Dr. Tara Raines, a NASP highlighted speaker, will be traveling to us from the west coast to educate us on "Multicultural Consultation Skills: Supporting and Collaborating with Law Enforcement in Schools."  School psychologists can leverage their multi-cultural consultation skills to help support the work of police in schools. The role of law enforcement officers in schools should be to promote safe school climate and learning environments, NOT to criminalize students. School psychologists have the tools to shift this paradigm. Partnerships between school psychologists and police could foster constructive conversations about disproportionality, how to appropriately interact with students with disabilities, and best practices in discipline. This presentation will highlight an understanding of law enforcement culture, tools for collaboration with our police officers and a guide for how to build and sustain working relationships with law enforcement officials. 

We are also pleased to have Mr. Aaron Ellis and his team from Pathways present to us on "Drug Impacted Communities: Informing, Encouraging and Overcoming."  Pathways is an organization committed to addressing the drug use and addiction needs of our Commonwealth. Their mission focuses on strengthening individuals, serving families, and supporting communities. As new and more potent drugs trickle into Kentucky they are making their way into the hands of our students and changing the landscapes of our schools and towns. How can we be more educated on this crisis? What can we do to help? Mr. Ellis and his team will be educating us on the new and upcoming drug trends we should prepare for while also giving us some unique perspectives on the topic. Their presentation will wrap up with a panel of 3 individuals who will share their personal experiences, stories, philosophies and journeys and how they are now working together to positively change and support their communities.