BEYOND THE FUNDING FORMULA: THE FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN NEW JERSEY

A Public Response to the Conversation About the Future of New Jersey Schools

September 12, 2026

On September 12, 2026, NJ.com published the article, “There’s One Huge Thing That Needs to Change in NJ Schools, New Education Chief Says,” examining New Jersey Education Commissioner Lily Laux’s call for a fundamental rethinking of the state’s school funding formula and her broader concern with what it means to provide every child with a truly excellent educational experience.

The article prompted me to reflect on a question that extends beyond funding alone.

Adequate and equitable funding matters enormously. Schools cannot educate children effectively without the resources necessary to support teachers, transportation, special education, facilities, technology, student services, and the countless practical requirements of operating a modern educational system. New Jersey’s educational landscape is extraordinarily complex, encompassing hundreds of school districts and nearly 1.4 million students.

But after more than 25 years of working with educators, students, school districts, law enforcement professionals, security leaders, and communities, I believe the conversation must ultimately go deeper.

The question cannot simply be: How do we fund our schools?

It must also be:

What constitutes a great educational environment for the student, the community, and ultimately what is most beneficial for our country?

That question brings us beyond budgets and formulas and into the very purpose of education.

Education Is More Than an Institution

A school is not simply a building in which instruction occurs. It is a living community.

It is where young people spend an extraordinary portion of their formative years. It is where they encounter authority, friendship, competition, disappointment, success, conflict, responsibility, discipline, encouragement, technology, and increasingly complicated social pressures. It is where they learn not only mathematics, science, history, language, and the other academic disciplines, but also—whether intentionally or unintentionally—how to relate to other human beings.

For that reason, educational excellence cannot be measured exclusively by test scores, graduation rates, facilities, technology, or the amount of money invested.

Those things matter. But education ultimately asks a much larger question:

Who are we helping this young person become?

That question has always been at the heart of my work.

Since Columbine in 1999, I have worked with educators, students, school districts, law enforcement professionals, security personnel, and communities throughout the nation and here in New Jersey on school safety, violence prevention, character education, crisis preparedness, security, and educational leadership. My work in American school violence received national recognition more than two decades ago, and that work has continued and evolved throughout the years.

Here in New Jersey, that work has taken many forms. I have presented to educators and students and worked with school districts and educational organizations in communities including Hackensack, North Bergen, Union City, Cinnaminson, Teaneck, West Milford, Fort Lee, Tenafly, North Arlington, Bergenfield, West New York, New Milford, Wood-Ridge, Carlstadt, and others. I have addressed educational and law enforcement conferences and organizations, conducted school security vulnerability assessments, and worked directly with professionals responsible for protecting children and educational communities.

For more than 20 years, I also served the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association as a liaison and chairperson for school safety, working at the intersection of law enforcement and education.

That experience has taught me something that I believe deserves renewed attention as New Jersey considers the future of its schools:

Security, character education, and academic excellence cannot be treated as competing priorities. They must develop together.

The Three Foundations

Academic excellence gives students knowledge, intellectual discipline, and the ability to reason and contribute to society.

Security provides the environment in which students and educators can learn without being consumed by fear, disorder, or preventable threats.

Character gives students the internal compass necessary to use knowledge and freedom responsibly.

Remove any one of these dimensions and the educational mission becomes incomplete.

A beautifully equipped school can still fail a child if that child feels unseen, unsafe, isolated, bullied, or disconnected from the adults entrusted with his or her development. A highly secure school can still fail educationally if it produces compliance without character, curiosity, intellectual growth, or a sense of responsibility. And a school committed to academic achievement can still fall short if it neglects the physical and emotional security necessary for students and educators to thrive.

This is why I have long advocated an approach to education that does not separate security from character or character from academic excellence. They are part of the same ecosystem.

The quality of that ecosystem depends upon leadership, culture, prevention, vigilance, responsible adult presence, and human connection.

Prevention Begins Before the Crisis

One of the most important lessons I have learned through decades of school violence prevention work is that prevention cannot begin at the moment a crisis occurs.

By then, we are often already too late.

Prevention begins with the culture that exists before the warning sign appears.

It begins when an educator knows a student’s name and notices when something has changed. It begins when a student believes there is an adult who will listen. It begins when bullying is taken seriously rather than dismissed as a normal part of growing up. It begins when concerning behavior is recognized and responsibly addressed rather than ignored. It begins when families, educators, administrators, security professionals, students, and law enforcement understand that they are participants in a shared community rather than isolated components of a system.

The goal is not to create a culture of suspicion. It is to create a culture of awareness.

There is an enormous difference.

A preventive culture does not look at every student as a potential threat. It looks at every student as a human being whose behavior, circumstances, relationships, struggles, talents, and needs deserve attention.

That distinction is fundamental.

Years ago, my work in New Jersey school safety led me to speak extensively about the importance of moving beyond a purely reactive approach. In a 2020 presentation at Passaic Arts and Science Center Middle School, I wrote that schools must be both safe havens and places where students develop character and academic excellence. The program deliberately went beyond physical security, personnel security, procedural security, and cybersecurity to examine the social conditions surrounding violence, including dysfunctional relationships, substance abuse, gang culture, family difficulties, and a broader crisis of character and leadership.

That remains my conviction today.

The Human Being at the Center of Education

There is another reason this conversation matters.

Education can become so consumed by systems that the individual student disappears behind the system.

We discuss formulas, enrollment, staffing, transportation, facilities, technology, artificial intelligence, testing, budgets, regulations, and accountability. All of these subjects have legitimate importance.

But behind every number is a young human being.

And that young person needs more than resources.

He or she needs competent teachers, responsible adults, intellectual challenge, encouragement, boundaries, security, friendship, belonging, accountability, and the experience of being treated with dignity.

That is why I was particularly interested in Commissioner Laux’s questions in the NJ.com article concerning “what is good instruction?” and “what does a great instructional experience look like for students?”

Those are important questions.

But I would respectfully broaden them:

What does a great educational environment look like?

Not merely what does good instruction look like, but what happens when instruction exists within a culture of safety, character, excellence, trust, vigilance, and meaningful human connection?

That is where education becomes transformational.

The Preventive Educational Pedagogy

For decades, my work has been informed by an educational pedagogy that emphasizes presence rather than distance, prevention rather than reaction, guidance rather than humiliation, and human connection rather than bureaucratic detachment.

At its center is a simple proposition:

People are more likely to respond positively to authority when authority is exercised with dignity, fairness, reason, consistency, and genuine concern for the person.

This does not mean the absence of discipline. Quite the opposite.

Real preventive leadership requires authority. It requires boundaries. It requires intervention. It requires the courage to address inappropriate conduct before it becomes something more serious.

But authority becomes more effective when it is connected to relationship.

A teacher who is respected because students know that teacher genuinely cares about them possesses a different kind of influence from someone who relies exclusively upon rules and punishment. A school administrator who walks the building, knows the students, speaks with staff, notices changes, and remains approachable is positioned differently from an administrator who appears only when something has gone wrong.

Presence creates awareness. Awareness creates opportunity. Opportunity creates prevention.

And prevention, when practiced consistently, becomes part of the culture.

My 2026 Law Officer article, “Preventive Leadership & Human Encounter Model™,” develops this concept as a contemporary framework for schools, colleges, and universities. It describes educational institutions as living communities in which safety, character, academic excellence, and security are inseparable from culture, leadership, and ethical engagement.

That philosophy is not a substitute for funding.

It is what we do with the human resources, financial resources, professional expertise, and institutional authority that funding makes possible.

Artificial Intelligence, Technology, and the Human Encounter

The discussion about educational excellence must also confront the rapidly changing technological environment.

Commissioner Laux’s comments about artificial intelligence and what she described as “dangerous cognitive offloading” deserve serious consideration.

Technology can be an extraordinary educational tool. Artificial intelligence can assist educators and students in ways that were unimaginable only a few years ago. But technology must remain a tool in service of education—not a replacement for thinking, effort, judgment, creativity, or human mentorship.

A student can obtain an answer without learning how to arrive at the answer.

A teacher can receive assistance without necessarily understanding whether a student’s work reflects genuine comprehension.

An institution can become technologically sophisticated while simultaneously becoming relationally impoverished.

That would be a profound irony.

The more technology becomes capable of performing tasks for us, the more important authentic human encounter may become.

Students still need teachers. They need mentors. They need adults who recognize their potential.

They need people who will challenge them, encourage them, correct them, listen to them, and believe in them.

No algorithm can replace the moral significance of a trusted adult looking at a young person and saying, in effect, “I see you. You matter. I expect something from you because I believe you are capable of it.”

That is education.

The Responsibility We Share

Schools do not exist in isolation from the communities they serve. The responsibility for creating a safe, constructive, and intellectually serious educational environment extends across the entire community surrounding the student. Teachers, principals, counselors, superintendents, parents, security professionals, school resource officers, students, and community leaders each encounter different dimensions of a young person’s life. When those encounters remain disconnected, important changes in behavior, emerging concerns, or opportunities for intervention can easily be overlooked. When those who care for and serve young people communicate with one another and operate within a culture of trust, however, the collective capacity for prevention becomes considerably stronger.

This is one of the reasons I have always viewed school safety as something broader than physical security. A locked door, surveillance system, access-control procedure, or emergency plan may be necessary, but none of these measures can substitute for an attentive and engaged educational community. Security is strongest when it is accompanied by awareness, responsible leadership, meaningful relationships, and a willingness to recognize problems before they become crises. The most sophisticated security program cannot compensate for a culture in which people are disconnected from one another.

That principle should also inform the way New Jersey evaluates educational success. As the state considers changes to school funding and educational policy, it is understandable that considerable attention will be given to resources, facilities, staffing, transportation, special education, technology, and other measurable indicators. Those measurements are important. Yet educational excellence cannot be reduced to what can be most easily placed into a spreadsheet.

The more consequential questions are often more difficult to quantify. Do students feel sufficiently safe and respected to engage fully in learning? Do educators have the support and authority necessary to teach effectively and to serve as mentors? Are schools intentionally cultivating character alongside intellectual development? Are families meaningfully connected to the educational community? Are concerning behaviors recognized early enough for responsible intervention? Are students developing the judgment, responsibility, resilience, and respect for others that will remain with them long after they leave the classroom?

These questions are not peripheral to education. They are central to it.

A school may possess excellent facilities and substantial financial resources and still struggle to create an environment in which students flourish. Conversely, even when resources are constrained, a committed educational community can accomplish extraordinary things through leadership, creativity, collaboration, personal presence, and a genuine commitment to the young people entrusted to its care. Funding provides the capacity to accomplish much; leadership and culture determine how that capacity is translated into the daily experience of students and educators.

This is why I believe the present conversation in New Jersey should extend beyond the funding formula itself. The state has an opportunity not merely to reconsider how educational resources are distributed, but to examine more fundamentally what those resources are intended to accomplish. The objective should be an educational environment in which academic excellence, security, character formation, and healthy human relationships reinforce one another rather than compete for attention.

The ultimate measure of education is therefore not simply what a school owns, how much it spends, or how efficiently it operates. Its deeper measure is what it develops in the lives of its students. Education should leave young people better prepared to think critically, act responsibly, relate respectfully to others, withstand adversity, contribute to their communities, and assume the responsibilities of citizenship. In that sense, the quality of our schools becomes inseparable from the quality of the society we will inherit from the generation now being educated.

Beyond the Funding Formula

None of this diminishes the legitimate importance of funding. On the contrary, adequate and equitable resources are essential to the educational mission. Schools require qualified teachers, appropriate facilities, transportation, special education services, counselors, security measures, technology, and countless other resources to function effectively. The question is not whether funding matters. It unquestionably does.

The question is whether funding, by itself, can produce educational excellence.

It cannot.

Financial resources can provide the conditions in which excellence becomes possible, but they cannot by themselves create the culture that makes those resources meaningful. They cannot manufacture trust between a teacher and a student, instill character, create moral courage, or guarantee that an adult will recognize when a young person is struggling. They cannot replace the human encounter through which a student discovers that someone believes in his or her potential and is willing to provide both encouragement and accountability.

Those dimensions of education require something more fundamental: leadership and human commitment.

That is why the funding discussion should become part of a larger examination of the educational environment New Jersey wants to create for its children. The objective should not simply be to determine what schools need to purchase, but to consider what schools must ultimately inspire, develop, protect, and form.

A truly excellent school should be a place where academic achievement is taken seriously because knowledge matters; where security is taken seriously because students and educators cannot learn effectively without a sense of safety; where character is cultivated because intellectual ability without responsibility is insufficient; and where human relationships are valued because prevention, mentorship, trust, and belonging are indispensable elements of a healthy educational community.

These dimensions are not competing philosophies. They are mutually reinforcing.

The better question, therefore, may not be whether New Jersey should invest more in one particular component of education, but whether it can develop an educational vision sufficiently comprehensive to recognize how these components depend upon one another.

That is the perspective I hoped to offer in writing to NJ.com.

After more than two decades working directly with schools, educators, students, law enforcement professionals, and communities, I have come to believe that prevention is most effective when it becomes part of the culture rather than something introduced after a problem occurs. Character is most powerful when it is practiced rather than merely taught. Security is most effective when it is integrated into the life of the institution rather than treated as a separate function. Academic excellence becomes more meaningful when students are given not only knowledge but also the character and judgment necessary to use that knowledge wisely.

Ultimately, the future of New Jersey’s schools will not be determined by a funding formula alone. It will be shaped by the collective vision of what education is supposed to accomplish and by the willingness of adults throughout the educational community to accept responsibility for that mission.

We are not simply funding schools. We are forming the generation that will inherit our communities, our institutions, and our nation.

That is why the conversation matters.

And that is why it deserves to be larger than the funding formula.

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A LETTER TO NJ.COM — PUBLIC RECORD

September 13, 2026

Because the NJ.com article prompted these reflections, I sent the following letter on September 13, 2026, directly to Liz Rosenberg, Senior Education Reporter for NJ.com, The Star-Ledger, and affiliated New Jersey newspapers.

I am preserving the correspondence here as part of the public record—not as a demand for a response, but because public conversations about education benefit from hearing multiple perspectives, particularly from those who have spent decades working directly with schools, educators, students, and public safety professionals.

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Subject: Beyond the Funding Formula: The Foundations of Educational Excellence in New Jersey

Dear Ms. Rosenberg,

Thank you for today’s thoughtful NJ.com article, “There’s One Huge Thing That Needs to Change in NJ Schools, New Education Chief Says.”

For more than 25 years, since Columbine, I have worked with educators, students, school districts, law enforcement professionals, and communities throughout the nation and right here in New Jersey on school safety, violence prevention, character education, crisis preparedness, security, and educational leadership. My work in this field was recognized by the United States Senate more than 20 years ago as a nationally acclaimed expertise in American school violence, and that work has continued throughout the years.

Here in New Jersey, I have had the privilege of presenting to educators and students in school districts including Hackensack, North Bergen, Union City, Cinnaminson, Teaneck, and West Milford, as well as before educational and law enforcement organizations and regional conferences. For more than 20 years, I served the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association as a liaison and chairperson for six schools, continuing to work directly at the intersection of law enforcement and education. My work has also included conducting school security vulnerability assessments.

I mention this background simply to provide context for the perspective I would like to offer.

Adequate and equitable funding is certainly important and practical. But I believe several other elements are equally critical and, alongside necessary funding, are vital to educational excellence.

In my experience, three essential elements must develop together: security, character education, and academic excellence. These should not be viewed as separate initiatives. They are interconnected through prevention, positive human connections, responsible adult presence, and the partnership among educators, students, families, and the broader school community.

This raises a question that I believe deserves consideration as New Jersey examines the future of its schools:

What constitutes a great educational environment for the student, the community, and ultimately what is most beneficial for our country?

Even when resources are constrained, schools can still cultivate character, pursue academic excellence, strengthen security, and create positive human connections. Funding provides essential resources, but leadership, prevention, character formation, collaboration, and the daily commitment of educators to the young people entrusted to their care are also fundamental.

I was particularly interested in Commissioner Laux’s comments about defining “what is good instruction?” and “what does a great instructional experience look like for students?” I would respectfully broaden that question:

What does a great educational environment look like—not simply for academic achievement, but for forming the whole student and strengthening the community around that student?

For more than 25 years, my experience has convinced me that prevention must begin long before a crisis. It begins with education, character, security, positive human connections, vigilance, and a culture in which educators, students, and families recognize their shared responsibility for one another.

Ultimately, I believe the quality of a school is measured not only by what it is able to purchase, but by what it is able to inspire, develop, protect, and form in the lives of its students.

Thank you again for bringing this important discussion to the public. I simply wanted to offer another perspective from more than two decades of working directly with educators, students, school districts, and law enforcement in the field.

Respectfully,

Vincent J. Bove, CPP
Author of Four Books and More than 400 Published Works
National Speaker on Leadership, Ethics & Public Safety
FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award Recipient
NYPD Honorary Law Enforcement Motivational Speaker
Founder, Reawakening America LLC
vincentbove.com/aboutvincent.php
Law Officer Articles: https://www.lawofficer.com/author/vbove/

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RELATED RESOURCES AND FURTHER READING

The perspective presented here is part of a body of work developed over more than two decades addressing school violence prevention, character education, security, leadership, and the importance of preventive human engagement.

American School Violence Demands Moral Courage

February 14, 2020 / The Sentinel

An examination of school safety, character education, academic excellence, preparedness, community responsibility, and the preventive educational approach, including extensive documentation of work with New Jersey schools, educators, and law enforcement organizations.

Violence Prevention: Securing Our Public Spaces and Schools

October 2019 / The Sentinel

An examination of violence prevention, school security, threat awareness, the role of educators and law enforcement, and the responsibility of institutions and communities to recognize and address threats before they become crises.

Preventive Leadership & Human Encounter Model™

February 14, 2026 / Law Officer

A contemporary framework extending these principles into 21st-century schools, colleges, and universities, emphasizing preventive leadership, human encounter, vigilance, dignity, trust, character, and early intervention.

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A CONTINUING COMMITMENT

The conversation about New Jersey education will continue long after this particular article disappears from the news cycle.

So will the responsibility to protect and educate the next generation.

My hope is simply that this conversation will remain broad enough to include not only how we fund education, but how we form human beings.

Because ultimately, the strength of our schools will become the strength of our communities—and the character of those communities will help determine the future of our nation.

Photo: 1. Bergenfield High School Evacuation drill for security vulnerability assessment as conducted by Vincent J. Bove, November 9, 2009. (Vincent J. Bove for Reawakening America LLC)

2. School Violence Issues and Concerns Collage. (Vincent J. Bove for RALLC)

3. Bergen County Police Chiefs Association president's testimonial for Vincent J. Bove - 20 years of service as Chairperson and Liasson for school violence prevention, March 5, 2024.

About the Author

Vincent J. Bove is a nationally recognized authority on ethical leadership, violence prevention, and law enforcement resiliency.

A sought-after speaker and prolific author, his work has influenced agencies and institutions across the United States for more than 25 years.

Bove has authored more than 400 published articles and four books addressing critical issues in public safety, leadership, and moral courage. 

His book Reawakening America© was named a finalist for ASIS International’s Book of the Year. Listen to Their Cries© was selected and sponsored for distribution to all attendees—students representing institutions from across the United States—at the National Conference on Ethics in America by the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic at the United States Military Academy, at the request of a coalition of West Point graduates involved in the conference.

He was appointed the first-ever Honorary Law Enforcement Motivational Speaker by the New York City Police Department, conducting leadership and resiliency initiatives across all five boroughs of New York City.

Bove is also the author of more than seventy articles published in Law Officer, a national publication serving law enforcement professionals across the United States. His work emphasizes ethical leadership, preventive strategies, officer resilience, and the preservation of public trust in modern policing—drawing on American history and enduring leadership traditions to reinforce the importance of character, accountability, and moral courage.

He is a trusted voice at Federal Bureau of Investigation venues, United States Military Academy, and numerous U.S. military facilities. A longtime author for the National Association of Chiefs of Police, he has written 18 cover stories and contributed to shaping national law enforcement dialogue through feature articles and reports.

“Vincent J. Bove is considered one of the foremost national experts on school and workplace violence prevention, specializing in facility protection, evacuations, terrorism prevention, and leadership training.” — U.S. Senate

PHOTO: Vincent J. Bove conducting an ethical leadership, morale, and resiliency initiative at the NYPD 75th Precinct, Brooklyn, August 13, 2026. (Photo by NYPD Officer Justin Constantino for RALLC)

Community-Centered Approaches to School & Campus Violence Prevention | Vincent J. Bove

 

Note: This post highlights Vincent J. Bove’s experience and work in school and campus safety. It is intended for informational purposes and is distinct from any articles currently under review. Some of his work has been previously published or presented, providing context for his experience in this field.

School safety and student well‑being remain among the most pressing challenges facing education today. In response to that need, this blog post outlines a preventive, educational approach grounded in practical experience, community engagement, and character development — with students and the broader school community at the center.

A Preventive System of Education

Most “school safety” programs focus narrowly on physical security, personnel, or procedural compliance. While those elements have a place, effective prevention requires more: vigilance, shared responsibility, and character-building across the entire school community.

The Preventive System of Education emphasizes:

• Caring vigilance: Adults and students observing and responding to concerning behavior with patience, reasonableness, and dignity.

• Early intervention: Acting on early warning signs before situations escalate.

• Trust and connection: Strengthening relationships among students, staff, and community partners.

• Character integration: Encouraging honesty, respect, civility, and civic responsibility as everyday school values.

This approach supports safer environments and reinforces the idea that culture precedes protocol — school communities that care are better positioned to prevent harm.

For research grounding and deeper context, see the Secret Service school violence reports and preventive pedagogy summary:
https://www.copmag.org/secret-service-school-violence-reports-and-the-preventive-pedagogy-of-education/

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Practical Experience and Initiatives

Over many years working with schools, districts, law enforcement, and communities, this preventive approach has been shared through presentations, assessments, and collaborative projects:

Published Work & Speaking Engagements

• Listen to Their Cries: Calling the Nation to Renewal from Columbine to Virginia Tech — presented at major education, safety, and ethics forums.

• Keynotes and training for educators and public-safety partners at institutions such as Columbia University and Fordham University.

• Presentations tailored to school personnel, security professionals, and community coalitions on crisis planning, character education, and preventive awareness.

Security Vulnerability Assessments (SVA©)
Conducted for multiple public school districts, including thorough interviews, policy reviews, lockdown and evacuation evaluations, threat assessment guidance, and strategic recommendations for strengthening preventive culture.

Partnerships with Law Enforcement
Collaboration with prosecutors’ conferences and law enforcement agencies to align educational, legal, and safety perspectives in ways that support schools and communities.

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Students as Critical Partners

Students are often the first to notice concerning behavior among peers. Empowering them with:

• Trusted reporting channels

• Clarity about what constitutes concerning behavior

• Supportive responses when they raise concerns

…strengthens prevention and fosters a culture where responsibility, character, and vigilance are lived values, not just policies.

Anonymous reporting mechanisms and multidisciplinary threat-assessment teams help transform student awareness into timely and appropriate interventions.

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Character Development: A Core Focus

Character education is not an add-on — it’s a core component of violence prevention. Schools should help students develop:

• Honesty and integrity

• Respect and empathy for others

• Civility and community engagement

Consistent character development helps students understand how their choices affect others, supports positive school culture, and reinforces every member’s role in prevention.

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Balanced Threat Assessment and Intervention

Zero‑tolerance approaches often lead to disproportionate responses to harmless conduct, whereas a measured threat-assessment approach emphasizes context and risk. Effective teams include:

• School staff

• Mental health professionals

• Security partners

• Law enforcement liaisons

Key questions for threat assessment include whether there is access to weapons, threat language or behavior, or indications of escalation. Responses should be proportional — ranging from counseling and support to appropriate intervention, all grounded in dignity and reasonableness.

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Real‑World Engagement: Beyond Schools

In addition to work with educational communities, this approach has been shared widely across public safety and civic leadership contexts. For example:

• Serving as the NYPD Law Enforcement Motivational Speaker — a first-of-its-kind role in the department’s history — providing motivational, preventive, and character-centered guidance to officers and leaders.
  (Source and context: https://vincentbove.blogspot.com/2025/12/vincent-j-bove-reawakening-america-llc.html)

This role reinforces the idea that preventive culture and ethical responsibility are not just school concepts but vital in all places where people work, learn, and live.

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Recommendations for Schools and Communities

To embed prevention deeply and sustainably:

1. Center character development as an ongoing educational priority.

2. Empower students with reporting channels and support.

3. Train multidisciplinary teams for thoughtful threat assessment and intervention.

4. Foster community connection and belonging as protective factors.

5. Treat prevention as an ethical responsibility, not just compliance.

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Final Note

This preventive work is rooted in collaboration, evidence, and a commitment to protecting and uplifting young lives. Empowering schools with this approach supports safer, more caring, and more resilient communities.

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Quick Reference — Community-Centered Approaches to School & Campus Violence Prevention

Preventive System of Education

• Observe and respond to warning signs with care, reason, and dignity.

• Build trust and connection with students, staff, and the community.

• Integrate character education into daily school culture.

Students as Active Partners

• Empower students to report concerns through trusted, anonymous channels.

• Support early intervention and collaborative problem-solving.

Threat Assessment Teams

• Multidisciplinary evaluation including staff, mental health, security, and law enforcement.

• Focus on risk, not rigid zero-tolerance punishment.

• Rapid intervention when serious concerns arise.

Character Education

• Develop honesty, respect, civility, and community engagement.

• Reinforce consistent, visible examples of ethical behavior.

• Strengthen school culture and reduce bullying and conflict.

Leadership & Resiliency

• Ethical leadership and morale are critical for staff and student engagement.

• Principled decision-making enhances safety and community trust.

Practical Impact

• Hundreds of presentations and training sessions nationwide for schools, universities, law enforcement, and community leaders.

• Author of Listen to Their Cries and Reawakening America, plus hundreds of articles on preventive safety, character education, and threat assessment.

• Recognized with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award; currently serves as NYPD Law Enforcement Motivational Speaker.

Building Character. Preventing Violence Nationwide.

Vincent Bove brings a rare, solution-oriented ability to translate character formation into practical violence prevention by earning trust in high-pressure environments and guiding people to act before harm occurs.

Formed over a decade in Salesian (Don Bosco) religious life, he worked directly with poor and at-risk youth as an educator and school principal—including inner-city youth from Paterson, Newark, the Bronx, and Harlem—as a teacher in Louisiana and New York, as a missionary in the Bahamas, and with incarcerated youth in Ohio. This experience grounds his approach in presence, prevention, and moral courage rather than punishment or fear.

It enables him to recognize early warning signs of brokenness, disillusionment, isolation, and despair, and to build school cultures where students, faculty, and administrators take shared responsibility for one another’s safety.

His later work extends nationwide, including engagements with world-class athletes such as the New York Yankees, military audiences including the United States Military Academy and the U.S. Air Force, and notable law-enforcement agencies including the NYPD and FBI. Across all these settings, he applies the same skill set: communicating across authority lines, reducing resistance, and moving people from awareness to action.

Rather than reacting to crisis, he equips institutions with the clarity, language, and conscience needed to intervene early, support the vulnerable, and prevent violence before it escalates. His extensive testimonials affirm his national stature and achievements: vincentbove.com/testimonials

About Vincent J. Bove, CPP

Vincent J. Bove is a nationally recognized expert in school and campus violence prevention, crisis planning, and community-centered safety strategies. For more than two decades, he has also guided law enforcement leaders in ethical decision-making, morale, and resiliency, bringing a unique perspective that bridges public safety, education, and community engagement.

Bove currently serves as the NYPD Law Enforcement Motivational Speaker, a first-of-its-kind role in department history, where he delivers presentations and training to officers on ethical leadership, morale, resiliency, and preventive strategies.

His work integrates preventive systems of education, character development, and collaborative threat assessment, emphasizing early intervention, ethical leadership, and building cultures of respect and responsibility across school communities. He is the author of Listen to Their Cries: Calling the Nation to Renewal from Columbine to Virginia Tech, a seminal work widely presented in educational and safety forums, and Reawakening America, which addresses leadership and violence prevention principles applicable to schools, campuses, and communities.

He has delivered hundreds of presentations and training programs nationwide, covering crisis response, early-warning systems, bullying and violence prevention, character and leadership development, and cross-disciplinary community collaboration. His extensive publications and reports emphasize practical, preventive strategies over purely punitive approaches, helping schools foster safe, supportive environments where students, staff, and families all play a role.

Bove’s contributions have been recognized with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, reflecting a lifelong commitment to protecting young lives, strengthening school communities, and promoting ethical, resilient leadership in every environment he serves.

1. Vincent J. Bove delivering remarks on ethical leadership, morale, and resiliency to NYPD officers, 44th Precinct, Apr. 22, 2025. (RALLC)

2. Bove addresses educators of Bergen County Education Association on the preventive system of education, Apr. 17, 2018. (Courtesy BCEA

3. Bove speaks to NYPD officers about leadership, character, and building resilient teams, 121st Precinct, Apr. 29, 2025. (RALLC)

New York Yankees 2024 Season: Reigniting Confidant Memories

Congratulations to the New York Yankees for clinching the ALDS last night to advance to the American League Championship Series, with the winner heading to the 2024 World Series.

Every Yankee game, especially playoffs, ignites memories of my years as confidant to members of two world championship teams from the 1970s - 1980s.

It is still a privilege to remain in contact, notably just this morning with my friend for 42 years, Bucky Dent, a world champion with two teams, and MVP for the 1978 World Series.

Related: 

New York Yankee Confidant and Little League Memories / Excerpt:

Major League Baseball (MLB) has lessons of discipline, teamwork, and perseverance for the upcoming Olympics, and for all who enjoy sports.

Since baseball has always been my favorite sport, I often used lessons from it not only during coaching, but in many of my presentations on leadership.

As a child, love for the game was expressed through card collecting.  The real fans always knew statistics, the lineup of one’s favorite team by heart, and articulating it with each batter at every whiffle ball, stickball, or Little League game.

Baseball became significantly more serious to me after the tragic death of Yankee catcher Thurman

Munson.

Soon thereafter, I found myself involved with MLB on a much more profound level - confidant to the New York Yankee baseball players, and to many players throughout MLB.

In particular, I will always be grateful to legendary former New York Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent. His appreciation for my work with poor youth as a Salesian of Don Bosco opened the door for me to work with New York Yankee players.  

Bucky's leadership was exemplary not only as a world-class player, but as a person of character. His respect by his teammates, and those in the Yankee organization led me to serve as a confidant the team, and collaborating with them on my first book.

During one summer in particular, I was working at a camp at St. Thomas the Apostle Church on 118th Street in Harlem in 1982 as a youth counselor. In the evenings, I took the subway to Yankee Stadium to work with the players, as well as to collaborate with them on my book, On the Eighth Day God Created the Yankees.

The experience with inner city kids during the day and with the great names of baseball in the evening, gave me an unforgettable perspective. I was working with the very poor and the very rich, extreme sides of the economic spectrum, all in the course of the same day.

The lesson from this experience remains with me to this day, money, fame, and prestige do not define the person. It is character – a good heart, appreciating life, and fostering good will toward others – that is paramount in life.

Final Reflections

Yankee pinstripes do not determine a person’s greatness, but the stripes of thoughtfulness, respect, civility, truthfulness, kindness, and charity toward others.

This is what is important in the game of life, and living a life of character is greater than any World Series Championship. 

Many Yankees learned that lesson in the summer of 1979 after the death of their beloved captain.  

It is a lesson each of us must live as life is short, and every day we must strive to live a life of character, and to do something to help others.

About Vincent

Vincent J. Bove is a national speaker and author. 

He authored eighteen cover stories for The Chief of Police, and a total of 325 articles for numerous publications. 

His most recent books are Reawakening America and Listen to Their Cries.

Bove is recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, and former confidant for players from two world champion New York Yankee teams.

He developed “Leadership Principles: Crisis Planning, Community Partnerships, Violence Prevention” keynotes to safeguard New York City at sites including:

·         Museums hosted by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

·         Corporations hosted by The New York Stock Exchange

·         Hospitals hosted by Rockefeller University

·         Properties hosted by The Union Club of New York

·         Universities hosted by Columbia University, the New York Athletic Club and Fordham University.

Bove has conducted extensive leadership presentations for the FBI, the United States Military Academy, law enforcement, educators, security professionals, and students nationwide. www.vincentbove.com

“We must all serve as catalysts to protect our workplaces, schools, communities, public spaces, and houses of worship.  Public safety demands leadership, vigilance, and collaboration.  Security demands comprehensive enhancements, on-going training, effective response to warning signs, and building bridges with law enforcement, private security, and every member of the community.”  Vincent J Bove

Photos:

1. Vincent J. Bove with Bucky Dent, April 19, 1982, Columbus, Ohio exhibition game. (Reawakening America LLC)

2. New York Yankee collage, includes photos from Yankee Stadium, the New Orleans Superbowl, and the Columbus Clippers Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, circa early 1980's. Also included is cover of my first of four books, And On the Eighth Day God Created the Yankees, copyright 1981 with all proceeds for poor youth in various Salesian of Don Bosco apostolates.

 
3. Vincent J. Bove with youth of Saint Thomas the Apostle Church, Harlem, New York City.  Summer camp 1982. (Reawakening America LLC)

"I was hungry and you gave me food"

On Christmas Day 2021, I returned to assist the Missionary Sisters of Charity, commonly known as the Sisters of Mother Teresa at their Saint Augustine Parish Soup Kitchen in Newark, New Jersey.

The day began with Holy Mass and my honor of serving as Lector with the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah: 

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.  You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing…” Isaiah 9: 1-2.

After Mass, the Christmas meal began. The meal honors the timeless call to serve those in need, as proclaimed in the Gospel, "I was hungry and you gave me food."

As the line formed outside the Church despite the rain, the guests humbly wished the sisters, each other, and the workers a Merry Christmas.

Today, beside meals of hot chicken, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, biscuits, and grapes - guests received Christmas gift bags filled with winter clothing accessories and candies.

Before meals were shared, the guests were led in prayer. The sisters, inspired by Saint Mother Teresa, believe that not only the body but the soul needs nourishment.

The guests also took time to sing in honor the birth of the Savior as one of the sisters held a statue of the baby Jesus.

It was my privilege to be with the sisters, workers, and guests again today. It was a follow up to my Thanksgiving Day at Saint Augustine’s memorialized below.  

Before the day, I took time to reflect on the words of Pope Francis during his Christmas Midnight Mass homily, which highlights humility, so profoundly reflected in the work of the sisters:

“Brothers and sisters, standing before the crib, we contemplate what is central, beyond all the pretty lights and decorations. We contemplate the child. In his littleness, God is completely present. Let us acknowledge this: “Baby Jesus, you are God, the God who becomes a child”. Let us be amazed by this scandalous truth. The One who embraces the universe needs to be held in another’s arms. The One who created the sun needs to be warmed. Tenderness incarnate needs to be coddled. Infinite love has a miniscule heart that beats softly. The eternal Word is an “infant”, a speechless child. The Bread of life needs to be nourished. The Creator of the world has no home. Today, all is turned upside down: God comes into the world in littleness. His grandeur appears in littleness.” 

Read the Homily

Serving the Poor: Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 2021

On May 2, 2014, I authored an article titled America’s Forgotten Homeless: Awareness, Compassion, Dignity for my Reawakening the Nation column.

The article was also posted in The Sentinel, and shared electronically with my audience of educators, students, military personnel, law enforcement officials, and community leaders.

In the article, I highlighted an unimaginable sight in New York City, one of the planet’s richest cities.

Because of its importance, and relevance years later, I believe this excerpt that captures my emotions of the sight, deserves a spotlight:

“As one walks the New York City streets, the homeless must touch our conscience and inspire action.

"Although throughout the city and often can be easily circumvented, there are moments when kindness toward the homeless stops us in our tracks.

“One such experience for me was seeing the compassion of the Missionaries of Charity, commonly known as the Sisters of Mother Teresa, tending to the homeless near Central Park’s entrance at Columbus Circle.

 “Although one normally associates these sisters caring for the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, here they were in the heart of New York, one of civilizations most affluent societies, home to the richest people on the planet.

“The Missionaries of Charity, serving the homeless of New York City-the world’s epicenter of wealth, culture, education, tourism and diversity. Here were the sisters, serving a wake-up call to America’s conscience – reminding us of the suffering on New York City streets.

“America must respond to this anguish of our human family and triumph with full force, courage, compassion and dignity.”

Thanksgiving Day 2021

The experience of that day was seared into my conscience.

Now, eight years later, it is reawakened as I visited Saint Augustine’s Parish in Newark on Thanksgiving Day.  The parish is the home to the Missionary Sisters of Charity.

The purpose of my visit today was to assist the sisters with their commitment to the Corporal Works of Mercy, specifically to feed the hungry.

Some may consider the efforts of my wife and I, who hold the work of the Sisters with the highest admiration, as noble.

But our efforts pale in significance to the inspiring work the Sisters do every day for the poor, not only in Newark, but throughout the world.   They are carrying out the work of their foundress, Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  In my heart, there is no doubt that Saint Mother Teresa, a model of holiness and love for the poor is smiling down upon them.

The Youth of America

Complementing the work of the sisters today, were a group of young people who represent the best of America.

These youth from Ramsey High School, Immaculate Heart Academy, and New Jersey City University, along with their parents truly represent character.  Each of them gave of their time generously to help the poor, hungry, and homeless of Newark today.

An additional selection from the aforementioned article, as it remains relevant to the events of this memorable day in Newark, also deserves a spotlight:

“America is as great as its commitment to respecting the dignity of each person especially the poor. All human beings must be celebrated and we must always see beyond superficial externals of social status, humbly understanding we are all the human family.

“Whenever a human being is ostracized, distressed or impoverished, a nation must respond with moral courage, compassion, and resolve. When the poor are a burden, inconvenience, or annoyance-or treated with discriminatory indignation for their hardship-the nation is derailed and must be reawakened.”

Hopefully these reflections, and more importantly the admirable work of the Missionary Sisters of Charity, and the outstanding students and parents who assisted today, may serve as a wakeup call.  

The message of each of them is clear - living a life of charity, character, and community is a sacred privilege and the heart of reawakening America.

"God has identified himself with the hungry, the sick, the naked, the homeless; hunger not only for bread, but for love, for care, to be somebody to someone; nakedness, not for clothing only, but nakedness of that compassion that very few people give to the unknown; homelessness, not only just for a shelter made from stone but for that homelessness that comes from having no one to call your own."  Mother Teresa

Related:

America's Forgotten Homeless: Awareness, Compassion, Dignity

Missionaries of Charity (The Sisters of Saint Mother Teresa) Official Website

About the Author

Vincent J. Bove, CPP, is a national speaker and author on issues critical to America with over 300 published works and four books.  Bove is recipient of the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award, and former confident of the New York Yankees.  

He is co-founder of Global Security Resolutions, and served as spokesperson for a coalition of Virginia Tech tragedy families of victims. His most recent books are Reawakening America and Listen To Their Cries.

For more information: twitter@vincentjbove

© Reawakening America, PO Box 262, Convent Station, NJ  07961

The Sentinel, official electronic newsletter of Reawakening America, LLC – All Rights Reserved.

POST SCRIPT: Chinese Reflections by Lily Bove

My wife beautifully captured the heart of the day and posted it to share with friends and family in China:

Chinese Language:

2021-11-25，周四。感恩节

在这个美国文化中最重要的象征家庭团聚、亲人相聚的节日，先生选择了做主的工作一一去当地教会的慈善食堂服务，与那些无家可归者共度节日。

    这个位于美国新泽西州Newark 的天主教堂附设的慈善食堂，是由“特蕾莎”修女会组织的，专为当地穷人和流浪汉提供免费午餐的地方。一年四季，每日中午提供，没有身份查询，来者不拒。食品来源大部分来源于一些商家的常年赞助。每日的套餐基本不变，有热狗，面包，沙拉，粗粮，水果，甜点，汤类等。食物种类多，供应也丰富。通常工作人员也会把剩余的食品分配给大家，基本上保障了被救助者们有两餐的食物。

   我和先生曾是那里的志愿者。后来因为搬家，就选择了就近服务。虽然没有再去做工，但也会推荐一些捐助者去邦助她们。当时隔六年后，先生再去那里时，修女们仍然记得我，问起我的情况，并为我祈祷。此情此景，令我十分感动。感谢感恩主的灵在我们彼此的心中，行动中，灵魂里。

  图一是人间天使，穷苦病弱人们的救护神“特蕾莎”：图二、三是今年的志愿者和修女们；图四、五是需要食物救助的人们；图六、七是六年前先生和我去做工的留念。

    求主保佑、看顾天下的穷苦人们，尤其是那些呼唤他的名求邦助，愿意悔改更新、信靠他的人们。阿门。

English Translation:

2021-11-25, Thursday. Thanksgiving.

In this most important symbol of family reunion in American culture, my husband chose to work for God - to serve in the charity Soup Kitchen of a local church, and to spend the holiday with the homeless.

The charity was at the Catholic Church in Newark, New Jersey - organized by Mother Teresa's Order to provide free lunch for the local poor and homeless. Available at noon every day, all year round, no identity checks, all are welcome. 

Most of the food comes from the perennial charity of businesses. The daily package is basically the same, there are hot dogs, bread, salad, coarse grains, fruits, desserts, soup and so on. The variety of food is great and the supply is abundant. Usually the staff will also distribute surplus food to everyone, basically ensuring that the needy have two meals of food.

My husband and I were volunteers there in the past. Later because of the epidemic, we have not been able to assist them, but now they needed assistance. 

When the visit today, years later, the nuns remembered both of us, and promised prayers for both of us. I am very moved. 

Thank you for the Spirit of God in the hearts, actions, and souls.

The first picture is Saint Mother Teresa, an angel for the poor and sick. The second and third pictures are the volunteers and nuns this year. Pics four and five are people in need of food aid; Pictures six and seven are mementos of my husband and I working there before the pandemic.

May God bless and look upon the poor under heaven, especially those who call upon His name for help, who are willing to live and trust in Him. Amen.          Lily Bove

Note Well:

After our collaborative effort feeding the poor at the Saint Augustine Soup Kitchen, two of the sisters with two volunteers and I, filled a van with about 50 hot turkey dinners.

We traveled throughout the city, including the Newark Penn Station area and other locations where the homeless gather, offering meals with our Happy Thanksgiving sentiments.

The meals were gone within an hour, and the response from the people was profoundly humbling - gratitude, humility, and courtesy.

“I have come to realize that it is being unwanted - that is the worst disease that any human being can ever experience.”

 Mother Teresa

PS: The Missionary Sisters of Charity, commonly referred to as the Sisters of Saint Mother Theresa, asked me to play Santa Claus for their 2021 Christmas Party.

It was the joy of a lifetime, entering an assembly with over 100 children and their parents, at Saint Augustine's in Newark, and distributing Christmas gifts. I will never forget the expressions of awe and appreciation in their faces. 

Photos:

1. Missionary Sister of Charity holding the infant Jesus, Saint Augustine's, Christmas Day, 2021. (Vincent J. Bove)

2. Lily Bove assisting the Missionary Sisters of Charity at their Soup Kitchen, Saint Augustine's Parish, Newark, NJ, Feb. 12, 2017. (Vincent J. Bove)

3. Missionaries of Charity, Columbus Circle area near entrance to Central Park, New York, NY, Sept. 4, 2011. (Vincent J. Bove)

4. Photo collage from events of Thanksgiving Day, 2021 at Saint Augustine's Soup Kitchen. (Vincent J., Bove)

5. Student volunteers from Ramsey High School, Immaculate Heart Academy, and Jersey City University volunteering to help the poor on Thanksgiving, 2021 with Missionary Sister of Charity. (Vincent J. Bove)

6. Mother Teresa serves food to the poor in Calcutta, India, in October 1979. (Photo by Calogero Cascio/Getty Images)

7. Reawakening America Collage, and pics of Vincent J. Bove keynote, PHAMA event, Champion, PA, Oct. 20, 2017. (Lily Bove)

8. Vincent Bove, Sister Lazerena, Lily Bove (left to right) Saint Augustine's Soup Kitchen, Newark, NJ, Feb. 12, 2017 (Courtesy Reawakening America LLC)

9. Missionary of Charity Sisters with Thanksgiving Day volunteers at their Soup Kitchen, Saint Augustine's Newark, NJ, Nov. 25, 2021.  (Courtesy Reawakening America LLC)