School safety, security, and violence prevention resource

In my last post – Toward the Prevention of School Violence: Recognizing and Responding To Warning Signs – I fired off a list of factors that directly and obliquely contribute to the escalating violence in today’s schools. In this posting I’m going to suggest a few strategies school administrators and teachers might adopt in Preparation and Planning For Violence and Crisis. Mind you, in the limited parameters of a posting I will be able to touch on only a few of these considerations. I intend to delve further into other strategies in future postings.

1. Establish a Crisis Planning and Management Team which includes faculty, staff as well as your security, safety and emergency response providers, including, if possible, a representative from local law enforcement. Leading this CPMT should be one or two individuals with experience and/or knowledge re crisis planning.
2. According to James McGinty of the Public Agency Training Council, “School Crisis Management Teams at district and site levels utilizing the nationally recognized Incident Command System, which provides a comprehensive organizational structure, role assignment, and decision-making process to prepare for and respond to all types of crises”are crucial to the resolution of catastrophic as well as “routine” violence and/or crisis.
3. Schools – and I am talking all schools from elementary to graduate school – need to establish definitive policies and procedures codifying a:
   • Chain-Of-Command regarding all crisis situations, from harassment to hostage situations. Establish who will be in charge of each response level to various types of crisis. Appoint a Crisis-Director and Sub-Commanders, if the director is unavailable. This chain should be publicized throughout the school (district).
   • Codes and Communications are crucial in every type of crises. Establish methods of communicating to everyone in the school system, including students, parents, teachers, security personnel and other staff.

Ø The Nature of the Emergency. Communicate to all the nature or a situation, either in clear language or through subtle codes on a public address system what is happening, where it is happening, who must assemble in the specific Staging Site, where, who must attend to the crisis, etc. In the case of a shooter in the halls, for instance, students and teachers might need to either evacuate the building now, or lock down, while security personnel need to rush immediately to a pre-planned “Staging Area (assemble-point)” where he/she/they can be briefed.

Ø Lock-Down or Evacuate. Establish a protocol regarding circumstances demanding immediate and coordinated responses, such as Locking-Down or Evacuating the building(s).

Ø Identify personnel who will have access to secured areas.

Ø Lockdown and Evacuation (Fire) Drills. Conduct pre-planned, announced and coordinated Lockdown and Evacuation Drills as well as a few spontaneous and realistic drills.

Ø Training. Regularly conduct realistic and dynamic simulation (Stress Inoculation) trainings that coordinate law enforcement, emergency response teams, teachers and other school staff. Such trainings, run correctly, can inoculate trainees with the type of severe survival stress in a safe environment that will replicate the kind of stress the Crisis Management Team will encounter in a real life situation.

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Posted on December 13th, 2007 by Harry A Widger
Filed under: Administrators, Building safety, College, Disasters, High School, K-6, Parents, People Involved, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues, Security, Shootings, Students