DENVER — Threats to students and how to stop them are top of mind for just about everyone across the nation and here at home.

The Colorado Safe Schools Summit in Loveland is designed to address the issue of keeping kids safe by bringing school administrators and teachers together with law enforcement in order to create a better plan to respond to school threats.

School safety consultant Byron Borland says schools and law enforcement must work together to address violence, bullying,  suicide and the abuse of social media.

“Every school should have a robust threat assessment management policy so people really understand how to investigate a threat made by a student.”

While the two-day conference will focus on the right way to respond to threats to students, experts will also talk about how to identify those threats before an attack can happen.

Middle school counselor Becka Ashcraft, who is also a mother of teens, says students must have a way to cope with any negative feelings and adds, “If they’re feeling alone or upset [they need] to have another alternative besides hurting someone or hurting themselves.”

The conference will also focus on student health issues, including the use of marijuana.  Studies show pot use at a young age can negatively affect brain development.

Get more information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The Colorado Safe Schools Summit wraps up Thursday.