We have just released another concise free video featuring school security expert Russell Bentley. Russell has more than two decades of full-time campus safety experience and is very well versed on school security technology implementation. Our video production unit has more free videos in the works and is preparing to release three new school safety training videos.
School Security in Israel – Fact Versus Fiction
October 19, 2012 by
I read several posts on a homeland security group on LinkedIn relating to soldiers with automatic weapons being assigned to schools in Israel to protect staff and students from terrorists.
This is a very pervasive myth probably stems from conference presenters who have heard and repeated this inaccurate description from others. I have no idea who started this myth, but it is still alive and well. A few years ago, I was keynoting a state homeland security conference when a police lieutenant made the statement in his presentation that there was a full platoon of combat soldiers assigned to every school in Israel. I have since heard numerous variants of this incorrect assertion. About two years ago, a very good friend of mine who I respect immensely said something similar during a keynote. I correctly figured that he would want to be corrected if he was saying something that was not correct as he is a man of integrity. I wanted to make sure that nothing had changed since I went to Israel as part of an exchange program with the Israel Police in the late 1990’s.
I called Dr. Robert Friedmann who is the Executive Director of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange Program – GILEE at Georgia State University and he assured me that nothing had changed since my visit and that there were no schools in Israel that had any soldiers assigned to them.
As we had seen and been briefed during our visit, off-duty soldiers must be hired to provide security during field trips and they do typically carry a rifle when performing these duties. As with schools in the United States, many schools in Israel have security officers and some of them are armed as is the case here. In addition, some school administrators do carry a handgun or keep a gun in their office. Dr. Friedmann also informed me that parents sometimes contract with private bus companies that utilize buses with armor plating in the territories where the risk of terrorist attack is higher. Some of these buses also have armed security personnel.
As one purpose of the GILEE program is to provide accurate and helpful information between participating countries (which include China, Austria and Rumania as well as the U.S. and Israel) Dr. Friedmann asked that I try to correct the inaccurate information when I had the opportunity. My distinguished colleague was both grateful and gracious when I contacted him. Unfortunately, the rumor is still being passed around by other well-intentioned people. Please pass this information on if you encounter the same information. Those who question it can feel free to contact us or Dr. Friedmann for verification.
School Safety Expert Advice on Simple Techniques to Improve Supervision of Children – Positioning
October 18, 2012 by
As we often emphasize in our books, training videos, presentations, articles and web courses, improving supervision of students is one of the most powerful yet frequently neglected tools available to improve school safety, climate, culture and even emergency preparedness. Expert witnesses are often asked to review the supervision of children in cases of school and childcare facility safety litigation.
One technique that is particularly easy to apply and at the same time, quite effective is to emphasize proper positioning of staff in relation to children they are supervising. For example, if an adult is walking a group of students from one location to the other and they take a position at the front of a line of students, they are not in a good position to observe the children. While this position may at times be appropriate with very young children, it is often not the best position for observing students.
Similarly, if teachers in a school who are assigned to monitor hallways at key times, they can often take a position at an intersection of multiple hallways to enable them to observe multiple areas of the building at one time.
This simple technique can significantly improve the level of supervision without placing a significant burden on staff.
Free School Safety Expert Resource – Presentation on Disguised Weapons
October 17, 2012 by
We developed a free version of our live presentation on disguised weapons back in 2006.
This topic has been of great interest to many people recently following the murder of Mobile, Alabama Police Officer Steven Green by a suspect who used a crucifix with a small knife blade to slash his throat last February. The disguised knife was apparently missed during a search incident to the arrest of the suspect and he used the weapon to attack the officer when he was being transported to jail.
Disguised weapons have often been confiscated from students at school and we are providing this free resource to help educators and law enforcement officers spot these weapons in case they run across them in their work.
School Safety Terms – What do they mean?
October 16, 2012 by
Guest blog by Dr. Sonayia Shepherd
You have probably heard the term “school safety” numerous times. Educators, practitioners, parents, and media use the term often, but what does it really mean? How do you know if a school is really safe? First, it is important to understand that creating a safe learning environment is an ongoing process. There is no magical formula. The entire school community must incorporate safety practices into daily routines. Basically, “school safety” consists of a variety of programs and services that are designed to contribute to the maintenance and establishment of safe and positive learning environments. Here are a few specific school safety topics and definitions as examples:
- School Climate and Culture
The terms school culture and school climate describe the environment that affects the behavior of teachers and students. School culture is the shared beliefs and attitudes that characterize the district-wide organization and establish boundaries for its constituent units. School climate characterizes the organization at the school building and classroom level. It refers to the “feel” of a school and can vary from school to school within the same district. While an individual school can develop a climate independently of the larger organization, changes in school culture at the district level can positively or adversely affect school climate at the building level.
- Target Hardening
Target Hardening is an approach to making the school a less attractive target for anyone with “bad intent.” School officials should work with community partners to assess systems such as school building access, visitor policies and sign in procedures, deliveries, transportation security, vehicular access & parking, interior and exterior building evaluation, etc.
- Crisis and Emergency Management Planning
Crisis Management is the management and coordination of the school’s responses to an incident that threatens to harm, or has harmed, the organization’s people, structures, ability to operate, valuables and/or reputation. It takes into account planning and automatic incident response, but must also dynamically deal with situations as they unfold, often in unpredictable ways.
Defining school safety terminology can be helpful to help make sure people are on the same page when working to achieve enhanced school safety, security and emergency preparedness.
Dr. Sonayia Shepherd (Sony) is the Chief Operating Officer of Safe Havens International. The author of 16 books on school safety and emergency management, Sony’s work has taken her to many countries including Switzerland, Thailand, Indonesia, Haiti, Guatemala, Angola, South Africa and India.
A popular keynote speaker, Dr. Shepherd has presented at numerous state, national and international professional conferences and many individual school districts across the nation. Sony welcomes reader feedback and questions at sony@weakfish.org