Blog Archives

Growing legal school safety mandates and proposed consultant/vendor-driven school security “standards” may mean well, but many create unrealistic mandates that are impossible for schools to comply with

Posted by on August 4, 2024

Sheriff Grady Judd, a Commissioner on the Florida school safety commission created after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland) school shooting, said last week that a new law requiring classroom doors to be locked when students are present is impossible to comply with without exceptions and the validity of the exceptions can be difficult […]

Categories: Legislation and School Safety School Law and Liability School security vendors | No Comments »

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School security expert witness says school safety civil lawsuits point to allegations of failures of human factors, not failures of security equipment and technology

Posted by on May 10, 2022

Being retained as a school security expert witness in Pre-K12 school civil litigation cases ranging from the nation’s highest profile school active shooter cases and wrongful death cases (Sandy Hook, Parkland, San Bernardino, and others) to rapes and other sexual assaults, violent physical assaults, gang violence, crimes on school buses, and other lawsuits provides unique […]

Categories: Assault Expert Witness School Law and Liability Sexual assault Shootings - School Deaths | 8 Comments »

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School wrongful death, assault with injuries lawsuits: School security expert witness says cases are going from the schoolhouse to the courthouse

Posted by on September 15, 2017

Today’s headlines on this week’s school shooting from The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, reads: “Signs and warnings failed to prevent Freeman school shooting.” Given observations over recent years, it would not be surprising if a future headline reads: “Lawsuit filed on school shooting claims warning signs were missed.” A wrongful death suit against former Chardon, […]

Categories: School Law and Liability School Safety Issues | 1 Comment »

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School sexual assault litigation: Security expert witness consultant says school rape, sex assaults are turning into lawsuits

Posted by on April 25, 2017

As a school security expert witness and litigation consultant on school safety lawsuits, there are some weeks where I receive more inquiries for services from attorneys than I do from superintendents and other school leaders. Suffice to say that a number of parents today are taking their allegations and grievances about school safety from the […]

Categories: School Law and Liability School Safety Issues | No Comments »

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ALICE training co-founder admits ‘counter’ tactic of students attacking gunmen has never been used by an ALICE-trained school class

Posted by on December 14, 2015

The co-creator of ALICE training admits that there is not one known ALICE-trained school that has ever used the controversial ALICE “counter” technique where students are taught to throw things and attack armed gunmen, according to an article last week by Education Week’s Evie Blad. Blad’s article opened by highlighting a recent Fox News’ Fox […]

Categories: Crisis - Emergency Planning for Schools School Law and Liability School Safety and Crisis Training Shootings - School Deaths | 11 Comments »

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ALICE Training Institute distances itself from Alabama school’s throwing canned food at gunmen, then reaches out to the school for “positive spin”

Posted by on January 17, 2015

Following days of national and international  skeptical media attention and mockery of an Alabama middle school that asked parents to send canned food for students to throw at armed gunmen, the ALICE Training Institute on Friday distanced itself from the controversy before trying to “put a positive spin” on the adverse attention that put a dent […]

Categories: Crisis - Emergency Planning for Schools Legislation and School Safety School Crime and Incident Reporting | 2 Comments »

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ALICE training gets kicked in the can: Alabama principal’s call for students to throw canned food to knock out gunmen gets nationwide, international skepticism

Posted by on January 15, 2015

Alabama middle school principal Priscella Holley’s letter sent to parents last week saying that the school will be “arming our students with a canned food item” to “stun the intruder or even knock him out until police arrive” has triggered national and international skepticism. Holley, the principal of W.F. Burns Middle School in Valley, Alabama, […]

Categories: Crisis - Emergency Planning for Schools School Law and Liability School Safety and Crisis Training Shootings - Mass Shootings - School Deaths | 3 Comments »

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School active shooter drills trigger lawsuit and injury claims

Posted by on September 4, 2014

School active shooters drills are intended to prepare for saving lives, but recent lawsuits and injury claims suggest that some drills may pose a greater risk of harm than good to training participants. Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article entitled,” ‘Active Shooter’ Drills Spark Raft of Legal Complaints” tells of a teacher in Boardman, Ohio, who filed a […]

Categories: Crisis - Emergency Planning for Schools School Law and Liability School Safety and Crisis Training Shootings - Mass | 9 Comments »

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Lawyers, media talk school safety even when educators don’t

Posted by on April 2, 2012

School officials may be talking less about school safety today, but lawyers and the media certainly are not silent on the topic. Many school security directors, school police chiefs and school safety consultants will tell you (at least privately) that getting school boards, administrators and staff to consistently focus proactively on school safety is increasingly […]

Categories: Media and Parent Communications School Law and Liability School Safety Funding | No Comments »

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