“People don’t buy products. They buy solutions to their problems.” This insightful observation, along with a humorous video to illustrate the point, is floating around social media. While some may focus on the video, marketing gurus are using it to impart a bit of wisdom that school leaders must consider when tackling school security challenges […]
Category Archive: Parents and School Safety
Communicating school safety to parents: Superintendents and principals need strategic support on what to say, how to say it, and when to say it
If we don’t better support superintendents and principals in becoming strategic school safety leaders and communicators, they will lose the trust and confidence of parents, students, staff, and their school communities. They might also lose their jobs. Yesteryear’s school safety communications spin no longer works During the first couple of decades of my school security […]
Why we can’t solve a human public safety issue with a technological quick-fix: The knee-jerk jump to security cameras and other gadgets from Sandy Hook to Ferguson, New York to Cleveland
“Call our financial advisor and move all of our investment money into body camera manufacturers,” I recently told my wife. My comment was made tongue-in-cheek in reflection of the pathetic state of our public policy reaction to a public safety crisis, rather than as a passing joke or disrespectful and glib response to one of […]
Five lessons from the NFL for school superintendents, boards and principals
Domestic violence and child abuse cases involving National Football League (NFL) players have dominated the headlines this week. How the NFL and individual teams have managed, or in some aspects mismanaged, the cases have been even a bigger focus of news coverage. The NFL experience provides five important teachable moments for superintendents, school boards and principals […]
When was the last time your school did a non-custodial parent safety drill?
Your school does active shooter drills, but when was the last time you did a non-custodial parent drill? We have seen countless numbers of active shooter drills and exercises conducted since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings less than two years ago. Police tactical teams have worked with school principals and superintendents to fine tune […]
“Stand Up for Public Education” Campaign must include school safety
Public school superintendents must proactively strengthen school safety and boost their communications about safe schools if they want to convince the public, government policymakers, and the media that high-quality public education can continue to succeed. The “Stand Up for Public Education” Campaign is a multi-year campaign spearheaded by The American Association of School Administrators, the […]
Independent, private school security assessments: Creating a culture of safety
Independent, parochial, and other private school heads are often concerned that assessments of their security and emergency preparedness might conflict with their unique school cultures. We believe, however, that part of their unique cultures can, and should, include a culture of safety. No schools are immune from a security incident or emergency situation. Higher tuition […]
Training office staff critical to school entrance access control
Many schools are using various door entry systems to aid in visitor screening. Strong access control and visitor management is one important component of a comprehensive school safety strategy. One weakness we consistently see in our security assessment consultations nationwide is in the training of main office and other staff who use the security technology […]
New one-stop website for school safety news, analysis, and resources
School administrators and safety officials now have a new one-stop resource for free information on the latest school safety news and opinion, analysis on hot topics, and topical resources for improving school safety, emergency preparedness, and communications efforts. We spent the past three months here at National School Safety and Security Services working with our […]
Lockdown communications with parents during school emergencies
Few things scare a mother more than a lockdown or safety crisis at her child’s school. Fear makes calm, sensible people frantic and fierce. This is a tough time for schools. Their first priority is protecting children. A lockdown is serious business. School staffers are tied up assessing the threat, talking to police, making sure […]