Established in 2005, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) leads the way to a safer and more secure Indiana.
On Jan. 6 and 7, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) held its first School Safety Summit. The event brought together nearly 1,000 school officials, representing 380 school corporations from across the state.
This year's summit focused on Behavioral Threat Assessments and Management (BTAM). BTAM is a proactive, team-based approach used in Indiana schools to identify and respond to behaviors that could signal harm to a student, a school or the broader community. By law, each school corporation must have a multi-disciplinary threat assessment team, including school administrators, counselors, mental health professionals, special education experts and law enforcement. These teams work together with parents to focus on behavior, support and prevention.
Governor Mike Braun made a commitment to keep students safe as part of his public safety agenda. In July 2025, he established the Office of School Safety under IDHS to carry out this promise.
“Our new Office of School Safety, and this summit, are helping set Indiana apart," said Governor Mike Braun. "The Office of School Safety is focused on giving schools the tools they need to create safe environments for our students. This summit has delivered on that goal by bringing together a wealth of talent, including administrators, board members and school resource officers, to encourage innovation and thinking outside the box."
[Pictured above: Gov. Mike Braun]
The first day included a welcome from Julie Q. Smith, IDHS' director of the Indiana Office of School Safety. "Indiana schools now have opportunities like never before to strengthen safety practices, deepen collaboration and elevate the support available to every school community", said Smith. "There is nothing more important than ensuring that our school buildings, filled with our most precious and vulnerable members of society are secure, supported and protected."
[Pictured above: Julie Q. Smith, IDHS' director of the Indiana Office of School Safety]
On the second day, breakout sessions explored various topics such as special education, warning signs of school violence, legal issues and more. Feature presenters included Dr. Melissa Reeves, Dr. Peter Langman, Dr. Bernard James and representatives from Safer Schools Together.
This initiative was led by IDHS' Office of School Safety, which was established in July 2025 and is responsible for school safety specialist training and certifications. The office supports Hoosier schools' safety efforts in a variety of ways by establishing and maintaining guidelines on school facility security, emergency response protocols and school safety plans. To learn more about the department, visit the IDHS website.