Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced Thursday that August 4 through 8 will be campus and school safety week in Virginia. Events throughout the week will highlight the importance of all-hazards preparedness on school and college campuses, beginning with the second annual Governor’s Campus Preparedness Conference at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“It is vital to the safety of our schools and campuses that we not only are reactive, but proactive in promoting preparedness,” says Kaine. “The week’s events will bring together officials from across the country to share best practices and ensure that we are well prepared for any future crises.”

Higher education institutions across Virginia have been invited to attend the Governor’s Campus Preparedness Conference and review all-hazards preparedness initiatives. A series of featured panel discussions will address topics including pandemic flu, campus health programs, crisis communications, threat assessments and grant opportunities. This year’s Conference builds on the success of last year’s inaugural event focused on campus safety.

Representatives from Union University in Tennessee, Northern Illinois University, Delaware State University and University of New Orleans will also share their campus emergency lessons learned during a general session. This will be an exclusive look into how university leadership across our country handles natural or man-made crises.

The second part of the week will feature the 2008 Virginia School and Campus Safety Training Forum, August 5 to 6 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton. The Forum will include more than 700 safety practitioners on Virginia’s college and university campuses, numerous keynote speakers and breakout sessions focusing on a wide range of school and campus safety issues.

Participants will include the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Department of State Police, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Office of the Attorney General, Virginia Department of Health, Virginia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, University of Virginia, Virginia Community College System, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance and many more.

The conference will include presentations on “Lessons Learned from Virginia Tech: A Collaborative Approach to Prevention and Response,” “Overcoming the Risk Factors for Gang Involvement” and “Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act: Information Sharing and School and Campus Safety.” Other topics will include “Multi-Hazard Planning for Public Schools,” “Disproportionate Minority Contact,” “Bomb Threat Management and Prevention” and “Campus Rape Prevention.”