Summit School District 104 Superintendent Dr. David Negron was honored for his school safety work at the Illinois School Safety Conference on Oct. 7 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
Negron was one of five people recognized this year, said Randy Braverman, school safety and threat assessment specialist at West40 ISC, who started the conference 21 years ago.
Braverman said Negron has been very active in school safety over the years, and organizers wanted to honor him for the work he has done with schools.
“It was an honor to be recognized at such a prestigious conference,” Negron said. “It is always a team effort to ensure we are following best practices and making the right decisions to keep our schools safe and secure.”
“I am fortunate to work with such an amazing district community here in District 104,” he said. “Our regional offices of education are also a great partner.”
Each year, organizers pick about four people who have contributed to school safety throughout their careers, Braverman said.
“We try to pick people who in their career have worked a lot with school safety,” he said.
The free, one-day conference is aimed at school administrators, educators, law enforcement, fire departments and emergency managers. Sessions focused on behavioral threat assessment, cyberbullying, digital threat awareness, active shooter scenarios and survivor accounts. About 850 people attended this year, Braverman said.
Organizing the conference is a joint effort between Braverman and Paul Timm, a physical security specialist. Braverman said the idea came from his time as a school security director, when “we always had to pay for conferences.”
He said he proposed a free conference to the state, and the state agreed to support it if he could make it free. Organizers have “never charged anybody since,” he said.
About 52 vendors help cover the cost of food and speakers, Braverman said. This year, the Village of Rosemont and Mayor Bradley A. Stephens also helped the conference meet the cost of holding it at the convention center.
Braverman said attendees hear firsthand from speakers about emergencies, active shooters and behavioral threat assessment, then take that training back to their schools.
“And the networking is unbelievable because there are so many schools and police departments there,” he said.