2026 School Safety Training Forum

What makes a school a place students want to be—not just a place they are required to attend? In this interactive workshop, educators and leaders will explore how to design middle and high school environments and culture where safety, belonging, and engagement are inseparable—and where students build the resilience and pro-social skills needed to thrive in school and beyond. Grounded in the work of William Glasser and his five basic human needs—survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun—this session reframes classroom and school culture through a trauma-informed, learner-centered lens. Participants will examine how unmet needs often surface as disengagement or behavior challenges, and how intentional design can transform those moments into opportunities for connection, regulation, and growth. Participants will explore designs for learning that positively engage learners within the full school environment and through supportive relationship strategies in every learning space before, during, and after school. Participants will leave with strategies and practices they can immediately implement to make a difference in the lives of all young people, but especially those who do not want to be in school.