What makes a school conference worth attending? It’s not the swag, or the hotel, or the happy hour event—although they make for great memories. It’s walking into a room full of peers who understand the hardest parts of your job and walking out with advice you can actually use.
That’s exactly what last year’s attendees said about their experience at SchoolSAFE 2025. From safety professionals to student support leaders, the case for attending SchoolSAFE 2026 November 2-4 in Orlando is clear. Here are five reasons why.
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1. A Network of Professionals to Connect With and Build a Community
Attendees at last year’s conference shared a common theme: the relief of showing up at a conference where they didn’t need to explain the realities of their jobs. Marti Neahring, Executive Director of Student and Family Services at West Aurora School District 129 put it simply: “You don’t really have to start over. You don’t even have to explain who you are or what you do. They just get it.”
Rachael Freeman, Executive Director of Safety and Security at Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, explained how breaks and meals turned into working sessions with peers across departments, districts, and roles—providing valuable insights about how others are using Raptor’s products effectively.
Guests at SchoolSAFE quickly become friends, building a community of professionals committed to creating safer schools together.
2. A Conference Designed for Every Seat at the Safety Table
Last year’s attendees ranged from superintendents and district safety leaders to principals and mental health professionals. As every campus leader knows, you need a variety of roles participating in safety planning. Raptor’s SchoolSAFE Conference is designed with that in mind, as a meeting point for any advocate or participant in making schools safer for staff and students.
3. Sessions Built Around Roles and Scenarios
Sessions fall into four tracks: emergency management, campus movement, student wellbeing, and safety training and compliance. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all agenda, but a customizable track that fills a variety of needs for those carrying individual or multiple responsibilities.
“My district [was] about to deploy EventSafe,” notes Freeman about her choice of sessions to attend. “And I’m very excited to share with my department what I learned about EventSafe and how we’re going to utilize it.”
The SchoolSAFE 2026 conference agenda is packed with high-quality strategies and advice, such as
- the Standard Reunification Method (SRM)
- emergency response protocols that work
- recognizing warning signs in students
- strengthening bullying prevention for safer campuses
- hosting active shooter training with first responders
- real success stories from other schools
4. Speakers With Real Perspectives That Matter
More than one attendee last year named the keynote session as another highlight of their time at SchoolSAFE—and that’s an advantage of a national conference that isn’t usually found in a district training.
This year’s keynote speaker is Elizabeth Smart, bestselling author, advocate, and survivor who has helped promote The National Amber Alert and The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act.
Other incredible speakers join the line-up, such as
- Michele Gay, co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools
- Marti Neahring, Executive Director for Student and Family Services at West Aurora School District 129
- Ben Fernandez, School Psychologist and Crisis Intervention Specialist at Safe and Sound Schools
- Pat Hamilton, Alliance Director at The “I Love U Guys” Foundation
5. A Reset Period for Busy School Professionals
Another common theme guests have shared from past years is something less tangible than a session takeaway: a sense of renewal. Dr. Penny Schultz was candid about the toll school professionals endure when she said “It’s great work and I wouldn’t choose to do anything else, but it is exhausting. So, to come to a place where you get to experience all things school safety with so many educated professionals…it rejuvenates you.”
Marti Neahring noted something similar. “It’s nice to be able to come sit down in a room and collaborate with people who think similarly and are very focused on school safety. And that alone just gives me hope. That’s a pretty powerful thing to say—that a conference can give you hope.”
The Best School Safety Conference to Attend This Year
You’ve heard it from attendees themselves. Raptor’s SchoolSAFE conference makes a lasting impact on each guest who attends looking for support, best practices, advice, and even hope. And the bonus is the level of networking that happens so that school leaders in any role can build relationships with peers that last well beyond the conference.
Register for SchoolSAFE now and join a group of dedicated school professionals striving to create a safer path to learning on every campus.
2026 registration closes on October 2.
Related Resources
Prepare your staff for any emergency with a silent panic alert system. Use this guide to make your decision: A Case for Wearable Panic Alerts: Helping Schools Choose and Adopt the Right One
