Philadelphia summit brings national experts together to address warning signs, youth radicalization, behavioral threat assessment and violence prevention.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES, August 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- NATIONAL EXPERTS TO CONFRONT SCHOOL VIOLENCE, YOUTH RADICALIZATION AND EMERGING THREATS AT PHILADELPHIA SUMMIT

Education to Action School Safety Summit will unite educators, behavioral health professionals, law enforcement and security leaders around strategies to identify risks and intervene before violence occurs

Long before violence occurs in a school, there are often warning signs: a student experiencing deep isolation, escalating grievances, exposure to extremist online communities, or untreated trauma. To help communities recognize and act on these signs, national experts across education, behavioral health, law enforcement, and physical security will convene at Connected & Protected: The Education to Action School Safety Summit 2026, set for Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Philadelphia.

Presented by Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, the one-day national summit will take place at Cyto Smartspace at Cira Centre. The program is designed to move the national school safety conversation beyond emergency response, equipping participants with practical strategies to prevent violence, strengthen student connectedness, improve behavioral threat assessment, and build safer physical environments.
"The safest schools aren't built through a single product, policy or technology, they're built through preparation, partnership and a shared commitment to prevention," said Paul Timm, PSP, Director of Education Safety at Allegion and one of the nation's leading school security experts. "Every school deserves practical strategies that bring together educators, behavioral health professionals, families, law enforcement and community partners around one common goal: protecting students."

Prevention Before a Crisis
As school communities face a complicated mix of threats, including targeted violence, suicide, cyber risks, and online radicalization, the summit will focus on what can be done before an emergency occurs. Participants will examine how early concerns are reported, evaluated, and managed, and how information can be shared responsibly across systems.

“School safety is not the responsibility of one principal, one counselor, one police officer or one security system,” said Christin Kinman, MPH, CPTED, an Allegion security consultant and summit organizer. “It takes a connected network of educators, clinicians, families, public safety professionals, and community organizations who understand their roles and are prepared to act together. This summit is about helping people connect the information, resources and relationships that can prevent a crisis and protect a young person.”

National Keynotes on Threat Assessment and Radicalization
The summit will feature leading voices in violence prevention and deradicalization:
• Dr. Melissa M. Nelson, a national K-12 school safety and threat assessment expert affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh, will present “Leading Before the Crisis: Coordinated BTAM That Prevents Violence.” Using real targeted violence cases, Nelson will outline how Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) can help multidisciplinary teams evaluate concerns and reduce risk.
• Allizandra Herberhold, LMSW, a deradicalization interventionist and owner of Seeking Safer Pathways LLC, will present “Radicalization in Real Time: What Schools Must See and Stop.” She will discuss evolving online extremist communities and introduce protocols to identify risk and intervene before ideology progresses toward violence.
• Dr. Bruno Dias, Ph.D., CTM, PCI, a national expert in violence prevention and behavioral threat assessment, will provide a real-world look at how multidisciplinary teams can identify concerning behavior, assess risk and interrupt a potential pathway toward violence. Actionable Strategies for a National Audience.

While hosted in Philadelphia, the summit addresses national challenges. Breakout sessions and case studies, including one led by violence prevention expert Dr. Bruno Dias, will cover trauma-informed responses, mental health literacy, physical security, smart credentials, and strategic security investments for limited budgets.

The summit is designed for superintendents, school administrators, teachers, counselors, behavioral threat assessment teams, school resource officers, mental health professionals, law enforcement, and community organizations.
Event Details
• What: Connected & Protected: Education to Action School Safety Summit 2026
• Theme: Real Strategies. Real Stories. Real Impact.
• When: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026 | 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Cyto Smartspace at Cira Centre, Philadelphia
• Presented by: Allegion
• Media Opportunities: Advance and on-site interviews with keynote speakers, security experts, and behavioral health professionals are available upon request.

Learn more about the Education to Action: Connected and Protected School Security Summit here: https://lp.allegion.com/school-safety-summit.

About the Education to Action: Connected and Protected School Security Summit
Connected & Protected: Education to Action School Safety Summit is a national convening focused on coordinated, evidence-informed approaches to protecting young people. The summit brings together education, behavioral health, public safety, healthcare, and security professionals to strengthen violence prevention, student well-being and school preparedness.

About Allegion
At Allegion (NYSE: ALLE), we design and manufacture innovative security and access solutions that help keep people safe where they live, learn, work, and connect. We’re pioneering safety with our strong legacy of brands like CISA^®, Interflex^®, LCN^®, Schlage^®, SimonsVoss^®, Von Duprin^®. Our comprehensive portfolio of hardware, software and electronic solutions is sold around the world and spans residential and commercial locks, door closer and exit devices, steel doors and frames, access control and workforce productivity systems. For more, visit www.allegion.com.

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