Federal Commission on School Safety report rehashes decades-old best practices, adds a few political twists
Statement by school security expert Kenneth S. Trump, President of National School Safety and Security Services, on the Federal Commission on School Safety’s final report: The Federal Commission on School Safety’s final report largely rehashes school safety, security, and emergency preparedness best practices that have been recognized since the Columbine era nearly 20 years ago. […]
Why adequate supervision is critical to good school safety
A female is allegedly raped in a gym restroom. A student is assaulted in a hallway during class change. A stranger is found in an elementary school restroom. The first question raised by parents, the media and perhaps eventually lawyers is: “Was supervision adequate?” The answer to that question must be assessed on a case-by-case […]
Parent questions: ALICE Training & teaching kids to fight gunmen
Most of us who are parents agree that safety is more important than academics at our schools. We entrust educators with our children for a good chunk of time each school day. We demand that they take reasonable steps to protect our kids, and expect that they use good common sense in doing so. Yet […]
Police in Schools are Prevention, Not Cuff-n-Stuff, Programs
Civil rights advocates who portray police in schools as overly arresting kids are simply wrong. Police officers who work in schools, commonly known as School Resource Officers (SROs), generally perform more as prevention programs where officers prevent incidents versus taking on a “cuff’n’stuff” role with the intent of increasing student arrests. That’s not stopping civil rights and other […]
An Expert Analysis: Why Crime Rises in Charlotte NC Schools
Criminal or violent acts rose 19% in one year in the Charlotte-Mecklenberg, NC, schools according to a Charlotte Observer news story in early March. Yet security staffing continues to be dramatically cut by school officials. In a January story by WBTV, the district’s superintendent recommended cutting nearly $1 million from the district’s school law enforcement division, cutting […]
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 […]
Detroit Public Schools: Doing School Security “On-the-Cheap”?
Privatizing school safety officers may save money, but does it also increase safety risks? This debate is unfolding in Detroit, where the Detroit Public Schools recently fired all of its 226 school security officers and replaced them with $10-per-hour contracted private security staff. The district says doing so will save the district $4.5 million a […]