DeKalb County Schools’ Superintendent Devon Horton appointed to inaugural Homeland Security School Safety Advisory Board

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—Devon Q. Horton, Superintendent of the DeKalb County School District, has been selected to serve on the newly-formed Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board.

The DeKalb schools’ chief is one of only three superintendents appointed to the inaugural national advisory board. DCSD, Georgia’s third-largest school district, serves more than 92,000 students in 138+ schools and centers, behind the Cobb County School District with 106,358 students in 112 schools, and Gwinnett County Public Schools, Georgia’s largest school district, with 182,000 students in 142 schools.

The 26-member board comprises school safety experts and education leaders who will provide critical guidance and recommendations to enhance K-12 school safety and security. The board will advise Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on implementing evidence-based school safety practices.

The board’s recommendations will be published on SchoolSafety.gov, a federal platform offering school safety resources and guidance.

“I am honored to serve on this advisory board and contribute to the national effort to create safer learning environments. In a world with ever-shifting and elevated threats, I believe our collective experiences will be constructive in helping develop practical solutions that improve protection for our students, staff, and communities,” Horton said.

This week’s DHS announcement comes nearly two years after the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act expanded the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse and mandated the creation of this advisory board. The board represents diverse perspectives from various fields, including education, public safety, cybersecurity, and civil rights.

The inaugural members of the advisory board are: as follows:

• Ronn Nozoe, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Secondary School Principals (Chair);
• Kevin Armstrong, President-elect, National Association of Elementary School Principals;
• Tami Benton, President, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry;
• Shani Buggs, Assistant Professor, University of California Davis Violence Prevention Research Program and Founder, The Black and Brown Collective;
• Mo Canady, Executive Director, National Association of School Resource Officers;
• Noel Candelaria, Secretary-Treasurer, National Education Association;
• Jennifer DePaoli, Senior Researcher, Learning Policy Institute;
• Michele Gay, Founder and Executive Director, Safe and Sound Schools;
• Seth Gerson, Program Director, K-12 Education, National Governors Association;
• Alison Grodzinski, Managing Director, National Center for School Safety;
• Christine Harms, Director, Colorado Office of School Safety;
• Nicole Hockley, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sandy Hook Promise;
• Devon Horton, Superintendent, DeKalb County School District, Georgia;
• Yvonne Johnson, President, National Parent Teacher Association;
• Brent Jones, Superintendent, Seattle Public Schools, Washington;
• Liz King, Senior Program Director, Education Equity, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights;
• Keith Krueger, Chief Executive Officer, Consortium for School Networking;
• Tim Lutz, Superintendent, Red Lake School District, Minnesota;
• Chad Marlow, Senior Policy Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union;
• Donna Michaelis, Director, Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety;
• Tony Montalto, President, Stand With Parkland;
• David Osher, Vice President and Institute Fellow, American Institutes for Research;
• Melissa Reeves, Past President, National Association of School Psychologists;
• Marlene Sallo, Executive Director, National Disability Rights Network;
• David Schuler, Executive Director, The School Superintendents Association; and
• Debra Wilson, President, National Association of Independent Schools.

CISA will convene the board for its first meeting in Fall 2024. The Board is administered by CISA on behalf of the Secretary.

To learn more about the Board, visit CISA.gov.