W E B I N A R
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About 1 Hour
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Join school safety, community, and law enforcement leaders for a practical look at how one district is working upstream to protect students, reduce violence, and strengthen school safety through early intervention and collaboration.
In this session, Nick Caputo (Lynchburg City Schools, VA), Sara Weir (AAA Club Alliance), Officer Robert Sacks (Lynchburg Police Department SRO Unit), and Christopher M. Sumner, Ph.D. (Lynchburg City Schools, VA) share how Lynchburg City Schools partnered with AAA Club Alliance to build a mentorship-based safety program focused on trust, positive adult relationships, and early intervention in an effort to mitigate gang recruitment.
The discussion focuses on what this looks like in practice across different grade levels, warning signs to watch for, and the unique way they are using safety program resources to positively change student outcomes, leading to safer schools and communities.
Nick Caputo is the Lynchburg City Schools Division Coordinator for School Safety & Security, with extensive experience in physical security, crisis management, and the development of technology-driven safety infrastructure. He is committed to fostering safe, supportive learning environments by integrating advanced systems such as IP Network camera systems, AI-driven analytics, firearm detection, interactive maps, mass notification systems, and physical security measures.
His approach emphasizes collaboration with law enforcement, community organizations, and external agencies to address physical security, mental health, and emergency preparedness. Nick has worked closely with school districts and external partners to design and implement comprehensive safety strategies that empower educators, students, and families.
Sara Weir is the Manager of Training and Education at AAA Club Alliance, where she leads traffic safety and school-based education programs across a 13-state region. She oversees outreach and training initiatives that support thousands of schools through programs focused on student safety, leadership development, and prevention.
With more than 15 years of experience in education, training, and community engagement, Sara works closely with schools, districts, and partner organizations to implement programs that build positive relationships, encourage student responsibility, and support safer school environments. She has helped expand the AAA School Safety Patrol program to more than 3,400 active schools and regularly shares best practices at national conferences and is an ALICE-trained instructor.
Sara brings a practitioner’s perspective to prevention, with a background that spans K–12 education, instructional design, and large-scale training delivery focused on student wellbeing and safety.
Officer Sacks was born and raised in South Plainfield, New Jersey. After graduating high school, he proudly served four years in the United States Marine Corps as a Field Radio Operator. In 2015, Officer Sacks joined the Lynchburg Police Department, where he currently serves as the Relief Supervisor for the School Resource Officer Division. He is assigned to EC Glass High School, which serves over 1,100 students.
Throughout his career, Officer Sacks has been actively involved in school safety operations, including his role in the Sandusky Middle School incident, where he helped lead the search and recovery of a firearm on campus. Officer Sacks is a Defensive Tactics Instructor and holds certifications to teach Civilian Response to Casualty Care and Exterior Response to Active Shooter Events (ALERRT).
Dr. Christopher Sumner is a veteran educator with 23 years of experience, including 13 years as a teacher and 10 years as a school administrator. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University, with an emphasis on policy, equity, and justice. Dr. Sumner has served in rural, urban, and suburban school divisions as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and currently as a Director of Student Services. His work includes successful school turnaround efforts, distinguished school recognition, and proactive collaboration with school resource officers (SROs), law enforcement, and more recently, the Lynchburg City Schools Coordinator of School Safety and Security to promote safe, supportive school environments.