Preparing for a Mass Violence Incident in Your Community: Lessons Learned from Responding to Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia

Sunday, October 19, 2025

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM MT

Location: Mile High Ballroom 1EF, Colorado Convention Center

Following the tragic school shooting at Apalachee High School on September 4, 2024, the National Mass Violence Center (NMVC) immediately began assisting local stakeholders in their response. This included implementing best practices for establishing a Family Assistance Center and providing ongoing guidance on mental health support for students, parents, and educators. The response underscored a critical lesson: communities that had proactively prepared for potential violence demonstrated greater resilience in the weeks and months that followed. This session will explore the Apalachee High School response and emphasize the importance of collaboration among law enforcement, victim services, and mental health professionals across all phases—preparedness, response, and long-term recovery.

Submitter and Speaker(s)

Elizabeth Cronin, JD

Associate Academic Program Director
National Mass Violence Center
Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Speaker(s)

Cassidee Carlson, MA

Consultant
National Mass Violence Center
Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Angela D. Moreland, Ph.D.

Associate Director
National Mass Violence Center
Charleston, South Carolina, United States