Should school police have high-powered rifles in schools?
The Plainfield (IL) Police Department’s recent request to allow its School Resource Officers (SROs) to store AR-15 rifles in gun safes at their high school generated quite a buzz. (See the Chicago Tribune story entitled Assault rifles in schools a sign of the times.) But was the request really unreasonable? Actually, the request by the police is not unusual. […]
School bus drivers got security training for Republican convention
Driving a school bus is a tough job on a “normal” school day. Imagine how tough the job was for Hillsborough County Schools’ bus drivers who had to drive in the security footprint for the Republican National Convention last week in Tampa. And oh, by the way, did we mention there was also a hurricane […]
Prevent mass shootings? Aurora theater, Sikh temple, & schools
“Run. Hide. Fight.” That’s the Department of Homeland Security’s advice for staying safe during a shooting. “Buy a gun. Take self-defense classes. Teach kids to attack armed intruders in a school.” Those are some recommendations from others. Following recent mass shootings at an Aurora, Colorado, theater and at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, the search for […]
Buyer beware: Risky school safety consultants, expert witnesses
More than a decade ago, I co-authored an article for the National School Boards Association entitled, “Buyer Beware: What to look for when hiring a school security consultant.” I would have never thought at that time that the topic would be as relevant, if not more so, eleven years later — but it is. The […]
School transportation conference showcases tornado safety lessons – Part II
Chuck Hibbert provides Part II of his insights from faciliating a session at the School Transportation Association of Indiana’s annual conference that highlighted the leadership and heroism of West Clark Community School District transportation staff and district administrators when an EF4 tornado struck in Henryville, Indiana. Guest Post by Chuck Hibbert Part II of this blog article continues with […]
School transportation conference showcases tornado safety lessons – Part I
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 […]
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 […]
Police use school to train for active school shooting incident
Active shooters have captured more of the public’s attention in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and other public sites. While I have always emphasized not being alarmist and keeping context when discussing school shootings, it is prudent to include active shooter scenarios in training for law enforcement officials and their school partners. In Shepherdsville, Kentucky, […]
Cafeteria worker saved lives at Chardon High School shooting
Cherie Reed, a cafeteria staff member at Chardon High School, comforted students and may have saved lives thanks to her quick thinking and action as shooter T.J. Lane fired gunshots, killing three students and wounding two others in the school’s cafeteria on Feb. 27 in Chardon, Ohio. Reed and student Travis Carter, a 16-year-old junior, […]