By Bret Rachlin on 9/25/2009 3:04 PM

Have you implemented a security plan for your high school sporting events? After the shooting deaths of two teenagers (not on school grounds), Manatee school district in Florida has increased its security at all high school football games and other events (Source: HeraldTribune.com, September 18, 2009, Manatee officials beef up school security).

Event attendees can expect to see more police officers and to be scanned by metal detectors or patted down for weapons when they come to football games. District officials also plan to ban backpacks from school events. Unfortunately, the increased security could lead to higher ticket prices and will most certainly lead to a slower entry into the stadium as officers check fans coming to the game.

Overall, in light of the recent shooting incidents, Manatee ... Read More »

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By Bret Rachlin on 9/17/2009 4:02 PM

If your school had a non-fatal shooting just outside of your campus (by an entrance) at 8:30 am, what kind of day would you expect to have? Would it be close to a regular day? Deer Valley High School in Antioch, California, faced that reality earlier this week and attempted to have as normal day as possible once order was restored (Source: San Jose Mercury News, September 16, 2009, Antioch high school off lockdown after student shot).

According to the article, Deer Valley principal Scott Bergerhouse said, “We’ll have a regular day here at Deer Valley High School as best we can.” Obviously, when a school shooting occurs the rest of the day will be anything but regular. However, if your school district has a sound emergency plan that can be implemented effectively, then there’s a good chance that the school can go on with its s ... Read More »

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By Bret Rachlin on 9/11/2009 3:38 PM

Do anonymous tip programs work in schools? Douglas County, Colorado, would answer that question with a spirited “yes” after the district’s new anonymous text tip program helped lead to arresting a student who developed a “kill list” and had access to weapons (Source: Campus Safety Magazine, September 8, 2009, Text Tip Program Reveals Student ‘Kill List’).

Text-A-Tip, an Internet-based application that costs $5,000 annually, is a text message tip hotline students use to communicate with police anonymously to share information that they wouldn’t normally share. To achieve the most benefits from implementing an anonymous tips program, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Youth Education Program Coordinator Phyllis Harvey recommends the following:

- Get buy-in of administrators, students and police – make sur ... Read More »

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By Bret Rachlin on 9/4/2009 1:08 PM

According to a recent national survey, 25 percent of K-12 teachers worry about student weapons and more than 10 percent of teachers “believe their schools are unprepared to protect their students (Source: Campus Safety Magazine via ADT Security Services press release, August 29, 2009, Survey Shows 1 in 4 Teachers Worry about Student Weapons).” Additionally, 75 percent of teachers surveyed “say their schools are somewhat prepared to protect students on the campus.”

While the survey included only 400 K-12 teachers, Zogby International, a reputable public research and survey organization, conducted the survey, giving it credibility. Obviously, without having in depth conversations with teachers, it’s unknown how concerned they are about the safety of themselves and students at their schools, as well as how prepared their schools actually are for dealing with ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 8/28/2009 2:46 PM

Schools in Southern Maryland plan to launch a new safety and security program this year called “Secure your gear.” Designed to encourage students to store personal items and valuables properly to avoid theft, the initiative should also make students think twice before stealing devices, such as iPods and cell phones (Source: Southern Maryland Newspapers, August 26, 2009, Priority put on school safety and security initiatives).

With more and more students using electronic devices, including those that provide new ways to enhance their learning, there are more opportunities for other students to steal or damage the devices. Since many of these items can be used for educational purposes or students’ parents demand that they have them, such as cell phones, banning the items is not a reasonable option. While they may create more work for school resource officers ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 8/21/2009 2:37 PM

As schools open for the 2009-2010 year this month and next, many face budget challenges that impact their ability to meet not only educational needs, but also security needs. With this in mind the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, which provides information on planning, designing, funding, building, improving, and maintaining safe, healthy, high performance schools, has developed a list of “Low-Cost Security Measures for School Facilities.”

Here’s a sampling of the recommended security measures that you can implement with little cost and without the use of complex technology.

Outside the Building
- Trim shrubbery and trees and relocate other obstacles such as trash containers to eliminate hiding places a ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 8/14/2009 1:38 PM

When school incidents occur, communication among school administrators and first responders is critical. With that in mind, the “Pueblo County School District 70 in Colorado has launched a training program for all staff that will enable them to use two-way radios with first responders (Source: THE Journal, August 11, 2009, Colorado District Trains Principals on 2-Way Radios).” Additionally, the district has implemented technology that allows a communication network to “be activated that connects the high-end radios used by professional responders with the lower-end radios used more typically in the county’s schools.”

Overall, this district exemplifies the kind of emergency preparedness that all schools should practice. Not only has the district done the research to purchase the technology to enable its radios to work with fi ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 8/7/2009 1:17 PM

This week brings good news on school security from Knoxville, Tennessee (Source: WBIR Knoxville, August 4, 2009, School security training first of its kind). For the first time Knox County Schools, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and Knoxville police law enforcement have joined together to conduct school security training.

While last year’s shooting at Central High School prompted the joint training, the groups are covering much more than school shooting incidents. “There are always new things we need to learn. Different things change through the school year,” said School Resource Officer Lisa Montgomery. For example, in addition to new drugs being introduced into schools, social networking and Internet crimes have also become more prevalent. The group training enables these groups to work together more effectively, keeping them aware of new crime tren ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 7/31/2009 2:56 PM

A few weeks ago I wrote about The Value of a Security Assessment, specifically highlighting how it can help guide school districts in spending their security budgets appropriately, so that they focus on the areas that keep their schools as safe as possible. In that spirit Elgin Area School District U-46 in Illinois faces a similar problem (Source: Daily Herald, July 17, 2009, More $$ for school safety won’t bring back liaison officers to Elgin schools).

While the district has received a large safety grant, $459,000, it cannot be used to provide for additional police liaison officers in Elgin middle schools. The Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools provides the federal grant, but it must be applied for specific purposes, such as e ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 7/24/2009 1:40 PM

School security at a Western Pennsylvania school district made headlines this week when the Highlands district “school board voted unanimously to force older students to buy school-issued mesh backpacks, as an attempt to curb students from bringing illegal or dangerous items to school (Source: Valley News Dispatch, July 24, 2009, New school security rules put in place at Highlands).” Since the district has installed metal detectors, which are new this year, school officials believe the see-through backpacks will make it easier for staff to monitor students’ belongings to ensure they do not bring weapons or other contraband into the school.

According to the article, school board members justify their decision in an attempt to be proactive, recognizing the need to do as much as possible to prevent unnecessary incidents that may put students and staff in danger ... Read More »