Imperial County – The Imperial County Office of Education is committed to improving the quality of life in our community.  Our students’ safety and well-being are paramount to promoting strong families and students who are prepared for life, college and career. 

As part of an ongoing partnership with Sandy Hook Promise, schools throughout Imperial Valley participated in a training on Safety Assessment and Intervention on October 14th and 15th.  This Safety Assessment and Intervention training is a national evidence-based violence prevention training program researched and developed by Dewey G. Cornell, Ph.D., a forensic clinical psychologist and Professor of Education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. This program exists in over 1,000 schools and organizations across the United States.

Safety Assessment and Intervention involves (a) identifying threats and signs of an impending violent act, (b) determining the seriousness of the threat or sign and (c) developing intervention plans that protect potential victims and address the underlying problem or conflict that initiated the behavior. This program helps create safer, healthier homes, schools and communities by accessing help for individuals who may pose an imminent or longer-term threat to themselves or others.  

The Safety Assessment and Intervention training is part of the collective commitment of our school districts to do their part to help keep our communities safe.  The training fits directly with the Imperial Valley School Threat Protocols, which are under development and will serve as a guide not only for schools, but also for the investigative, prosecutorial, and offender supervisory team as they collaborate to address challenges that arise at our schools.