With students and educators back in the classrooms, district leaders need to be able to reassure everyone in their school community that school safety is a priority.
District leaders should always be ready to explain what their school safety plans are and how their administration arrived at them.
Be prepared to answer these five school safety questions from parents, educators, and students as the new school year proceeds:
1. What is our district-wide approach to safety and what mechanisms are in place to ensure it is known and followed?
As we’ve seen over the past year, emergencies due to natural disasters, medical situations, active shooter threats, and other causes can happen at any place and time. Having a comprehensive security and safety program is one of district leaders’ most important responsibilities.
2. What is your district doing to deter attacks and violence?
Violence is preventable. Early detection, assessment, and intervention in cases where individuals may pose a threat are crucial.
Putting tools and technology in place to detect and become aware of threats is an important part of a holistic approach. Programs to educate students, staff, and the community on how to recognize concerning behavior and report tips and information anonymously are high-stakes today. Rapid assessment and intervention are key once a tip or risk has been identified.
3. When it’s not a drill, what is in place to ensure seamless, fast communication with first responders, and how do we ensure safety until help arrives?
The average duration of a violent critical incident is 5 minutes long – and the national average law enforcement response time is 3 to 5 minutes. During those precious minutes, it’s imperative that school officials can communicate with law enforcement and first responders so they can accurately gauge the situation and put plans into action.
4. How do we reunite students with parents and guardians?
Planning for reunification starts with having accurate and up-to-date documentation of students, volunteers, and staff – and making sure that information is accessible during an emergency to help limit chaos. Next comes figuring out evacuation routes from all parts of the campus, with contingencies for different scenarios and considerations for mobility-limited individuals or those with special needs.
5. How do we maintain a culture and practice of school safety?
Look ahead and identify your priorities. Address ongoing challenges. Adapt current plans for changing circumstances. Follow up on opportunities to be proactive and improve on what is already in place.
Next steps might include:
- A full-scale risk assessment.
- More effective behavioral and mental health plans, including behavioral threat assessment, suicide awareness and prevention, and behavioral intervention supports.
- Updates to training your educators and staff have received to ensure understanding and compliance.
- Regularly scheduled drills.
- Incident tracking and reporting.
By answering these five questions, you help ensure that the entire community is on the same page in terms of training, technology, and planning to address potential threats to students’ safety. And when students feel secure and supported in their environment, they are more likely to be on track to reach their full academic potential.
For more details, read the full report here: https://www.eschoolnews.com/2022/09/29/5-school-safety-questions-your-district-should-be-prepared-to-answer/2/
Source: eSchoolNews
