Safety and Security Training for Schools and Universities

Educational Institutions

The Operational Reality

Schools are critical infrastructure. The Department of War classifies its schools as one of its most essential assets—not just for education, but for national readiness and force stability. That classification reflects an operational truth: schools face an active assailant threat that demands professional response capability, institutional planning, and trained personnel at every level. Threat Suppression has spent 15 years helping schools address this reality with the same rigor the DoW demands of its own institutions.

Why Schools Choose Threat Suppression

Campus Safety Institutional Authority

Our expertise is grounded in the institutions that set national standards for school and campus safety. Raymond Thrower, Jr., past president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), leads our campus safety work. Ray authored the IACLEA Blueprint for Safer Schools, the foundational document that guides institutional emergency response across higher education. He is a Clery Compliance Officer and has spent 45 years in campus public safety leadership, including serving as director of public safety and chief of police at multiple major universities.

This institutional authority means our recommendations reflect not just operational experience, but the standards and best practices adopted by universities and school districts nationwide. When we advise on emergency operations plans, threat assessment protocols, and staff training, we are implementing the frameworks that IACLEA and the Blueprint established as the standard of care. Our team is further anchored by university professors, researchers, police chiefs, fire chiefs, former federal agents, attorneys, forensic psychiatrists, emergency managers, and much more.

Operational Credibility Across K-12 and Higher Education

Our team members hold many specialized board certifications, including Certified Threat Manager (CTM), Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Physical Security Professional (PSP), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Clery Compliance Operator (CCO), Certified Human Resource Manager (SHRM-CP), and more. Not only are we experienced and certified, we bring operational experience from actual critical incidents, not theoretical training. Our members have commanded multiple active assailant events at educational institutions. In conjunction with Guidepost Solutions, our personnel authored the comprehensive after-action report of the 2021 Oxford High School mass shooting.

Active assailant response requires the same planning discipline, staff training rigor, and administrative decision-making capability regardless of whether the institution is a public school, university, or military installation. The Department of Defense recognizes this. We are a primary provider of integrated active assailant training for DoD schools, work that requires federal security clearances and proven capability at scale. But our expertise extends equally to civilian K-12 districts and universities seeking the same institutional rigor.

Proven Track Record

Our clients span the full spectrum of educational institutions:

Major Universities and Higher Education: UNC General Administration, Duke University, University of Michigan, University of Arkansas, Oklahoma University, George Washington University, NYU, Texas State University, Eastern Michigan University, and 22+ other major university systems.
Large Urban and Suburban Districts: Prince William County Schools (Virginia's largest school district, serving 85,000+ students), Richland School District 1 (South Carolina, 27,000+ students), and 30+ other school districts across nine states.
Selective Private and Boarding Schools: The Hotchkiss School (one of the most exclusive boarding schools in the United States), and other independent institutions with institutional prestige and high security requirements.
Professional Organizations: Multiple state and regional law enforcement and school resource officer associations, professional school nurse organizations, school board insurance trusts, and national policy bodies.

Nearly 95% of our school contracts are sole-source or no-bid awards. Schools and universities that have already worked with us return directly—they don't bid the work competitively because they know what they need and who delivers it. This reflects institutional recognition of specialized expertise and measurable results.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Assessment and Planning

•School Security Analysis: Site-specific assessment of physical security, access control, communication systems, and response protocols, with prioritized recommendations •Emergency Operations Plan Development: Creation of comprehensive emergency response procedures tailored to institutional structure, threat profile, and existing resources •Behavioral Threat Assessment Program: Establishment of protocols to identify, assess, and manage potential threats before escalation

Administrator and Leadership Training

•School Administrator Active Shooter Response: Specialized training for principals, assistant principals, and senior staff on incident command, staff coordination, decision-making under pressure, and post-incident recovery •Crisis Communication Training: Protocols for internal staff communication, family notifications, media management, and community trust maintenance during and after crisis events •Tabletop Exercises: Realistic scenario-based planning sessions that test emergency operations plans and decision-making without operational disruption.

Staff and Student Training

•School Staff Emergency Response Training: Comprehensive instruction for teachers and support staff on evacuation procedures, shelter-in-place protocols, and response to active threats •Active Shooter Exercises: Full-scale or limited exercises that validate response procedures and identify gaps •Active Shooter Capable Guardian Training: Specialized instruction for designated staff or security personnel on armed response principles and decision-making

Specialized Services

•Threat Assessment and Threat Leakage Training: Recognition of behavioral indicators that precede violent incidents, designed for administrators, counselors, and security staff •School Bus Driver Training for Hostile Events: Procedures and decision protocols for drivers facing active threats or hostile situations •School Recovery and Continuity Operations: Post-incident planning and support to restore normal operations while maintaining psychological and physical safety •Individual Consultation: Case-specific analysis of concerning student or staff behavior, risk evaluation, and recommended interventions

Service Philosophy

We do not apply a standardized curriculum to every school. Every institution has distinct vulnerabilities, resources, and threat profiles. Our assessments identify what matters at your specific location. Our training is built around your emergency operations plan, your staff capabilities, and your institutional priorities.

All services are competitively priced. We work directly with school administrators and district leadership to understand constraints and deliver solutions that fit your budget and timeline.

Testimonials

"Within two weeks of training our county's 2,000 school employees, the training was directly credited with stopping two imminent attacks against schools in our county. Without the training, the attacks would have happened."

- Sean Grisba, Undersheriff Kay County Sheriff's Department, OK

"As the mother of two children who survived the attack at Sandy Hook Elementary, I am very grateful for the work Threat Suppression has done. I am honored to work alongside them to help schools prepare, respond, and recover from these events."

- Carly Posey, Sandy Hook Survivor Parent

"The FBI Milwaukee Field Office had the privilege of hosting this training on multiple occasions. The presentations were phenomenal! The FBI has partnered with active shooter training organizations since 2013, and Threat Suppression is a nationally recognized expert in the field of active shooters."

- Special Agent Jay Darin (ret), Wisconsin Active Shooter Coordinator Federal Bureau of Investigation-Milwaukee Field Office

"Active shooter events are incredibly complex. Even more complex is understanding the perpetrators and why they commit these acts. Very few have a comprehensive understand of these perpetrators. Even fewer can take such a complex event and put it into basic terms so that everyone can understand. Threat Suppression’s speakers are brilliant and impeccably eloquent. As the Superintendent of Newtown Public Schools, it was my job to lead the district in the recovery after the Sandy Hook shooting. From someone who has lived through an event, I can say that Threat Suppression is the real deal."

- Joseph Erardi, PhD Superintendent of Newtown Public Schools, 2013-2018

The Next Step

All services are competitively priced. We work directly with school administrators and district leadership to understand constraints and deliver solutions that fit your budget and timeline. You can fill out the contact form to the right, call us at 1-800-231-9106 or email us info@threatsuppression.com for more information.