, and law enforcement.
Free Pre-Conference Sessions
On Monday July 24, 2023 The 2023 D.A.R.E International Training Conference will host two dynamic pre-conference sessions focusing on the most prevalent issues facing schools today. The two sessions are free to registered conference attendees only and will fill fast. Please check which course you would like to attend on the online registration form.
Pre-Conference #1: UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING BEHAVORIAL THREAT ASSESSMENT IN SCHOOLS
Preventing Tragic Incidents before they Happen
This pre-conference session will provide an opportunity for attendees to take a rare and unique look at one of America’s most horrific school shootings that took place on May, 24th, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. Like the tragedy in Uvalde and other school related tragedies, school safety experts agree that having a robust and effective behavioral threat assessment protocol in place is absolutely essential in preventing such tragedies.
This session will feature Mr. Ken Mueller, former Director of Student Services from Uvalde Independent School District, Dr. Amy Grosso, Director of Behavioral Health from Round Rock School District, Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough, Chief of Police from City of Hutto, Texas. The session will conclude with an open expert panel discussion on establishing the framework and/or managing behavioral threat assessment for your district.
Session is Sponsored by Raptor Technologies
Pre-Conference #2: More Information Coming Soon Information Coming Soon
Keynote Speakers
Lessons Learned from Responding to Two Active School Shootings
A.J. Deandrea, Deputy Chief Arvada CO. Police Department & Former SWAT Team Leader
Deputy Chief AJ DeAndrea is a 29-year veteran in law enforcement with the Arvada Police Department in Colorado. He will present on two life and career changing incidents with his firsthand experience at the Columbine and Platte Canyon High School shootings. Deputy Chief DeAndrea was the entry team leader at Columbine High School and helped devise and execute the tactical plan for the hostage rescue at Platte Canyon High School. In addition, he was the patrol supervisor and entry team leader during the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) shootings.
Deputy Chief DeAndrea will provide conference attendees with a glimpse into the mindset that law enforcement takes regarding response to an active school threat situation. This is a must attend for all educators, administrators, and law enforcement professionals who can bring hard-learned lessons back with the knowledge and conviction of firsthand experience at three active shooter events.
Making the Difference for Student Mental Health and Prevention
Dr. Marlene Wong, CEO of the Center for Safe and Resilient Schools and Workplaces
Dr. Marleen Wong is clinical professor, emerita at USC and the CEO of the Center for Safe and Resilient Schools and Workplaces. Formerly the Senior Vice Dean and Stein/Goldberg Sachs Endowed Professor of Mental Health, she also served as Director of Field Education; Executive Director, Telehealth Clinic; and Clinical Advisor to the Family Nurse Practitioner Program and the Cohen Military Clinic. Prior to her tenure at USC, she was the director of mental health services, crisis intervention and suicide prevention at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
She is identified by the White House under three administrations as one of the “pre-eminent experts in school crisis and recovery” and an “architect of school safety programs” by the Wall Street Journal. A consultant to the US Department of Education (REMS) and the Department of Defense (Educational Directorate/Pentagon and DoDEA/Department of Defense Dependent Schools), she has helped develop recovery programs for schools and train educators impacted by violence, school shootings, terrorism, and natural disasters in the United States, Canada, Israel, Kobe, Japan, China and the Philippines. She also worked on the IOM Committee which produced the publication: “Preparing for the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism” and is one of the original developers of the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) and Psychological First Aid: Listen, Protect Connect, Model and Teach.
From Columbine to Uvalde & Beyond: How we secure our schools and mitigate the threat of the active shooter
Lt. Sean Burke(ret), President School Safety Advocacy Council
Sean is a recently retired Lieutenant from an urban Police Department with 34 years of law enforcement experience, with over twenty-seven of those years directly related to school safety. He began his school safety career when he was the law enforcement officer assigned to a high school during an active shooter event where he placed the shooter in custody and recovered the firearm and ammunition without a student being injured. Sean holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Springfield College, a Master of Science in Administration of Criminal Justice from Western New England University and is a graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy-Session 239. He served as the first Director of Public Safety for the Lawrence Public School’s Police/Safety Department where he established all aspects of the department and managed all safety efforts, including the creation of their comprehensive school crisis plan and completion of a district wide assessment.
Sean Burke is considered one of the foremost experts in school safety and youth violent behavior. He has traveled extensively and spoken before police officers and school personnel from the United States, Europe, Japan, Iceland, Canada, and the Caribbean. Sean has authored numerous articles and research papers and been quoted as an expert source in media journals from across the nation. Sean continues to serve as an on-air expert for numerous media outlets including CBS National News and was honored to be chosen for the cover of Time Magazine’s Guns in America edition for his work in school safety.
Planning for Your Extracurricular & Athletic Event Security and Emergency Management
Curtis Lavarello, Executive Director School Safety Advocacy Council
Planning for Your Extracurricular & Athletic Event Security and Emergency Management
Curtis Lavarello, Executive Director School Safety Advocacy Council
Curtis Lavarello served as a 25+ year law enforcement veteran in South Florida. During his tenure in Law Enforcement, Curt has held assignments in Patrol, Detective, Youth Investigations and as both a School Resource Officer (SRO) and SRO Supervisor. Curt sat on the committee that was responsible for developing the first SRO program in Broward County, Florida (Ft. Lauderdale) and was named South Florida’s law enforcement officer of the year in 1987. In 1994, Curt developed the first teen court program for the Palm Beach County School District in Florida. That program went on to be recognized nationally as one of the largest teen diversion programs in the nation. Curt was a Founder, Vice-president, President, and Executive Director of the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) from 1991 until 2005. In 2005, Curt founded the School Safety Advocacy Council, which has since become the largest organization focusing on school safety in the nation.
Curt has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada speaking about school violence, school-based police programs and school related mass shootings. He has been the focus of numerous articles and has been featured on ABC’s “Eye on Crime”, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Fox News “Dayside” and World News with Peter Jennings. Curt has also been featured as the guest on several National Talk Radio shows, including national public radio (NPR). Curt has authored numerous articles on the topic of school related shootings and school-based law enforcement and was responsible for developing the curriculum now in use to train school-based police officers throughout the United States and Canada.
Conference Host Hotel
