First the Obama Administration proposed eliminating K-12 school emergency planning grants from the 2012 federal budget. Now, it appears the House Appropriations Committee is calling to eliminate the funds from this year’s 2011 budget! In a Friday press release on $4 billion in spending cuts as a part of a proposed short term government funding Continuing […]
How a Pre-Columbine Mindset is Threatening School Safety
Shootings, hit lists, explosives, and even a murder do not seem to be keeping some school administrators and boards from hunkering down into a pre-Columbine mentality on school safety. School Administrators and Boards Playing School Safety “On-the-Cheap” Hiding behind challenging fiscal times, some school “leaders” are playing school safety “on the cheap” in spite of […]
Why Disagreeing or Challenging an Idea is Not “Incivility”
The latest politically-correct buzzword of the day, incivility, sounds good on the surface. After all, who could be against a more “civil” society? The Resurrection of “Civility” and the Push for Kumbaya The problem is that the issue has been pushed to the forefront in a political context. The buzz started with the Obama Administration […]
Jay Mathews’ “Overdoing School Security” Partially Hits Target
Locking down eight schools in the vicinity of a Los Angeles high school where a school police officer reported being shot was not overdoing school security. How the lockdowns were implemented probably was over-the-top, however. Jay Mathews, a respected education columnist for The Washington Post, partially hit his target in challenging the way lockdowns were put […]
Budget Cuts Shift School Safety From Proactive to Reactive
School boards and superintendents tell parents school safety is their top priority. But in some districts, they are not putting their money where their mouth is. Budget Cuts Make Schools More Reactive on Safety Charlotte-Mecklenberg’s school district superintendent is recommending $1 million in cuts to the district’s law enforcement division, according to a local news […]
Gardena School Shooting: Security Policy Disconnects Create Safety, Credibility Risks
Failure to follow security procedures and to communicate with parents can easily lead to a post-crisis crisis for school leaders. Two students were wounded at Gardena High School on Tuesday after a gun in a 10th grader’s backpack discharged in a classroom, striking a 15-year-old girl in the head and a 15-year-old male in the […]
Congress & School Boards Beef Up Their Security, But Not For Kids
Shoot a kid in school, and school safety budgets get cut. But when the shooting is at school board members or elected officials, one of the first discussions is the need for greater security measures. I have watched closely the reactions to December’s shooting at school board members in a Florida school district and now […]
Omaha School Shooting: Metal Detector or Mental Detector?
Hours after the shooting of Millard South High School principal Curtis Case, and shooting death of assistant principal Vicki Kaspar, metal detectors in schools became the buzz of media and community talk. Parents and communities understandably are grasping for a solution to a problem — school shootings — which has not been “fixed” for a over a […]
Is the Next School Board Shooter Coming to Your Meeting?
Economic problems. Mental health issues. Frustrations at a boiling point. Does this describe anyone in your school community? Could they be the next person to walk through your school’s Administration Building doors or into your next school board meeting? In a December 15, 2010, article entitled, “School board shooter in Florida had frustrated, turbulent life along […]
School Board Shooting Points to Administration Security Needs
A shooting at a Bay District Schools’ board meeting in Florida on Tuesday illustrates the need for school boards and superintendents to include security and crisis planning measures at school administration buildings and support sites. Security is often neglected for school district central office buildings, board meetings, and other administrative sites. Well-intended board members, superintendents, and […]