Chuck Hibbert, my colleague and fellow school safety consultant, generously authored a two-part blog piece highlighting his recent experience facilitating a general session of the School Transportation Association of Indiana’s 39th annual conference in French Lick, Indiana. The session highlighted the leadership and heroism displayed by West Clark Community School District transportation staff and district […]
Cell phones in schools debate continues on Fox & Friends
Are students more or less safe with cell phones in schools? It all depends on who you ask. The battle rages on in New York City as Mayor Bloomberg is holding firm on the ban of cell phones in city schools. But a recent opinion piece in the New York Post entitled “End the cell […]
Memorial Day reminds us of the value of ‘us’ and ‘we,’ not ‘I’
Memorial Day celebrations should remind us of the value of “us” and “we,” not ‘I.” If you listen to our veterans who talk about fighting wars, reflect upon those who gave their lives in war, and express gratitude and pride for those who are actively serving in wars to keep our children and nation safe, […]
Taking the “bull” out of bullying and school safety training
School boards and administrators do not need new programs and expenses to manage bullying. In fact, most school districts already have strategies and services in place to adequately address school bullying. Recently, I had the pleasure of sharing this message to about 100 school board members, superintendents and top school district administrators who registered for […]
Mom arms gay son with stun gun to confront school bullying
An Indiana gay male high school student’s mother had a legitimate concern about her son being the victim of bullying, but she made a poor choice by arming him with a stun gun. The bully victim was apprehended by school police and subsequently expelled for brandishing the stun gun after he was reportedly confronted by […]
School security under microscope after 10-year-old runs away
Parents and the media are questioning a Georgia elementary school’s security and supervision procedures after a 10-year-old fifth-grade student ran away from his elementary school on Tuesday. The student, Kit Colburn, was sent to the office around 8:45 a.m. but not reported missing to police until 12:19 p.m., according to a story by The Telegraph newspaper […]
School officer shoots burglar suspect; school police not 2nd class
The shooting of a suspected burglar by a Pasadena (Texas) school police officer appears to have triggered an immediate scrutiny of school police officers as much as it did a scrutiny of the shooting itself. The suspect, an eighth-grader, was shot by the officer who responded to a school trailer burglar alarm at 12:30 a.m. […]
1,183,700 violent school crimes; Only 303,900 reported to police
Civil rights special interest groups and the Obama Administration claim police and school officials are creating a “school-to-prison-pipeline” where students are being needlessly arrested. But one recent report, using Education and Justice Department data, suggests schools are actually covering up violent crimes from the police. “The Department of Education and the Department of Justice say […]
Police handcuff Georgia kindergartner for tantrum or safety?
A 6-year-old kindergartner from a Georgia school was handcuffed and removed from school by police after the student allegedly tore items off the walls, threw books and toys, threw a shelf that hit the principal in the leg, jumped on a paper shredder and tried to break a glass frame, according to an Associated Press […]
Chronic school bomb threats challenge school, safety officials
Chronic school bomb threats have challenged school and police officials from K-12 schools and college level education facilities. In late 2011, Orange Public Schools in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, faced a series of bomb threats in which a number of those were delivered electronically through an internationally located proxy server. Eventually federal and local law enforcement […]