A Reckoning with School Safety: Chad Chaney on Courage, Accountability, and Prevention

📘 Episodic Synopsis (for episode notes):

What does school safety look like beyond metal detectors and fire drills? In this gripping and deeply personal episode, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Chad Chaney—Marine Corps veteran, retired law enforcement sergeant, and current school safety manager for Florida Virtual School—to explore what it truly means to keep students safe. After walking through the preserved crime scene at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Chad experienced a personal reckoning that redefined his mission: not just to prevent violence, but to hold systems accountable. From digital risk to trauma-informed strategy, this conversation calls on educators, parents, and leaders alike to notice the signs, act early, and rebuild trust.

📚 Show Notes:

🔹 Guest: Chad Chaney, School Safety Manager at Florida Virtual School

🔹 Website: Triple C Security Consulting

🔹 LinkedIn: Chad Chaney

🔹 Article: "What I Saw in Parkland, and Why it Still Drives Me"

🔹 Featured Tools and Resources:

• Interpreting Emojis Guide (Safer Schools Together)
• Raising Digitally Responsible Youth 2025 Toolkit

Key Highlights:

• Chad’s emotional walkthrough of Building 12 at MSD—and how it transformed his leadership.
• How educators can detect early behavioral threat indicators.
• Why “that’s just Johnny being Johnny” is never a sufficient excuse.
• Navigating institutional silence and escalating when your concerns are dismissed.
• Safety in virtual schools: unseen risks and new opportunities.
• Peer accountability, classroom culture, and building a village of care.
• Why digital boundaries at home are not optional—and what parents need to know.
• The essential role of multidisciplinary threat assessment teams.
• The importance of identifying “leakage” and red flags before it’s too late.
• A call to all adults: If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.