President Donald J. Trump takes office today as the 45th President of the United States. As he and his nominated Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, begin working to “Make America Great Again,” they also have the opportunity to “Make Federal School Safety Policy Great Again.” Obama, Congress eliminated critical school safety programs prior to the […]
Category Archive: School Safety and Crisis Training
School safety preparation tips for back-to-school
Back-to-school means it is time for curriculum and scheduling tweaks, faculty meetings, parent communications and many other academic preparations. It also is time to review school security, emergency preparedness, supervision and other school safety fundamentals that should be included in your district and/or building safety to-do lists at the start of each year. A few […]
Tabletop exercises strengthen school security and emergency preparedness for a crisis
Security and emergency preparedness has been at the forefront as our hometown Cleveland prepares to host next week’s Republican National Convention, just on the heels of an impromptu 1.3 million fan downtown celebration of our NBA Champion Cavaliers basketball victory. The tragic attacks on Dallas police officers last week only heightened our local conversations about […]
School terrorism preparedness: After the ISIS attack in Paris, is the U.S. the next target?
If terrorists want to strike at the heart of America, they will strike at its children. I made that comment before and after the 9/11 attacks on United States. This past weekend’s ISIS attacks in Paris, France, are a tragic reminder that this comment still applies now, if not more than ever, here in America […]
Spring Valley High School police – student altercation analysis: A failure of administration and School Resource Officer (SRO) best practices
The viral video of a South Carolina School Resource Officer (SRO) dragging a female student out of a classroom chair raises as many questions about a failure of school administration as it raises questions about school officer tactics and best practices in school-based policing. Three wrongs a disaster makes “This situation was a no-win as […]
Buyer beware of “non-profit” representations by school safety consultants
A company claiming “non-profit” status is much more credible and trustworthy, and less expensive to work with, than their for-profit corporation counterparts. Or is it? The public perception is that “non-profits” are charitable do-gooders who work for the public good will, charge less for their services, and have income and chief executives making a lot […]
School leaders must be educated consumers on safety assessment consultants
“You’ve got to know when to hold’em. Know when to fold’em. Know when to walk away and know when to run.” This advice from country singer, Kenny Rogers, makes good guidance for ethical school security consultants as well as school boards, superintendents and other central office administrators or school heads seeking school safety assessment consultation […]