MSU’s Prevent 2 Protect creates safer schools

Content warning: This story addresses the topics of active shooter events and school safety.

News of mass violence makes most people quietly wonder what could have been done to prevent it. But instead of worrying about what’s coming next, Alyse Folino Ley has taken matters into her own hands by creating a community-involved program that’s saving Michigan students, teachers and families in 40 districts.

Early in her career, Ley, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and Michigan State University professor, interviewed survivors of mass casualty events. After talking with terrified families and listening to teachers who had protected their students during mass tragedies, Ley knew she could no longer accept a world where parents wondered if their kids would come home safely or where teachers had to stand in front of classroom doors to block bullets.

“I interviewed families, teachers and students who were present when school attacks occurred,” Ley said. “I was inspired by our teachers and school personnel who did everything possible during the attack to save lives. I never want another parent to be at a reunification center or a teacher to have to stand in front of a door.”

Video by: Garret Morgan, G. L. Kohuth, Nick Schrader

She teamed up with trauma specialist and MSU Professor Frank Ochberg to develop the model and secured state funding to launch Prevent 2 Protect, or P2P. The program focuses on early intervention for K-12 students who are at high risk of targeted violence and is housed in the MSU Department of Psychiatry within the colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Human Medicine and receives funding from the Michigan Department of Education.

The heart of the team are the case managers and mentors, many of whom are MSU alumni. These dedicated professionals support students and families every day in their communities. P2P stops violence before it happens and helps kids find a positive way to contribute to their community.

Building a lifeline

For decades, the standard response to a student making a threat has been suspension or expulsion. But kicking a child out of school rarely solves the underlying crisis; it often leaves grievances to grow in the dark. P2P is actively changing that trajectory.

An independent evaluation conducted by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health praised P2P for filling a critical gap, noting that the model enriches decision-making, reduces bias and supplies resources well beyond what schools alone can offer.

"When a young person makes a threat of targeted violence, the default reaction is often removal from school,” Ley said. “But kicking a child out does not necessarily resolve the grievance or keep others safe — and it may magnify the risk if the right supports and monitoring are not in place. Real safety comes from leaning in with compassion and addressing the root causes before it’s too late. Targeted violence, unlike impulsive aggression, is planned and premeditated. That gives us the opportunity to stop an act of violence before it happens and allows us to save lives.”

When a threat is identified

P2P provides a system of support across Michigan: community consultation and training accessible to any school or agency statewide, and regional Intensive Support Teams deployed in seven counties, including Lake, Oceana, Mason, Ingham, Calhoun, Genesee and Wayne.

When a student in a designated P2P region makes a threat, the school initiates a Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management review. If the threat is deemed credible, the student can be referred to P2P.

“In the past, if a student exhibited behaviors that didn’t necessarily lead to anything criminal in nature, we really didn’t have many avenues to go down as a law enforcement agency,” said Richard Grillo, chief of police for Meridian Township. “Now, with Prevent 2 Protect, we can get the student in contact with the resources they need right away, as opposed to waiting until something bad happens.”

Upon referral, P2P’s central Hub at MSU — a team of child psychiatrists, social workers, educators and law enforcement professionals — conducts a comprehensive, full-day assessment of the student’s psychiatric, medical, family, school and social needs.

Once an individualized care plan is created, P2P deploys a regional team that includes a case manager for the family and a mentor for the student. They meet with the child and family between three and 10 times per week to connect them with community resources, assist with healthcare navigation and offer consistent, positive companionship.

“Complex issues require complex solutions,” Ley emphasized. “A kid can’t escape their environment, so we work with the whole family. Parents want what is best for their children, but they can’t always access the resources they need.”

Protecting classrooms beyond the final bell

Managing modern school safety requires seamless coordination between security directors, police and classroom teachers. Katie Diehl became director of safety and security for Okemos and Haslett Public Schools following a 2023 false threat incident, bringing years of experience from her career with the Lansing Police Department.

“In the past, school safety responsibilities were distributed among people who had other full-time jobs,” Diehl said. “Taking a holistic approach means overseeing emergency plans and facilitating threat assessments across thousands of students. But a school alone cannot do this — it takes an approach by the entire community.”

Diehl works in partnership with P2P’s Ingham Regional Team. For Diehl and Grillo, P2P provides the community with a safety net in the management of high-risk youth because that team can provide continuous support even when classes are not in session.

“We have these children a certain amount of time per day, but when they go home, we lose that contact,” Diehl explained. “Prevent 2 Protect bridges that gap for us over holiday breaks and summers. It gives our staff a sigh of relief to know these students are still being cared for.”

That support directly protects teachers inside the classroom. Jon Hughey, a fourth-grade teacher at Cornell Elementary in Okemos with 12 years of experience, is grateful to have a resource like P2P in his community that helps to lift the burden placed on schools and teachers.

“It’s so hard for educators to be experts at everything,” Hughey noted. “Prevent 2 Protect team members wrap around us at school. After four o’clock, our time with students is over, and families who have had difficult experiences in the past might hesitate to trust school personnel. Prevent 2 Protect comes in and serves as that trusted bridge. It helps me feel safer at school, knowing we have experts looking out for these kids outside of school, too.”

As Michigan expands its safety requirements, P2P aims to serve as the central state hub for assessment, consultation and training — offering a tested model that can eventually serve schools in every community across Michigan.

“Identifying a threat is just the first step,” Ley said. “P2P serves as an ongoing resource for the school community, providing continuous longitudinal support and management of our highest risk youth. Prevention requires long-term monitoring — it isn’t a quick fix. Our goal is to be that safety net for the community.”

Restoring kids to their communities

Over the past four years, P2P’s impact across its partner districts has included:

• 140+ student referrals received from K-12 school districts
• 65+ high-risk adolescents supported daily with direct case management and mentorship
• 51 threat mitigations that successfully defused aggressive acts and potential acts of targeted school violence
• 38 suicide risk interventions implemented during critical moments of crisis
• 100+ community consultations completed statewide, including in rural regions and the Upper Peninsula
• 12,000+ individuals reached through professional development and school safety training

“We’re seeing kids whose lives are changing,” Ley shared. “Students who were going down the wrong path are now Student of the Month, graduating high school, joining the military or starting careers. True prevention is about changing the trajectory of an adolescent’s life by restoring human connection and a sense of community.”

For local leadership, that human connection brings lasting peace of mind.

“As a dad with kids in school, it makes me feel good knowing everyone is working toward one common goal,” Grillo said. “I am very confident that we have been able to intercept questionable behavior and get kids the help they need before safety is compromised.”

Where to find help

Anyone working with K–12 youth can contact P2P with questions. Training sessions are also listed on this site.

If you or someone you know is going through a tough time, struggling with mental health or feeling overwhelmed, help is available:

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 anytime — 24/7— to speak with a trained counselor. It is free and confidential.
• OK2SAY (Michigan): Call 8-555-OK2SAY (855-565-2729), text 652729 or submit a tip online to report school safety threats confidentially.
• Emergency assistance: In an imminent emergency, call 911 or notify a trusted school administrator or teacher immediately.