Blog Archives

Feds fail after Sandy Hook; Security expert says restore cuts, add school safety academies

Posted by on January 14, 2013

  School security expert says federal leaders failed to provide meaningful steps to improve school security after Sandy Hook Trump calls for restoring cut federal programs, new state school safety academies [CLEVELAND] Elected officials have failed to provide meaningful legislation, funding, and resources to help school administrators better secure their schools and prepare for mass […]

School safety: Security assessments post-Sandy Hook shootings

Posted by on January 2, 2013

“Fast” does not equate to “best.” This was my response in a communication with a private school administrator who shared with me yesterday that her school’s board of trustees had been pondering a school security assessment for three months, but then when the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred, they wanted the process expedited. Since scheduling […]

Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings: School safety reflections

Posted by on December 27, 2012

Bulletproof backpacks for students. Bulletproof vests for teachers. Arming teachers. Teaching children to attack armed intruders. These were among the many ideas bantered around in the news, online, and elsewhere across America in the days following the shooting deaths of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. The Today […]

Seasons Greetings from National School Safety and Security Services

Posted by on December 26, 2012

A belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year greeting to our friends, family, and colleagues who follow the School Security Blog. This holiday season is one I will never forget for reasons both bad and good. On the bad side, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings dominated the week prior to Christmas. I spent […]

School police association rejects training students to attack armed intruders

Posted by on December 13, 2012

The national association representing school-based police officers does NOT endorse the idea of teaching students to throw objects and attack armed intruders, its executive director confirmed earlier today. The association also does NOT endorse the idea of teaching school-based police officers to teach students to throw objects and attack armed intruders. Mo Canady, Executive Director […]

School board, superintendent reject ALICE student training to attack armed intruders

Posted by on December 9, 2012

The Canton (MA) school board and superintendent on Thursday rejected moving forward with training students to attack armed intruders under what a Boston Globe article called a “controversial new security protocol” known as A.L.I.C.E. training. “We are not ready to go beyond the point of training staff,” the Globe quoted Superintendent Jeffrey Granatino as saying […]

Handcuffed student in police car shoots himself after school threat

Posted by on December 7, 2012

Deputies did not conduct a full search of a troubled Texas high school senior and missed a gun that he used to shoot himself police said on Thursday, according to Houston Chronicle newspaper article. The 17-year-old male student was in intensive care after officers performed a quick pat-down on Wednesday following concerns that the high school […]

Election day school safety, security, and crisis preparedness

Posted by on November 25, 2012

Election day school security is an issue principals, superintendents, and school board members around the country have grappled with in one form or another for more than a decade. We have seen administrators give more attention to the issue post-Columbine and post-9/11, not specifically because of Columbine and 9/11 threats per se, but as a result […]

Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy provides bullying, media training for new generation of safety leaders

Posted by on November 15, 2012

A new generation of superintendents, principals, teachers, school resource officers, and other school-community leaders embarked on their first round of training on Wednesday at the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy (ISSSA). A record number of more than 330 participants learned best practices in school law, managing bullying without new programs and expenses, and managing media and parent communications […]

Do schools, police mislead parents on ALICE training? Students attack armed gunmen

Posted by on November 13, 2012

Some schools and police are teaching students to attack armed gunmen. But are they soft-pedaling the program and misleading parents in the process? A.L.I.C.E. stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. The “counter” component of teaching school students to throw objects at armed intruders and to physically attack them is being question by many experienced educators […]