Thoughts on School Safety

        Crisis drills are nothing new. in the 1950s through the mid 80s, schools were  teaching students how to "duck and cover" in response to possible air raids and/or nuclear attacks. Those drills were then

replaced with drop drills, active shooter drills and now the current lock down drills, which teach our students what to do when there is an active shooter or some sort of emminent threat on their campus.  These drills have become an unfortunate necessity in our schools, as more school shootings are popping up all over the world. My former district, like so many others, requires all students, staff, and faculty to wear their ID badges along with a badge-sized emergency response protocol card with reminders of what to do in different situations. Malcolm and Swearer (2018) asserted, "devising and implementing effective measures to address [school safety] will require clear-headed, open-minded, fact-based analyses of proposed policies. Our children deserve nothing less."  As administrators, it is our duty to lead this charge on our respective campuses. 

            As I think about safety policies and procedures through the lens of an administrator, I think back to the countless drill I have been part of. While these drills prepare students and staff to respond to various emergencies, I wonder about the climate of our school. Are we as educators doing enough to promote the type of school climate that will reduce the chance of a shooting incident?  Woodward (2018) outlines seven tasks that need to be completed in order to foster a positive school climate. While all the tasks listed are important, the two that stand out to me the most are demanding that active listening occur in our schools, and building positive relationships. When trusted adults such as teachers, administrators and law enforcement personnel not only listen to student and staff concerns, but also act on them, there is no way of knowing just how many tragedies could be prevented. Furthermore, active listening naturally lends itself to building positive relationships. When students feel they can trust their teachers and administrators, they are more likely to open up about things that are bothering them, and report potentially violent or harmful behavior.

        One procedure I would put in place at my new campus, if given the chance is to have grade level behavior meetings with my staff.  In my experience, these meetings give teachers a chance to address student concerns and discuss strategies to help those they consider to be high risk. This type of open communication is a great way to begin a dialogue among all interested stakeholders, which can be very empowering for those who may think they are the only ones having trouble with particular students. Furthermore, these meetings also lend themselves to updating current discipline management and safety plans, since teachers and administrators have the opportunity to share strategies that have proven successful based on individual student needs. 

Malcolm, J., & Swearer, A. (2018, March 19). Focusing on School Safety After Parkland. The Heritage Foundation. https://www.heritage.org/firearms/report/focusing-school-safety-after-parkland. 

TEDXMileHigh. (2018). School shootings can be prevented -- here's how: William Woodward: TEDxMileHigh. https://youtu.be/89XeX4eeulw.