WHAT SAY YOU ?: November 2007

For all of you that e-mailed me, wanting to know when part 2 “how safe is your school” was coming out well here it is. I have spent a lot of hours researching this and like the last article, I found so much info that it would not be possible to put it all out. So, here is what I feel is the best information and even with it narrowed down I still had to cut some things out, so what I am going to do is at the end I will list the best web sites that I found so you can check it out for yourself. So let’s get started.

In my article “How safe is your school part1” (Monday October 15^th), I covered who it was that wanted to attack our schools and how they would most likely do it. I showed were al-Qaeda has made it a goal to kill 2 million American children. So in this article I want to cover some of the things we can do to make that goal a lot harder for al-Qaeda to do. Let’s start with the first thing most children deal with at the start of their school day “The school Bus “. Let me ask you, how many of you know what the schools plan is for a bus that is taken by armed attackers? How many of you know who your child’s bus driver is? What kind of training do the bus drivers get in the event that an armed gun man gets on board? These are just a few questions that need to asked. We as parents should always know who our children’s bus drivers are. And when a different driver is there and it don’t feel right then we should ask the school why the change in drivers. Another thing we can do is if we are there when our children’s bus show up and it a driver we don’t know or feel comfortable with then we should drive our kids to school and then ask at the school if they changed drivers. Next we should know what the school’s action plan is in the vent that a bus is taken and we should hold that school accountable. In addition we should also make sure that the schools are training their drivers in what to do if their bus is taken by armed gun men.

So that is just a few things we as parent s should do and know about, but what is the schools responsibility? In my research I found a perfect web site that spells out just what a school should be doing. The following info was taken right from the “National School Safety and Security Services!” This is the best site that I have found to contain information on school safety. This first part of the information deals with school buses.

Many school bus drivers have not received adequate training, and in some cases any training at all, on dealing with school safety threats. In addition to student misconduct, irate parents also pose a concern to school bus drivers.

Heightened awareness about terrorism also should include recognition that buses have been terror targets for many years in the Middle East, and that school buses in the United States are not immune from potential terrorist attacks. While such an attack may not be probable, we have to acknowledge that it is possible. As is the case in our schools, our school bus drivers must be aware and prepared, but not scared!

School Transportation News, in its November 30, 2006, issue, reported that the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) called for renewed security training for school bus drivers. In a resolution passed by its members, NASDPTS was reported to call for all school bus driver training to include, but not be limited to, training on personal safety, parental custody issues, crimes (vandalism, theft, assault), hijackings, and possession of dangerous materials or weapons. The organization also reportedly encouraged all school districts to ensure that all drivers complete a security training program. (See our school bus transportation security training web page for information such training.)

Issues of security and emergency planning for school transportation officials include, but are not limited to:

Establish pre-employment screening and interviewing protocols for new bus drivers.
Provide comprehensive training on student behavior management, discipline procedures, working with special education and special needs students, dealing with irate parents, security and emergency preparedness, applicable state and local laws, and associated issues for all transportation staff, including newly hired drivers.
Conduct school security assessments, including physical security assessments, of school bus depots and associated school transportation facilities. Also train drivers on physical security issues related to bus units.
Employ the effective use of technology, such as two-way communications capabilities and surveillance cameras, on school buses.
Establish guidelines related to safety and emergency planning, including emergency communications procedures, for all field trips.
Establish emergency preparedness guidelines from an "all hazards" approach, covering both natural disasters (weather related, for example) and man made acts of crime and violence.
Develop emergency plans with both your school district, neighboring districts, and the broader community in mind. How would you mobilize buses in a major community emergency? What role do buses have in emergency management for cities and counties? What happens if public safety and emergency management officials commandeer your buses? How would an emergency impact gas supplies? Who could and would be able to drive school buses if regular drivers were not available?
Create guidelines and train school bus drivers on dealing with intervening in student fights and conflicts on buses, irate parents, potential trespassers aboard buses, student threat assessment, early warning signs of potential violence, and related threats.
Train school bus drivers and transportation supervisors on terrorism-related issues, bomb threat and suspicious devices, inspecting buses, heightened awareness at bus stops and while driving, increased observations skills while coming and going at schools, sharpening skills in reporting incidents, etc.
Include school transportation supervisors and school bus drivers in district and building emergency planning processes and meetings.
Establish mechanisms for mobilizing transportation services during irregular transportation department operations times, such as mid-day when drivers are not normally scheduled to work. Consider establishing mutual aid agreements with neighboring school districts for mass, rapid mobilization in an emergency.
Train school bus drivers on interacting with public safety officials aboard buses, at accident scenes, in on-road emergencies, and when emergency situations exist at schools. Include protocols for dealing with school evacuations, student release procedures, family reunification issues, and associated matters.
Have student rosters, emergency contact numbers, first aid kits, and other necessary emergency information and equipment aboard all buses.
Make school buses available to local law enforcement, SWAT teams, and other public safety officials for their training exercises.
Put identifiers (numbers, district initials, etc.) on top of all school buses that could be used to identify specific buses from police helicopters overhead in an emergency.
Hold periodic meetings during the school year between bus drivers and school administrators to discuss discipline procedures, safety practices, and associated issues.
Provide a method for parents to identify substitute bus drivers as district employees prior to putting children on a school bus with an unfamiliar driver.
Practice emergency exercises to evaluate and refine written emergency plans to make sure that what is in writing could actually work in a real emergency. Drivers, like personnel working in a school, need to be prepared for quick thinking on their feet in an emergency, such as having to re-route due to adverse weather or due to an emerging emergency situation at a school or bus stop.

These and other practices can help school bus drivers and school transportation staff become better prepared for safer travel with our students.

This next part deal with “Access and visitor control” This is a key part to keeping schools safe. Ask yourself this what type of access and visitor control does my child’s school have?

Access control to school campuses and buildings is a top concern for most school officials. School administrators struggle with maintaining a balance between having a user-friendly, welcoming school climate and a facility which is secure from unwanted intruders. While even the best school access control efforts will likely not guarantee that a determined outsider will not be able to gain access to the school, educators must take reasonable steps to reduce the risks of unauthorized access.

Reducing and Controlling School Access

Some practical steps for improving school access control include:

Establish one main entrance and put up signage identifying it as the main entrance. Maintain visible signage on campus and on all school doors directing visitors to the main entrance door. Some schools also post notices advising that individuals who do not follow visitation procedures may be charged with trespassing.
Create a visitor sign-in, sign-out, and escort procedure.
Reduce the number of doors which may be opened from the outside. This does not mean chaining doors or creating a fire hazard. It does mean using doors that cannot be opened from the outside, but which from which those inside can exit in the event of a fire or other emergency.
Secure custodial entrances and delivery doors during and after school hours. Have custodial personnel keep a log of deliveries to include the name of the vendor company, name of the delivery person, license plate of vehicle, date and time of arrival and departure, and associated information.
Require all school doors to be closed and secured from the outside while cleaning personnel and after-hours staff work inside the building during evening and night hours.
Train all school staff, including support personnel, to greet and challenge strangers. Staff should be trained to at least report strangers to the office if they do not feel safe in approaching someone they believe to be an intruder.
Train students not to open doors to strangers, other students, or even adults they may know.
Educate parents about access control strategies and the importance of them following the rules.
Establish a routine maintenance and timely repair program for the doors.
Use magnetic locks on doors so they close more easily.
Consider use of a camera, intercom, and buzzer at the school main entrance, especially at elementary schools. Be sure to have the controls for these doors at the desk of each secretary, rather than only at that of one person, if you have main office secretaries controlling the doors. Train the secretaries on proper procedures for allowing access.
Many schools, especially high schools and other larger facilities, use surveillance cameras to monitor and record entrance points. While most schools do not have adequate funding to staff full time monitoring of surveillance cameras, these cameras can serve as a deterrent and should be used so as to at least provide a record of who was in the area.

This last part deals with “Parents & School Safety” this part give you some things to ask your children & their school.

What can a parent do? What does a parent need to know? What should a parent look for related to school safety at their child's school?

Ken Trump, President of National School Safety and Security Services, created a list of 10 practical things parents can do to assess school security and emergency/crisis preparedness from a parent's perspective specifically for parents. The list is shared below to help parents nationwide support their school officials with their safe schools efforts.

Security and emergency preparedness measures should be balanced with strong violence prevention and intervention programs. Along with a well-disciplined and positive school climate, these elements of a comprehensive safe schools approach can play critical roles in making schools safe.

Contact Ken Trump directly for information on parent training programs in your area. Ken has presented to the National PTA's annual convention and to local parent and community groups around the nation.

10 Practical Things Parents Can Do to

By Kenneth S. Trump, M.P.A.

National School Safety and Security Services

1. Ask your child about safety in his or her school. Students often know where gaps in security exist and what can be done to improve school safety. Where do they feel most safe? Least safe? Why? What can be done to improve safety?

2. Identify comfort levels and methods for reporting safety concerns. Do students have at least one adult they would feel comfortable in reporting safety concerns to at school? Are there other methods (hotlines, email tip lines, etc.) for students to report concerns? Are parents comfortable in addressing safety concerns with school administrators?

3. Examine access to your school. Are there a reduced number of doors that can be accessed from the outside (while still allowing children to exit from the inside in an emergency)? Do faculty and staff greet visitors, challenge strangers and know who is in their school? Are there sign-in procedures, visitor identification badges, etc.?

4. Find out if your school has policies and procedures on security and emergency preparedness. Does your board and administration have written policies and procedures related to security, crisis preparedness planning, and overall school safety planning? If so, are they communicated clearly and regularly to students, school employees and parents? How? When?

5. Determine if your school has a “living” school safety team, safety plan and ongoing process, as well as a school crisis team and school emergency/crisis preparedness guidelines. Does your school have a school safety committee to develop an overall plan for prevention, intervention, and security issues? Are these plans balanced and not just prevention-only or security-only? Is there a school crisis team to deal with emergency planning? Who are members of the safety committee and crisis team? How often do they meet? Is there a written school crisis plan? Are there written emergency/crisis guidelines? Are these plans and guidelines reviewed regularly - at least once a year? (Note: Many schools have one overall team to address both overall safety planning and crisis preparedness. Two separate groups are not necessary as long as they are dealing with all of the various issues and components.)

6. Inquire with school and public safety officials as to whether school officials use internal security specialists and outside public safety resources to develop safety plans and crisis guidelines. Do school officials actively involve internal school security specialists, School Resource Officers, and other school safety specialists in developing safety plans and crisis guidelines? Do school officials have meaningful, working relationships with police, fire and other public safety agencies serving their schools? Are they involved on school safety committees and teams and/or do they have direct input on school plans?

7. Ask if school emergency/crisis guidelines are tested and exercised. Do school officials test and exercise written crisis guidelines? What type of tests do they do? For example, if they have a lockdown procedure, do they conduct periodic drills to practice them? If they cannot have full-scale exercises of emergency plans (which are often difficult to do), do they at least do tabletop exercises to test written plans?

8. Determine whether school employees, including support personnel, have received training on school security and crisis preparedness issues. Have school employees received training on security and emergency strategies by local, state and/or national specialists? Have employees also received training on their school/district specific crisis guidelines? Are all employees, including support personnel such as secretaries and custodians, included in such training? How often is such training provided? Is the training provided by qualified and experienced instructors with knowledge of K-12 specific safety issues?

9. Find out if school officials use outside resources and sources in their ongoing school safety assessments. Do school officials subscribe to current publications addressing security issues? Do they attend conferences and programs on school safety? Have they reviewed their security measures, crisis guidelines and safety plans with recommendations by school safety experts?

10. Honestly evaluate whether you, as a parent, are doing your part in making schools safe. Do you follow parking, visitor, and other safety procedures at your school? Do you support teachers and administrators with safety initiatives, including by asking the above questions in a supportive, non-blaming manner? Do you talk with your child about personal safety considerations, drug and violence prevention issues, and related topics early and regularly at home? Do you seek professional help for your child in a timely manner, if needed?

Also see our web page on the impact of terrorism on school security and crisis preparedness planning for information on "heightened security" during times of national crises.

What are some practical things parents can do at home to reduce child safety risks?

Parents can take many steps to address the many threats to child safety in schools, at home ,and in the community. Examples of such steps include:

Talk with children early and regularly about gangs, drugs, weapons, school and community safety, and related concerns.
When you talk with children, BE HONEST! Violence and related trauma issues are serious, but more damage can be done by minimizing or exaggerating points than by simply providing children with facts and telling the truth.
Do NOT assume that your child knows even the "basic" facts about safety and other risks. Kids absorb a lot of information and, unfortunately, much of it is inaccurate or from questionable sources. Let your child get all of the information - the correct information - from you as the parent. And give it to them in a non-threatening and non-embarrassing time, place, and manner. Perhaps then your child will be more willing to come to you with other questions and problems later on!
Eliminate access to weapons by youth.
Be aware of and do not permit gang identifiers.
Provide order, structure, and consistent discipline in the home.
Work cooperatively with police and school officials.
Seek professional assistance when needed and in a timely manner. Do NOT wait until a problem gets out of control and then look for professional help
Parents must provide order, structure and consistent discipline. Although you love your child, realize that he or she is still a kid and will test the limits. Ask probing questions: Where are you going? Who will be with you? And do some follow-up to verify the answers you get!
Inspect your child's room from time to time. Parents have found gang graffiti on bedroom walls, drug paraphernalia on dresser tops, sexually explicit notes, weapons in book bags leaving the home, graffiti and revealing information on school notebooks, and much, much more once they get up the nerve to start snooping! Unfortunately, some parents falsely believe that they should not- or legally cannot - go into their child's room. It is your house and your child - check them both and check them regularly! It is not only your right, but your responsibility!!!

So, in conclusion you can see that there are a lot of things we as parents can do and a lot of thing that we can hold the schools to. The point is to get involved with you children’s school. Don’t be someone who thinks it’s someone else responsibility, remember they are your children.

As I said here is a list of some of some of the best web sites that deal with School Saftey and terrorism: