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Meet Shelley, Lightspeed Safety Specialist

Lightspeed Alert™, Lightspeed Safety Specialists, Online Student Safety, School Violence Prevention

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Play Video about Shelley McCullough headshot image over embedded YouTube interview video

Hi Shelley! Thanks for taking the time to meet with us. Could you please introduce yourself and tell us about your career and your interests.

Hi! My name is Shelley McCullough, and before becoming a Lightspeed Safety Specialist, I was Deputy Sherriff for Tehama County, California, for 19 years. I also worked as a Domestic Violence advocate for a local non-profit and volunteer on the Tehama County Mental Health Board. As you can tell from my background, I’m all about helping people. That’s why I love working at Lightspeed.

How does Lightspeed Alert work to save lives?

The moment we identify a threat to a student—of violence, or of self-harm—we let the district and law enforcement know in real time that something needs to be acted upon. That saves lives.

What has most surprised you since you became Lightspeed Safety Specialist?

Before I stated at Lightspeed, I did not realize that so many children want to hurt themselves at such a young age. This concerns me. Something needs to change: these children should be out riding their bikes or roller-skating, not looking up ways to hurt themselves on the internet. But if it takes us being here to help then I am in.

Could you tell us about a recent alert that you’ve seen?

Just last week, I received an alert on a student writing a “good-bye” letter in a Google Doc.  I followed the call-tree to reach district personnel, but since this situation was imminent, I called Law Enforcement. I teared up a little when I learned they were able to find the student and get him the help he needed. This was a tough one!

Would you recommend Lightspeed to another district? If so, please describe the value and benefits.

I would recommend Lightspeed to any district. The benefits of having someone monitor what these children are saying and searching on their computers is so important: if we can save any of these children from doing something awful, we need to do what it takes.

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TAGS : Lightspeed Alert™ Lightspeed Safety Specialists Online Student Safety School Violence Prevention

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