Public Consulting Group (PCG) was proud to support the 15th SXSW EDU which focused on bringing together the learner, the practitioner, the entrepreneur, and the visionary to share their groundbreaking stories, tackle complex issues, and build reimagined paths forward. Our panel, “The Pivotal Role of Community Engagement in School Safety,” featured a diverse lineup of experts—including media, students, and safety specialists—dedicated to advancing school safety through community-driven solutions. Speakers included:

• Danielle Duarte, President of Hatching Results
• Craig Garnett, Publisher of the Uvalde Leader News
• John Van Dreal, Author of the Salem-Keizer Cascade model
• Cesar Monagas, Student at The University of Texas at Austin
  
  

Moderated by Jon Van Dreal, the discussion underscored the importance of recognizing that behaviors associated with school violence often emerge outside of the school environment.

Key Takeaways from the Panel

School safety extends beyond the classroom. Violence prevention is a shared responsibility between educators, law enforcement, local youth-serving agencies, and community leaders. Building collaborative, multi-agency, and multi-disciplinary community teams is essential to identifying early warning signs and shaping safer schools.

Van Dreal pointed to the common challenges in community engagement, “I've found that school districts and law enforcement agencies are enthusiastic about implementing preventive behavioral threat assessment systems; however, they often struggle with building a collaboration that includes public mental health, juvenile services, and other youth serving public services. This is not because those agencies are unwilling, but often because staffing limitations can be challenging to provide necessary training to establish foundational behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) knowledge and meaningful participation on community teams,” Van Dreal noted.

Without multi-agency participation, he explained, it is difficult to develop a shared understanding of how different disciplines contribute to assessing and managing threats using preventive solutions that include community resources in addition to school district resources.

Student voices matter. Students experience school safety differently than administrators and policymakers, making their input critical when developing safety plans. “We need to see students as active partners in the conversation about school and community safety,” said Ceasar Monagas. He emphasized the importance of proactive, student-centered solutions that prioritize well-being. “For students, a truly safe school is one where they don’t even have to think about safety.”

Danielle Duarte, a former school counselor, reinforced the need to involve student voices in safety planning. “When students know and trust the adults around them, they’re more likely to open up and share concerns.”  Duarte shared strategies like student listening sessions, workshops, and specialized instruction to help build this trust and engagement.  

Looking Ahead: The Future of Community Engagement in School Safety

Reflecting on how the role of community engagement in school safety has evolved, Van Dreal observed that it has become more proactive and preventive over time. “Youth serving agencies and school districts see the benefit of working together to get ahead of potential violent acts and prevent them through pre-incident reporting, meaningful assessment, and management that embraces inclusion, and connection rather than punitive measures like expulsion, arrest, and detention,” he explained. 

SXSW EDU has long served as a platform for innovation in education, and this year’s conversation on school safety was no exception. By continuing to bridge the gap between policy and practice, and engaging the broader community, we can make schools safer for all students.

Listen to the panel recording here.