Pre-Conference | Tuesday, July 28, 2026 | 10AM – 4PM

U.S. Secret Service Research, Analysis and Key Findings of Targeted and Averted School Violence

For over 25 years, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) has conducted research on the thinking and behaviors of those who commit acts of targeted school violence, in an effort to prevent future acts from occurring. Key findings from this research indicate that establishing multidisciplinary threat assessment teams and encouraging school communities to report concerning behaviors are critical steps in the prevention of targeted violence.

This presentation will highlight case studies, key findings, and recommendations from NTAC’s latest research reports examining targeted school violence and averted attacks at K-12 schools in the United States. It will also focus on how communities can use a multidisciplinary behavioral threat assessment approach to identify and assess students exhibiting concerning or threatening behaviors and apply appropriate interventions to ensure safety and promote successful outcomes for the students.

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Safer Schools Together is committed to ending school violence by encouraging school districts to create positive, safe, and caring learning environments for every student, staff, and parent. Using best practices from the field of School Safety and Threat Assessment, SST assists teams in the early identification and intervention of individuals on the pathway to violence. We offer professional training for law enforcement agencies, school districts, and community partners. With comprehensive prevention and intervention strategies, SST provides School Safety and Threat Assessment Teams with the tools needed, to build capacity and sustainability. Our services are designed to ensure students, staff, schools, and communities have access to a safe, caring, and inclusive learning environment, both online and offline.

Susan is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and worked as a Professor in School Psychology at Eastern Washington University (2005-2026). She has served in multiple leadership roles for WSASP, including president (2012-2014) and NASP Delegate (2019-2022). She led the WSASP writing team for the 2014 Professional Practice Guidelines for Evaluating Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) and was the lead author on the Using Response to Intervention for Evaluating SLD section of the guidelines.

Over the past two decades, Susan has supported RTI and MTSS at the state level. She completed the National Center for Response to Intervention (NCRTI) Train-the-Trainer in 2011 and served as one of four RTI Evaluators for the Improving Core Subject Instruction for all Students Pilot Project (HB 2136) and the Retooling Instruction through Response to Intervention, 2009-2012. She co-developed a state training manual with NEWESD 101, Using the NCRTI Integrity Rubric and Washington RTI Site Interview form to Evaluate and Assist Teams with Implementation (2012). Susan served on the OSPI Specific Learning Disabilities Cadre (2019-2021) and was a faculty member for the Washington Administrators Improving MTSS (AIMS) project. She served on the writing team for the OSPI 2024 revisions to guidelines for SLD identification.

In 2024-2025, Susan revised the 2012 Washington State semi-structured interview and facilitator’s guide to align with the American Institutes for Research (AIR, 2025) MTSS Fidelity of Implementation Rubric for school leadership teams to identify needs and priorities for improved MTSS implementation. Susan also provides PREPaRE crisis prevention and response training and served as the coordinator for EWU’s graduate certificate in Social and Emotional Learning for Educational Equity (SEL-EE).

About the Pre-Conference
Special education directors carry one of the most demanding portfolios in K–12 leadership: federal and state policy that never stops shifting, families and communities who deserve our best on the hardest days, and budgets that determine what is possible for students. The Washington CASE Pre-Conference is built for the people doing this work.
Join us for a focused day of practical learning and peer connection ahead of the 2026 MTSS Conference. You’ll hear from a leader who has shaped special education at both the federal and state levels, work through real-world scenarios on community complaints and due process with legal and district experts, and choose the finance deep dive that fits where you are — whether you’re new to Program 267 and the Washington funding landscape, or ready to push beyond the basics. The day closes with structured peer consultancy on the topics directors most need to talk through right now.
This pre-conference is designed exclusively for special education directors and the leaders who support them. Come ready to think hard, ask the questions you’ve been holding, and leave with both colleagues and tools you can use Monday morning. We hope to see you there.

The WA CASE Special Education Pre-Conference offers a focused, high-impact learning experience designed specifically for special education leaders. This session brings together state and district expertise to examine the intersection of policy, practice, and leadership. Participants will engage in timely discussions on federal and state guidance, navigate complex processes such as community complaints and due process, and deepen their understanding of special education finance. The pre-conference also provides opportunities for collaborative problem-solving through facilitated consultancy, allowing leaders to learn directly from real district challenges. Attendees will leave with practical strategies, clearer insights, and strengthened connections to support their work in leading effective and compliant special education systems.

Where Federal Policy Meets District Reality – presented by Glenna Wright-Gallo

Glenna Wright-Gallo is a national leader in disability policy, inclusive education, and workforce systems. She serves as Vice President of the Office of Strategic Research and Policy at Everway, where she aligns research, policy, and technology to improve outcomes for diverse learners.
With more than 25 years of experience across federal, state, and local systems, she most recently served as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, overseeing OSEP and RSA and leading national efforts under IDEA and the Rehabilitation Act.
Previously, she held leadership roles in Utah and Washington State, driving system-wide reforms focused on high expectations, universal design for learning, assistive technology, and improved transition outcomes.
 
Her work centers on shifting systems from compliance to proactive design by aligning policy, funding, and data systems to expand access and opportunity. As an individual with a disability, she brings lived experience and a strong focus on access, independence, and student agency.
 
At Everway, she advances the use of evidence-based practices, assistive technology, and AI to support scalable implementation across education and workforce systems, contributing to Everway’s mission to expand access to opportunity for all learners.