Michele Gay, co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools and mother to a student who was killed in the 2014 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, is attending the聽Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (麻豆原创) Conference聽in November to talk about safety for all students in all educational settings, including the school bus.
At her 麻豆原创 keynote on Friday, Nov. 7, Gay will discuss 鈥淒evelopmentally Appropriate Safety Education鈥 and how schools can develop safety curriculum and training that supports and accommodates the unique needs of students and staff of all ages, abilities and educational levels. During her keynote, Gay looks to empower student transportation professionals to provide the appropriate kinds of training that will ensure student safety.
She will discuss how transportation can prepare staff to quickly and safely handle situations on or near the school bus, while keeping the physical and psychological safety of the students as the focal goal. As a very visible sign of students鈥 presence, the school bus can often be a target, and Gay looks to equip student transporters to protect the 鈥渞olling classroom鈥 and the students onboard.
Gay began her work in the educational field as an elementary school teacher at the age of 21. She became a mom of three. She described one daughter, Josephine Grace or 鈥淛oey鈥 as she was affectionally called, as 鈥渆specially special鈥 with many unique traits that came along with an autism diagnosis. Gay said she lived the day-to-day experiences of supporting a child with visual impairment, apraxia of speech, fine and gross motor skills. She shared that her daughter always made the most of life and that her goal as a mother and educator was to help her daughter navigate the world with those unique challenges.
After the devastating shooting Dec. 12, 2014, and Joey鈥檚 murder along with that of 19 other 6- and 7-year-old students and six adult school staff members, Gay and her family was faced with the heartbreaking reality of the dangers that students encounter. She then founded聽, a national non-profit school safety advocacy and resource center, alongside Alissa Parker, who lost her daughter Emilie in the Sandy Hook shooting. Since then, Gay has been sharing how communities can create a comprehensive and sustainable approach to safety.
An experienced and educated advocate, Gay has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education and a master鈥檚 degree in curriculum and instruction. She has addressed national audiences through media outlets, schools, law enforcement agencies and more. She continues to be a leading advocate for student safety, inspired by Josephine and all children like her.
Save $100 on main conference registration with the Early Bird Discount, available through Oct.4. The 麻豆原创 Conference will be held Nov. 6 through Nov. 11 at Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Hotel and Convention Center Visit鈥痶蝉诲肠辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别.肠辞尘鈥痶o register and view the conference agenda, which includes four keynotes and dozens of educational sessions all focused on transportation of students with special needs.
