2026 School Safety Training Forum

Kim Simon is a retired Virginia law enforcement officer with more than 30 years of experience across patrol, undercover investigations, accreditation, crisis negotiation, and training leadership. She is nationally recognized for advancing safe, effective school–law enforcement partnerships and for creating practical, research-based tools that improve how officers and educators work with youth. As the former School Resource Officer Training and Program Coordinator for the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety at the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), Kim directed statewide SRO and SSO programs, developed Virginia’s updated Model SRO Memorandum of Understanding, led the development of the 2022 Virginia School–Law Enforcement Partnership Guide, and authored state-mandated curricula on CPTED, de-escalation, and crisis response. Her leadership helped shape the standards and resources used by every public-school division in Virginia. A certified IADLEST instructor, Kim has trained thousands of officers, school security personnel, educators and administrators from Virginia to California, and as far away Guam. In 2019 she created Tilt the Prism™ – Shift your view, improve your outcome, a trademarked training framework integrating communication, mediation, and trauma-informed de-escalation strategies. Her programs consistently deliver measurable results, while strengthening trust between schools, students, and law enforcement. Kim’s credibility comes from both practice and policy: in addition to her DCJS experience, she has trained threat assessment teams, served as a school emergency manager, and later served as National Law Enforcement Training Director for Strategies for Youth, advancing evidence-based curricula nationwide. She is a national speaker on topics ranging from adolescent brain development and trauma to constitutional policing in schools, and she continues to consult with school districts, law enforcement agencies, and policymakers. As part of her commitment to supporting safe schools and communities, Kim sits on a variety of advisory boards to include IMPART (Improving Police-Adolescent Relations Through Training), NCPCV (National Center for the Prevention of Community Violence), and Strategies for Youth. Kim remains committed to helping agencies and schools build safer, more supportive environments where safety and dignity go hand in hand.