For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: kelsey@jgpr.net

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth Holds Annual School Safety Summit

WAKEFIELD — Executive Director Margie Daniels is pleased to share that Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) held a School Safety Summit last week.

Approximately 160 local educators and members of law enforcement attended the daylong conference on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlborough. 

“Listening to speakers discuss the best school safety practices provided a powerful opportunity for educators and law enforcement professionals to learn about recommended procedures and resources to foster healthy, safe school environments and respond appropriately and swiftly in the event of an emergency,” Daniels said. “We were able to have an incredibly rich conference thanks to the speakers who shared their insights, experiences and provided guidance for navigating complex school safety issues.”

At the conference, speakers shared best practices in school safety, including responding to bomb threat and cyber-threat incidents. The summit also examined the efficacy of threat assessment teams and how those multi-disciplinary teams can support a safe and secure school environment and reduce risk.  

State Sen. James Eldridge, State Rep. Kate Hogan and State Rep. Harold Naughton Jr. gave introductory remarks at the beginning of the event. 

“I was very happy to successfully file a budget amendment to secure $300,000 in funding for MPY, in the FY20 state budget,” said State Sen. Eldridge. “MPY does an amazing job educating students about current public health issues, from the opioid crisis to gun safety to vaping to domestic violence to healthy teen relationships. I’m confident that this boost in funding for MPY will allow them to further expand their outreach and education efforts.”

Speakers at the conference included Daniels, Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Undersecretary of Law Enforcement Terrence Reidy Esq., FBI Boston Supervisory Special Agent and Joint Terrorism Task Force Member Brian Leblanc, FBI Intelligence Analyst Tom Doyle and Chairman of the MPY Board of Directors and Retired Wakefield Police Chief Richard Smith.

“Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth has helped bring together what I think are the most important components of our society today; schools, emergency services, mental health providers and government leaders,” said Ret. Chief Smith.

Ret. Chief Smith also thanked the MPY team and Board of Directors for their collective efforts to promote school safety in Massachusetts.

About Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit 501.c(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration, and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth.

The nonprofit is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission.

To learn more, visit www.mpyinc.org.

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