Room: Catalina A1

Decrease Student Suspensions and Expulsions While Increasing Student Engagement

Come learn how one Southern California school district has made significant reductions in home suspensions and expulsions over the last nine years. Through a change in philosophy and a variety of alternatives, not only has the number of suspensions and expulsions decreased, but the number of student behavior incidents has decreased as well. Developing a school-wide culture that values and respects all students is a priority in being able to increase student engagement in school. Creating a school-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) model is a part of this; so too is the need for school leaders to be able to provide staff with the necessary alternative strategies to help prevent student choices that lead to discipline. In this session, we will dialogue about all of this and more and you will leave with some useful strategies to take back to your school and district.

Presenter – Steve Behar, Ed. D – Director, Child Welfare and Attendance, Lake Elsinore Unified School District

 

Room: Catalina A2

Preventing Employee Sexual Misconduct in our Schools

The epidemic of sexual misconduct claims is staggeringly large. We will share pathways to mitigate damages. On a national level, 9.4% of students, over 3.5M will experience sexual abuse by an employee by the time they graduate high school. This student safety and risk management crisis is threatening JPA's insurability. The focus of this presentation is a comprehensive preventative system to address institutional denial; more in-depth background checks and sustained training for all types of employees; and strategic, consistent and rigorous response to allegations enabling the school culture to succeed with prevention. The presenters have over 90 years of combined experience dealing with the psychological, legal/risk management and human resources aspect of this very serious problem.

Presenters:  Dr. Glenn Lipson – Forensic Psychologist, Making Right Choices MRC, Daniel Shinoff – Attorney, ArtianoShinoff, and Steve Sonnich – Human Resources Consultant, MRC

Room: Catalina A3

Suicide Prevention

This presentation is designed to assist school staff in developing a clear understanding of the prevalence of suicide in children and adolescents.  Statistical data will be reviewed including identifying specific groups at higher risk. The presentation will focus on suicide risk factors, preventative factors and warning signs for identifying a student who is in need of intervention.  School protocol including referral process will be explored and along with staff resources.  Emphasis will be made on mental health stigma reduction along with Suicide Prevention Curriculum being utilized by San Bernardino County Schools.

Presenter – Olivia Dahlin – Program Manager Clinical Services, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools

 

Room: Catalina C1

Moving from Diversity to Inclusion – How to Change our Perceptions about Disabilities and Overcome our Own Inner Handicaps

Companies and organizations are jumping on the bandwagon to become more "diverse".  Some have even developed whole departments to roll out and implement "diversity plans".  Unfortunately, these plans do not necessarily include everyone.  How many times, for example, have we seen or experienced discussions of Diversity which include naming "minority" groups such as women, different races and different sexual orientations, but there is little or no discussion of including persons with disabilities?

In this talk, Michael Hingson, who happens to be blind, a survivor of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and a number one New York Times best-selling author, shows us that Diversity is not enough.  He illustrates why it is time to move from Diversity to real Inclusion on the job and in our lives.  Mike uses stories and lessons from his own life growing up as a blind person, successfully working in professional sales, management, and leadership positions, living as an entrepreneur, and surviving the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 to teach his audiences how a few simple attitude adjustments can open the minds and hearts of all of us as well as including persons with disabilities when filling jobs.  Your audience will take away ideas about how to gain loyal and hard-working employees as well as how to help make the existing workforce more welcoming to those who are different than they.

Presenter – Mike Hingson

 

Room: Catalina C2

The Active Shooter Response & Impact of Workplace Violence 

The 2-hour interactive presentation helps participants increase their situational awareness and personal safety at work and where ever they go in their communities. Using the run-hide-fight model, participants will learn about the law enforcement response to an active shooter, the stressors of a surviving a shooting, the active shooter psychology, pre-incident indicators, short term limitations and the importance of having a plan before an incident occurs. In an effort to build resiliency in the aftermath of a shooting incident, presenters discuss life changing psychological and physiological effects.

Presenters – Heather Williams, PsyD – Orange County Sheriff’s Department and – Investigator Shane Millhollon – Orange County Sheriff’s Department

 

Room: Catalina C3

School Crisis Management: Are you Prepared?

Managing a crisis in a school is about being prepared to the best of your school’s ability given personnel, resources, time and finances. This session will review some areas of preparation that fit into different groups; required by code, crucial, important, nice extras, reasonable, and free.  What are some tips and best practices? Great working tools?

Presenter – Dave Marcus – Director of Safety, from a Southern California School

 

Room: Avalon 2

Popular Culture and the Noise It Makes

This class will help attendees understand popular culture and how it impacts youth. Attendees will expand their knowledge of today’s popular culture, gain a better understanding of millennials, their unique language and way of thinking. Examples from music, Internet and video games will be highlighted. This presentation contains ADULT THEMES.

Presenter – Commander W.  Paul LeBaron – Long Beach Police Department

 

Room: Avalon 3

Breaking Down the Bullying Infrastructure in Schools

Conflict is almost certain whenever people from different backgrounds are placed in the same setting. This is particularly true for public programs that serve a diverse group of youths. However, when confronted with repetitive behaviors intended to harm, many adolescents do not have the skill set to combat bullying behaviors. In order to lessen the impact of bullying behaviors in public programs, interventions must target both the victims and the bullies. Youth who are targets of bullying should be taught the appropriate responses to bullying behavior. Youth who are labeled as bullies should be taught to use his/her natural leadership ability for pro-social change in schools and the elevation of peers. This session will address the social structure of bullying and action steps for professionals to follow when bullies and victims are identified.

Presenter – Eric Landers – Associate Professor, Georgia Southern University

 

Room: Anacapa

5 Mindful Ways to Shift the Climate of a Classroom

Session will include tips, tools and trade activities that will help students learn how to build skills in self-regulation, self- awareness, empathy and build connection and community inside the classroom. We will take a deeper dive into today’s digital dilemma and provide new approaches so that students can make healthier decisions about how to use devices and social media. Further, we will review the power of reflection, so that students understand their potential to become thoughtful and kinder contributors to a larger society.

Presenter – Julia Gabor M.Ed. – Founder, kid-grit and – Jeffrey L. Jordan – CEO Sportika Goodworx and Founder, kid-grit