37 Seconds: A Rapid Crisis Response and School Safety Reflection

Presenters

• Sabrina W. Smith, Valdosta City SchoolsFollow

First Presenter's Highest Degree Earned

MPSA (by the event)

Year First Presenter's Degree Was Awarded

2026

First Presenter's Field of Study

Criminal Justice

Institution Where First Presenter Received Highest Degree

Columbus State University

First Presenter's Institution

Valdosta City Schools

First Presenter's Brief Bio and Description of Credentials for This Presentation

Sabrina W. Smith serves as the Director of School Safety and Security for Valdosta City Schools. She brings 17 years of law enforcement experience, having served with the Valdosta Police Department in roles including Investigator, School Resource Officer, Supervisor, and Lieutenant in the Office of Professional Standards. Throughout her career, she has earned extensive training in crisis response, negotiations, and active threat intervention, and has been recognized for her leadership and dedication to youth and community engagement. As Crisis Negotiations Unit Team Leader, she coordinated responses to high-stakes situations requiring communication under pressure and decisive judgment. District-level oversight of school safety operations, emergency response systems, and crisis readiness training.

Location

Scarbrough 3

Document Type

Individual Presentation

Primary Strand

School Safety

Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics

School Safety

Brief Program Description

This presentation examines the 37-second response that changed the course of a school safety incident at an elementary school. We will explore key decisions, coordinated actions, reunification procedures, district support, and lessons learned that improved future preparedness. Attendees will gain insight into real-time crisis management, communication under pressure, and the value of reflective improvement in school safety planning.

Summary

On September 25, 2025, an elementary school faced a critical safety incident during student dismissal. Within 37 seconds, staff successfully initiated a campus-wide lockdown through the district's panic alert system, demonstrating how preparation, clarity of roles, and practiced procedures can directly impact safety outcomes. This presentation will walk participants through the real-time decisions, communication flow, and coordinated response efforts between school personnel, district leadership, and law enforcement that stabilized the situation and prevented further escalation.

Beyond recounting the incident, this session will equip attendees with actionable strategies to strengthen crisis readiness within their own schools and districts. Key takeaways will include: crafting and reinforcing staff emergency role assignments; designing dismissal and transition procedures that maintain supervision integrity; improving reunification planning; establishing emotional care protocols for students and staff; and using reflective debriefing to drive sustainable improvement.

Participants will leave with replicable practices and leadership considerations that support both immediate crisis response and long-term school safety culture. This session is designed to be practical, transparent, and supportive of educational leaders seeking to build confident, prepared, and unified school communities.

Evidence

• The proposed solution is grounded in evidence that rapid alerting, practiced procedures, and integrated response systems improve safety outcomes.

• It goes beyond isolated drills or technology purchases and builds a systemic practice model: alert system → role-based response → rehearsed procedures → reunification & recovery → reflection and improvement.

• It offers take-home value because participants can replicate key components: define roles, test alert-to-response timelines, map reunification flows, embed debrief routines, and apply wearable/instant alert technologies as one layer of the safety blueprint.

Learning Objective 1

Participants will be able to identify critical components of an effective rapid-lockdown response and describe how clarity of roles and communication impacts incident outcomes.

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to apply practical strategies for coordinating student release, reunification, and emotional support following a campus safety incident.

Learning Objective 3

Participants will be able to evaluate current school safety practices and incorporate reflection-based improvements to strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery protocols in their own settings.

Start Date

6-2-2026 2:15 PM

End Date

6-2-2026 3:15 PM

Recommended Citation

Smith, Sabrina W., "37 Seconds: A Rapid Crisis Response and School Safety Reflection" (2026). Southeast Conference on School Climate. 66.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/secsc/2026/2026/66

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.