School safety lessons: A teacher survives an active shooter
Monday’s shooting at Sparks Middle School in Nevada ended with the tragic death of a math teacher and the student/shooter, and the injury of two other students. The teacher, Michael Landberry, a Marine and National Guard member who served multiple tours in Afghanistan, reportedly intervened in an effort to get the shooter to put down […]
School safety post-Sandy Hook: Proven, tested strategies prevail
For the past nine months, our team of school security and communications consultants have maintained a steady approach and methodical voice of reason while serving as an anchor to superintendents, boards and principals who are facing a tidal wave of school-community emotion on safety issues. We have focused on proven prevention, preparedness, response and communications […]
School safety post-Sandy Hook: Context and focus from up close
Even the most seasoned of school safety professionals have struggled to make sense out of the senseless — the loss of 20 children and six school staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. While I do not believe most of us will ever make sense out of it, I have found some […]
School safety post-Sandy Hook: Focus on “How?,” not on “Wow!”
More than nine months have passed since the December 14, 2012, school shooting attack upon Sandy Hook Elementary School in the Newtown, Connecticut, school district where 20 children and 6 school staff members were left dead. The horrific nature of the attack upon our youngest and most vulnerable children — elementary students — served as […]
Do ALICE training tactics put students, teachers at risk?
Questions about student and teacher safety continue to mount as some schools deploy questionable drill tactics in which children and teachers are instructed to throw things at, and to attack, armed gunmen. The tactics stem from the controversial “Counter” component of the A.L.I.C.E. Training program, which stands for Alert-Lockdown-Inform-Counter-Evacuate. Questionable tactics stemming from A.L.I.C.E. training In recent months, […]
School safety lessons learned: From Cleveland to Newtown (Guest Post)
Dr. Steve Sroka shares in the following guest article some straight-forward, realistic lessons learned from his more than 30 years working with school violence prevention and safety issues. School Safety Lessons Learned: From Cleveland to Newtown by Stephen Sroka I dealt with school violence before it was fashionable and funded. To me, any child killed […]
Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings: School safety reflections
Bulletproof backpacks for students. Bulletproof vests for teachers. Arming teachers. Teaching children to attack armed intruders. These were among the many ideas bantered around in the news, online, and elsewhere across America in the days following the shooting deaths of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. The Today […]
Seasons Greetings from National School Safety and Security Services
A belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year greeting to our friends, family, and colleagues who follow the School Security Blog. This holiday season is one I will never forget for reasons both bad and good. On the bad side, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings dominated the week prior to Christmas. I spent […]
School police association rejects training students to attack armed intruders
The national association representing school-based police officers does NOT endorse the idea of teaching students to throw objects and attack armed intruders, its executive director confirmed earlier today. The association also does NOT endorse the idea of teaching school-based police officers to teach students to throw objects and attack armed intruders. Mo Canady, Executive Director […]
Handcuffed student in police car shoots himself after school threat
Deputies did not conduct a full search of a troubled Texas high school senior and missed a gun that he used to shoot himself police said on Thursday, according to Houston Chronicle newspaper article. The 17-year-old male student was in intensive care after officers performed a quick pat-down on Wednesday following concerns that the high school […]