Info Gathering for Threat Assessment: Essential Skills for K-12 (Half Day)

School Safety and Security

Date(s) & Time(s)

May 1, 2026   ~  8:30 am - 1:00 pm

Workshop Description

Dr. Stephanie Leite is a forensic psychologist holding licenses in many states, including Connecticut, New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Dr. Leite has worked with high-risk children, adolescents, and adults for over 25 years, focusing on the prevention of violence and specializing in threat assessment and management. In addition, Dr. Leite is the past president of the New England Chapter of Threat Assessment Professionals, the past president of the forensic division of the Connecticut Psychological Association and is affiliated with the University of Hartford and Columbia University.

Join us for this 4.5-hour training designed to enhance your information-gathering capabilities in school-based threat assessment. Through extensive hands-on activities and practical exercises, participants will develop critical interview and investigation skills necessary for effective threat assessment in educational settings.

A good interview is the key to a good investigation. This interactive training will equip you with proven techniques for conducting thorough, ethical, and effective interviews across diverse school populations. You'll learn specialized approaches for interviewing persons of concern (POCs), student witnesses and peers, students with disabilities, parents, and other professionals involved in the assessment process.
Beyond interview skills, we'll explore additional information gathering methods including effective use of educational records, behavioral documentation, and an introduction to Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques appropriate for school settings.
Key topics include:
- Trauma-informed interviewing practices that prioritize student wellbeing
- Techniques to recognize and minimize deception
- Strategies to identify and avoid cognitive bias in the assessment process
- Adapting communication approaches for different populations and developmental levels

This training is intended for K?12 school employees and staff members. There is no fee to attend this presentation, however, seating is very limited and registration is required. Registration must be completed using a valid school-issued email address. Individuals who are not properly registered with a valid school email will not be admitted into the training.

School Safety Specialists will receive training hours for attending this presentation.

Location

Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands
1280 Wall Street West
Room C505
Lyndhurst, NJ 07071

Registration

Registration is open until April 28, 2026.
There are currently 19 seats available.

>> Online Registration

Contact Information

Karen Carella
Office of School Preparedness & Emergency Planning
200 Riverview Plaza
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-376-3574

>> school.security@doe.nj.gov