MAX SCHACHTER
Founder and Executive Director of Safe Schools For Alex
“Working to Ensure a Safer Tomorrow”
ABOUT MAX
• Safe School Advocate
• Inspirational & Entrepreneurial Speaker
Max Schachter is a national school safety advocate. His son Alex is one of the 17 victims murdered in the Parkland school shooting on Valentine’s Day 2018. Max is the founder and executive director of Safe Schools for Alex 501(c)(3). Their mission is to provide most current school safety best practices and resources to students, parents, school districts and law enforcement so that all children can learn in a safe environment.
Since the heartbreaking day that changed Max’s life forever, he has been advocating for policy change at the highest levels of the United States government. He has worked alongside members of congress, leaders of all major federal agencies, and Presidents of the United States to make schools safer. Max has testified as a subject matter expert before the United States House and Senate and multiple state legislatures. In August 2018 he advocated for the creation of a federal agency to house national school safety best practices. In June 2019, Max’s vision became a reality when President Trump created the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse at SchoolSafety.gov. In July 2022 Max attended the White House ceremony where President Biden announced the most significant gun safety legislation in 27 years, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which made SchoolSafety.gov permanent and law.
Max has also worked to improve the safety and security of Florida’s 2.4 million students through his appointment to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School Public Safety Commission. The MSD commission, established by former Governor Rick Scott, was tasked with leading the statewide investigation into the Parkland school shooting and developing recommendations to protect Florida’s children.
Max has advised the Federal Bureau of Investigation Behavioral Threat Assessment Center, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office on threat assessment policies and procedures. He is a member of the National Sheriffs’ Association School Safety and Security Committee and the International Association of Chiefs of Police Mass Violence Peer-to-Peer Advisory Team. In June 2019, Max was awarded the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General Citizen Volunteer Service Award by Attorney General William Barr.
Max has been interviewed by many local and national media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Dr. Phil. He has given keynote presentations to many school districts, law enforcement organizations, and local, state, and federal agencies detailing the lessons learned and best practices developed in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting along with his journey from anguish to advocacy.
SINCE THE PARKLAND TRAGEDY
- June 2022 – After passing in the House & the Senate, President Joe Biden signs the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law, which includes codifying the federal school safety clearinghouse, schoolsafety.gov, and therefore activating the measures outlined in the Luke and Alex School Safety Act
- June 2022 – Max testifies on behalf of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the importance of gun safety, and passing crucial legislative measures such as the Luke and Alex School Safety Act, as well as the EAGLES Act.
- February 2022 – Safe Schools for Alex launches its fifth School Safety Dashboard in Virginia – just one year after its initial launch.
- December 2021 – Max and Ryan Schachter are featured on Dr. Phil following the tragic shooting at Oxford High School. They share the work Safe Schools for Alex has completed in order to help create a safer environment for children in schools.
- October 2021 – The Alex Schachter Scholarship fund donates $25,000 to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagle Regiment Marching Band.
- September 2021 – Max Schachter joins the Mass Violence Advisory Initiative (MVAI) team – a spearheaded effort via the collaboration of the Department of Justice and The International Association of Chiefs of Police. This initiative provides peer-to-peer assistance to law enforcement leaders following a mass violence event to maximize the safety and wellness of officers, other first responders, and the community. The MVAI will advise these groups by sharing promising practices for communicating with community members and the media and connecting law enforcement leaders with local, state, and federal partners. The initiative will also address agency, victim, and survivor’s mental wellbeing.
- August 2021 – The School Safety Dashboard expands to four states – providing reported incidents of violence, bullying, drug abuse, and more in Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire Schools.
- May 2021 – Max advises the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Behavioral Analysis. He also presented to their Advanced Threat Assessment and Threat Management (TATM) course.
- February 2021 – Safe Schools for Alex launches the School Safety Dashboard – The First Statewide Dashboard to Reduce School Violence. Safe Schools for Alex receives over two dozen endorsements from prominent local, state, and national education leaders. Max conducts more than 50 trainings to stakeholders including the Florida PTA, The Florida School Board Association, The Florida Association of District School Superintendents and others.
- November 2020 – Max was admitted as a member of the National Sheriff’s Association School Safety and Security Committee.
- October 2020 – Max trains stakeholders including the Florida Department of Education Office of Safe Schools to use the new School Incident Report.
- May 2020 – Safe Schools for Alex conducts training to school and law enforcement officials on the lessons learned in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting. This training included Social Media Threat Analysis on the latest digital techniques to prevent violence in school.
- April 2020 – Safe Schools for Alex launches the “Let The Music Play On!” initiative to give middle school band students in low-income communities free private online music lessons during the Coronavirus Pandemic. To date, the program has delivered over 450 private online music lessons to middle school band students in Title I schools.
- February 2020 –Max meets with President Trump in the Oval Office for the launch of the new federal school safety website SchoolSafety.gov. This new tool provides a one-stop shop for all school safety best practices, resources, and grant dollars, so that all children can learn in a safe environment.
- November 2019 – Max accompanies the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center on their first nationwide tour to prevent acts of targeted violence in school.
- June 2019 – The new Federal School Safety Clearinghouse is created inside the Department of Homeland Security. After 15 trips to Washington D.C. and 150 meetings with members of Congress and the White House, Max’s vision finally became a reality.
- April 2019 – Max establishes the Alex Schachter Scholarship Fund to support the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Eagle Regiment Marching Band and music education nationwide. This initiative has raised $150,000 to date.
- March 2018 – Max was appointed to serve on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission established by former Governor Rick Scott. The commission is tasked with investigating the Parkland massacre and developing recommendations to protect Florida’s schools.
- February 2018 – Max helped pass the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act in the Florida Legislature to fix the failures that led to the Parkland massacre.
CURRENT INITIATIVES
Champions of School Safety
Safe Schools For Alex Student Chapter
administration. Students are the critical piece to making schools safe and improving the culture and climate on campus.
Mass Casualty Rapid Response Team
Safe Schools For Alex is working to establish a Mass Casualty Rapid Response Team framework that will jump-start the recovery process for the next tragedy and educate the next community about the impending ripple effects that inevitably lead to increased mental health issues.
Champions of School Safety
This program aims to bring together school safety thought leaders, experts and advocates in each of the fifty states for a common purpose of reducing violence in schools.
Mass Casualty Rapid Response Team
Safe Schools For Alex is working to establish a Mass Casualty Rapid Response Team framework that will jump-start the recovery process for the next tragedy and educate the next community about the impending ripple effects that inevitably lead to increased mental health issues. Read More
Steps To Make Our Schools Safer

For School Administrator

For Parents & Students
MEDIA
Safe Schools For Alex
Max Schachter describes the mission of Safe Schools For Alex in his interview with Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC. Read More
Federal School Safety Clearinghouse Announcement
President Trump announced the creation of the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse & SchoolSafety.gov, as recommended by Alex’s father Max Schachter. Learn More
Ohio School Threat Assessment Training
School Threat Assessment Training curriculum is now available free for school administrators and law enforcement both inside and outside the state of Ohio. Learn More