Training
We aim to provide a variety of trainings addressing student safety including trainings on student mental health, threat assessment, suicide prevention / postvention, and other relevant topics. Our goal is to make trainings accessible to all Connecticut schools, so our trainings are low cost, and our school safety consultants work at no cost to the schools they serve. Consultative services are generally offered at no charge. We are open to ideas for training that we can run through the Center and make accessible to all. Because we do not want cost to be a barrier, we offer scholarships for individuals who are unable to afford training costs. Customized trainings are available at a market rate. Please email the schoolsafetycenter@wcsu.edu to inquire.
The Center can bring the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) model to school districts free of charge. If you would like to schedule Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) training for your district, please email the schoolsafetycenter@wcsu.edu.
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Our workshops are offered in collaboration with the Western Connecticut State University’s Department of Social Work and approved for Continuing Education Credit for Connecticut State Licensed Social Workers, Mental Health Counselors, Psychologists, and Marriage and Family Therapists. The approval meets relicensing criteria for LPCs, LCSWs, LMSWs, LMFTs, and licensed Psychologists in the State of Connecticut.
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Date: Monday, April 27, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Inclusive School Safety Practices for Students with Disabilities – Parent and Caregiver Virtual Event
On behalf of the Connecticut Center for School Safety and Crisis Preparation at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU), in collaboration with Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), please join us for our April 27th Parent and Caregiver Virtual Event
An event designed to provide meaningful information while bringing together families, educators, disability advocates, and school and community leaders to explore strategies that promote safe, inclusive learning environments for all students.
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Cost: FREE!
Registration Deadline: April 24, 2026
Presenters:
Dr. Dewey Cornell, Developer of the Comprehensive School Threat Guidelines and Professor of Education, University of Virginia;
Michele Gay, M.S., Co-Founder & Executive Director of Safe and Sound Schools;
Dr. Christina Cipriano, Director, Education Collaboratory at Yale, Associate Professor, Yale Child Study Center
Dr. Stephanie Leite, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Forensic Intelligence, LLC; and
Melissa Marshall, J.D., Director of Policy & Programs, The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies
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Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM – 3:45 PM EDT | Check-in is from 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Lunch will be provided
Inclusive School Safety Practices for Students with Disabilities – Professional Event – SOLD OUT EVENT
On behalf of the Connecticut Center for School Safety and Crisis Preparation at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU), in collaboration with Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), we invite you to join us for a statewide professional event focused on advancing safe, inclusive practices for students with disabilities.
This free, full-day event brings together educators, school mental health providers, school resource officers, disability advocates, families, and community partners to explore evidence-based strategies that promote student safety while honoring accessibility, dignity, and equity. Participants will gain practical tools, research-informed approaches, and real-world perspectives to support inclusive safety planning, threat assessment, and effective cross-disciplinary collaboration in schools.
The program features nationally recognized leaders in school safety, disability advocacy, and mental health, along with interactive breakout sessions tailored to professional roles. Together, we will examine how to strengthen school safety systems while ensuring that students with disabilities are supported, understood, and included.
Location:
Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU)
Michael J. Adanti Student Center, Room 325 (3rd Floor)
345 Fitch Street
New Haven, CT 06515
Cost: FREE!
SOLD OUT EVENT
Intended Audience: Educators, School Mental Health Providers, School Resource Officers, and other School Safety Professionals
Presenters:
Dr. Christina Cipriano, Director, the Education Collaboratory at Yale and Associate Professor, Yale Child Study Center;
Dr. Dewey Cornell, Developer of the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) and Professor of Education, University of Virginia;
Dr. Stephanie Leite, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Forensic Intelligence, LLC;
Michele Gay, M.S., Co-Founder & Executive Director, Safe and Sound Schools;
Elisabeth Morel, M.Ed., C.A.G.S., Director, AccessAbility Services, Western Connecticut State University.
❤️ Support This Event:
Should you wish to support this event, we respectfully invite you to make a contribution. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your support. Please use the link below to submit your donation and include the CT Center for School Safety in the designation or additional information field.
If you are interested in becoming a Sponsor at our event, please contact: schoolsafetycenter@wcsu.edu
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Date: Friday, May 1, 2026
Time: 10:30am – 12:00pm
Course Name: Beyond Compliance Series: Using the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Framework to Prepare For, Respond To, and Learn From School Crisis Situations
Instructor: Peg Donohue, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School Counseling Department Chair, Department of Counselor Education, and Family Therapy – Central Connecticut State University
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Date: Monday, May 18, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM EDT
Course Name: Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Training
Course Description:
“School-Based Threat Assessment” is an evidence-based systematic evaluation process used to prevent violence, help troubled students, and avoid over-reactions to challenging behavior. The Center uses the CSTAG Model. The CSTAG model was developed in 2001 by Professor Dewey Cornell of the University of Virginia in collaboration with a team of educators and researchers. The model has been rigorously evaluated in controlled studies and large-scale implementation studies involving thousands of schools in multiple states.
Intended Audience: This training is appropriate for anyone involved in school safety including but not limited to educators, administrators, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, security, facility managers and school resource officers. To support effective implementation, schools and districts are encouraged to register members of their threat assessment teams together. Please note that this model requires districts to establish internal policies and procedures.
Instructors: Kiley Young, LCSW, Regional School Safety Coordinator, Center for School Safety, and Jessica Perreault, M.S., SYC, School Psychologist
Location:
LEARN
44 Hatchetts Hill Road
Old Lyme, CT 06371
Cost: FREE! (Lunch will not be provided. Please bring a brown-bagged lunch).
Registration Deadline: May 11, 2026
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Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Time: 9:30am – 11:30am
Kathy Hanley, Behavioral Health Program Manager, Western CT Coalition, Inc., and Jennifer Heaton-Jones Executive Director, Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA) will be
presenting on Vaping, E-Cigarettes, and Eco-Consequences Prevention, Health, and Waste Management.
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Onsite Training Delivered To Your School District / Agency
Date: Contact Your Regional School Safety Coordinator to Schedule
Course Name: Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines Training
Course Description:
This is a 1-day workshop on The Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG). CSTAG is an evidence-based model that teaches interdisciplinary school-based teams to respond to student threats of violence by assessing the seriousness of the threat and creating an intervention plan that addresses the underlying problem that led to the threat. CSTAG is the only school based threat assessment model that is listed in the federal government’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) and is used in more than 3,000 schools in 41 states. Schools that employ CSTAG have lower rates of long-term suspensions, fewer alternative school transfers, fewer bullying incidents, more students engaged in school counseling services, and more positive perceptions of school climate. Schools using CSTAG are able to eliminate the racial discipline gap and are more likely to have students who report that there is at least one adult in the building that they would go to for help.
Location: Onsite at Your Facility
Cost: FREE
Intended Audience: This training is appropriate for anyone involved in school safety including but not limited to educators, administrators, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, security, facility managers, and school resource officers.
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NASP PREPaRE Workshop Materials Fee Update
Starting this October, there will be a slight increase in materials fees for the NASP PREPaRE Workshops:
- Workshop 1: $55 per person
- Workshop 2: $65 per person
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Date: Contact Your Regional School Safety Coordinator to Schedule
Course Name: NASP PREPaRE WS 1: Comprehensive School Safety Planning: Prevention Through Recovery, 3rd Ed.
Course Description:
In this 1-day workshop participants will learn how to establish and sustain comprehensive school safety efforts that attend to both physical and psychological safety. The workshop addresses critical components needed to develop, exercise, and evaluate safety and crisis teams and plans and conduct building vulnerability assessments. The model also integrates school personnel and community provider roles in providing school-based crisis preparedness and response activities. Additional topics addressed also include media/social media, communication, reunification, students with special needs, culture, and memorials. After this workshop, participants will be better prepared to improve their school’s climate, student resilience, and crisis response capabilities of school personnel. With updated research and strategies, this workshop makes a clear connection between ongoing crisis prevention, mitigation, protection, response, and recovery.
Location: Onsite at Your Facility
Cost: $55 NASP Fee (plus an additional online web processing fee)
Max Capacity: 100
Pre-Work Required. Provides 7 credit hours of NASP-Approved CPD.
Click here (PDF) to see the learning objectives for this workshop
Intended Audience: This training is appropriate for all school personnel who need to understand how the comprehensive school crisis team is organized and functions. This can include but is not limited to school mental health professionals, administrators, teachers, other pupil services personnel, security officers, school resource officers, front office staff, transportation directors, and before and after school activities coordinators.
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Date: Contact Your Regional School Safety Coordinator to Schedule
Course Name:
NASP PREPaRE WS 2: Mental Health Crisis Interventions: Responding to an Acute Traumatic Stressor in Schools, 3rd ed.
Course Description:
This 2-day workshop develops the knowledge and skill required to provide immediate mental health crisis interventions to the students, staff, and school community members who have been simultaneously exposed to an acute traumatic stressor. The knowledge and skill developed within this session also help to build a bridge to the psychotherapeutic and trauma informed mental health response sometimes required to address challenges associated with trauma exposure. This workshop is an excellent course for all mental health professionals in your district who provide mental health crisis intervention services.
Location: Onsite at Your Facility
Cost: $65 NASP Fee (plus an additional online web processing fee)
Max Capacity: 40
Pre-Work Required. Provides 13 hours of NASP-approved CPD.
Click here (PDF) to see the learning objectives for this workshop
Intended Audience: This training is appropriate for any individual filling the role of a crisis intervention specialist. This includes school mental health staff (school psychologists, social workers, counselors, and nurses), administrators, and other individuals whom the team has identified as appropriate providers of psychological first aid. Additionally, this workshop can be very helpful for community-based mental health practitioners who may work with the school crisis team and/or may be brought into the school to assist in response to a crisis.
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We, at the Center for School Safety, are ADA compliant. If you require an accommodation to participate in any of these events, please call Mary Pupazzoni at (203) 837-8915 or email pupazzonim@wcsu.edu and cc: schoolsafetycenter@wcsu.edu
*Continuing education requirements vary from state to state. Many state boards grant reciprocity with national accrediting organizations and other state boards. It is the responsibility of each professional to understand the requirements for license renewal or check with the state or national licensing board and/or professional organization to become more familiar with their policies for acceptable continuing education credit.