I’m joined on this episode by the founder and CEO of CommSafe AI, retired Navy SEAL, and long-time friend, Ty Smith to talk about school safety. As a high school teacher, I spend almost more time in the classroom than I do at home, and with an increasing number of school shootings over the last few years, I wanted to talk with Ty to find out what school systems and teachers can do to make our schools, students, and ourselves safer.

Some background to the discussion: In January of 2023, Tennessee’s state legislature introduced SB1325 and HB1202 that, if passed, would allow teachers to “possess and carry a firearm while on school grounds” provided that the teacher possesses an enhanced handgun carry permit, have written permission from the school system director and principal of the school, have undergone a psychological examination, and have successfully completed 40 hours of basic training in school policing each year.

Recalling Ty’s video he released a few year ago on LinkedIn addressing the topic of arming teachers, I wanted to have him join the show to find out if his opinion had changed since then, get his advice for teachers who might choose to arm themselves if their states allow them to, and to get any other thoughts on increasing the safety in our schools.

On the topic of safety, few are better qualified to weigh in on the topic. Ty retired from the U.S. Navy after a 20 year career which included several years as a military police officer prior to 9/11, and over 15 years as a Navy SEAL following 9/11. While in the Teams, Ty had six combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was awarded a Bronze Star and a Navy Joint Commendation Medal, both with honors for heroism and valor.

After a successful career is the SEAL Teams and earning a graduate degree from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, Ty founded Vigilance Risk Solutions with the aim of helping businesses and organizations provide enhanced security for their employees. In January of 2022, Vigilance Risk Solutions was renamed CommSafe AI after the company expanded into the AI market and began creating communications analysis software for organizations to use as a tool to provide insights into employee well-being and branding risk.

Ty Smith is in the business of protecting people, and I was really excited to sit down with him for a few minutes to talk about school safety, and I hope that you will find this conversation as intelligent and rational as I did.

To learn more about CommSafe AI, check them out on the web at commsafe.ai

Click here to find Ty on LinkedIn.