What have we learned and what is the state of school security and emergency planning 12 years after the Columbine High School attack in 1999?

The answer is simple:  We need to return to a focus on the fundamentals.  A new generation of school board members, superintendents, central office administrators, school safety specialists, principals, teachers, support staff members, and their community partners needs practical nuts-and-bolts resources for managing school safety during tight budget times.

Ken Trump’s third book is now available to help meet these needs.

Proactive School Security and Emergency Preparedness Planning introduces new dedicated full chapters on managing the current national hysteria around bullying, preparing schools for terrorism, managing school safety on tight budgets, parents and school safety, and managing media and parent communications in the postcrisis stage of school emergency planning. These five new chapters offer practical, common-sense frameworks and steps school leaders can take to proactively manage and respond to highly visible, emotional, and political aspects of school safety leadership in today’s security-sensitive school community. The guidance in these chapters will help school leaders navigate complex school safety issues while operating under unprecedented budget constraints.

Educators and safety officials will also benefit from new subchapter sections on hot topics that have emerged over the years since my first books. Administration building and board meeting security, after-hours school security; athletic and large event security; cell phones; Election Day security; elementary school security; Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and school privacy exceptions; Tasers and school police; training staff on school security and emergency preparedness; transportation security; diversifying emergency drills; tabletop exercises; and financial and continuity of operations plans are among the new and expanded subchapters. Readers who found my earlier publications helpful in covering a wide range of school security issues will find more best practices and issues to consider with the addition of these new topics.

 Practical, cost-effective, and realistic ideas are loaded into these chapters and subchapters:

• The Evolving Threats to School Security
• The “Politricks” of School Security: Denial, Image, and Underreporting
• Comprehensive School Safety Planning and Leadership
• School Security Assessments
• School Security Strategies and Issues: Board meeting and administration office security, athletic and large event security, bomb threats and suspicious devices, cell phones and text messaging, gangs, hotlines and anonymous reporting, private and independent schools, SROs and school police, school security staffing, student involvement in school safety planning, Tasers and school police, transportation security, uniforms and dress codes, zero tolerance, and more
• Managing Bullying (without new programs and expenses)
• Preparing Schools for Terrorism
• Managing School Safety on Tight Budgets
• Parents and School Safety
• Early Warning Signs of Violence
• Assessing and Managing Threats
• Lessons Learned from School Crisis Incidents
• Emergency Preparedness Planning and Preparation
• Emergency Response and Crisis Management
• Managing Media and Parent Communications on School Safety and Crisis Issues
• The Post-Crisis Crisis:  Mental Health, Security, Financial, Operational Continuity, Liability, and School-Community Political Issues
• Future Directions: State, Federal, and Academic Support for School Safety

…and much more!

A full look at the Table of Contents at Corwin’s web site will provide more details. 

Ken Trump

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