PINEHURST, N.C. - eTradeWire -- In an era of polarizing debates around school safety, Sandhills Classical Christian School in Pinehurst, NC hosted a School Safety Summit on June 16 that defied expectations. Powered by real conversations, actionable insights, and an energized turnout of safety professionals and educators from across the country, the event placed readiness, not fear, at the center of the conversation.

Organized in partnership with Active Defender (https://active-defender.com/), a North Carolina-based safety technology company founded by former Department of Defense engineer Jim Boyte, the summit featured live demonstrations, interactivebreakout sessions, and a keynote walkthrough of the platform that reimagines how schools can communicate in crisis.

"The caliber of speakers at this summit was exceptional — truly some of the most influential voices on safetyand resilience I've ever had the privilege to hear," said one participant."

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Empowering Safety Leaders with Tools and Mindset

Throughout the day, participants shared best practices and challenges from vastly different environments —all while uniting around a common goal: moving beyond reactionary policies and towards empowered, situationally aware teams.

Workshops focused on overcoming communication breakdowns, simplifying coordination during emergencies, and using technology to reinforce — not replace — human intuition.

Active Defender's approach? Build a backbone of trust. The platform, has been adopted by schools and districts like Pittsburg Independent School District (Pittsburg, TX), Escalon Unified School District (Escalon, CA), and

Madison-Ridgeland Academy (Madison, MS) and provides an instant link between educators, lawenforcement, and administrators when every second counts.

"We've practiced the drills and lived through the anxiety," said another attendee. "But this gave us a sense of peace. We left feeling prepared — not scared."

A Human-Centered Vision

The summit reinforced the Active Defender philosophy: that safety is a skill, not a scare tactic. Attendees echoed appreciation for the platform's simplicity and the summit's nonpartisan, solution-first approach.

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"This is about restoring agency to those who know their buildings and students best — not pushing a product," said Boyte.

About Active Defender

Active Defender is a mission-driven company specializing in real-time communication systems designed forschool safety. Founded by a DoD software engineer and father of three, the platform is a low-bandwidth, high-trust solution for emergency coordination. The company was recently named a recipient of the NC IDEA SEED Grant for high-impact startups.

Fast Facts:
School Safety Leadership Summit

Event Date: June 16, 2025
Location: Sandhills Classical Christian School, Pinehurst, NC
Total Attendees: 40
Schools Represented: 20
Farthest Location Attended: Arizona
Guest Speakers: Bobby Brasher, DOJ-Certified De-Escalation Expert | Rob DePriest, FBI Crisis Expert