In my school security and emergency planning workshops, I frequently ask school administrators, School Resource Officers (SROs), and others to name one positive thing they are doing in their schools which contributes to school safety. This item can fall under prevention, security, and/or preparedness. Those who volunteer have about 10 seconds each to name their practice. […]
Category Archive: Media and Parent Communications
How Many “Isolated Incidents” Equal a School Safety Concern?
If you want to see my friend and colleague, Chuck Hibbert, turn three shades of red and have steam coming out of his ears, just be nearby when a school shooting occurs and a school official tells the media: “This was an isolated incident.” Chuck’s tongue-in-cheek response rolls off his lips without hesitation: “Yes, […]
What School Administrators Can Learn from Senator-Elect Scott Brown
The surprise victory by now Senator-elect Scott Brown has been the buzz in national news for the past two days. Brown, the Republican candidate for the Massachusetts Senate seat held for decades by former Senator Ted Kennedy, won an election believed at first to be a guaranteed win for his Democratic challenger. How did Brown pull off […]
Timely Parent and Media Communications on School Safety
Failing to communicate school safety and crisis incidents to parents and the media in an effective and timely manner can become its own separate story. It can also put a dent in the credibility of a school district and its leaders from the superintendent to the building principal. One reporter working on a story which questioned a school […]
Parents Want to Know About School Safety
Most parents “don’t know what they don’t know” about school safety. And too often, no one is rushing to tell them. The safety of their child at school is the only thing more important to parents than their child’s academic achievement. We are doing many good things in our schools to keep kids safe. But too often, school leaders are […]