This excellent front office design can dramatically improve access control for a school. While this can be effective in reducing the risks for certain types of school violence, this approach fails to address the majority of mass casualty attack methodologies that have been utilized to carry out most school shootings.

School Shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck Similar to past school shootings

The shooting that has left two students and the perpetrator dead in Marysville, Washington should serve as a stark reminder of the need not to become focused too intently on any one type of school shooting. Many school and public safety officials have been intensively focused on how to stop shootings carried out by external aggressors. While this is one form of school shooting we have seen repeatedly in K12 school incidents for decades, it is far from the most common. Unfortunately, many schools have focused on target hardening of main entryways and office areas in response to the Sandy Hook event at the expense of other important prevention measures such as student threat evaluation, visual weapons screening, and pattern matching and recognition which have each been used to avert numerous school shootings.

Fighting the last war

We have noticed a pronounced tendency for parents, school, and public safety officials to focus intently on the most recent mass casualty school shooting event. This has repeatedly resulted in situations where many schools emphasize prevention and preparedness measures for one specific type of event while not paying as much attention to strategies that could help them prevent and prepare for more likely school shooting scenarios. During hundreds of school security assessment projects we have conducted since the Sandy Hook School Shooting, our analysts have noted a dramatic surge in interest in buzzer access, security laminates for front entryways and other target hardening measures for front entryways and office areas. While these types of security upgrades are often logical and in many cases decades overdue, our analysts have also noted a striking number of school systems and non-public schools that lack any viable student threat evaluation strategy. As the majority of mass casualty school shootings have involved students or former students, behaviorally centered approaches should be a priority for schools.

Too early to accurately determine what took place at Marysville-Pilchuck High School

Having worked seven targeted acts of violence and hundreds of more typical school shootings, edged weapons assaults and other major crisis events at K12 schools, my experience has been that much of what is being reported in the media at this stage will prove to be inaccurate. My experience has been that the most compelling and important lessons to be learned from a school shooting are in the case files reviewed by the expert witnesses during civil actions which typically follow the majority of these tragic events.   This makes it imperative that school and public safety officials be pragmatic when considering what is purported to have taken place in any mass casualty school shooting.

A lingering question that has come across my desk at least a dozen times lately is, “Dr. Shepherd, what are you recommending that schools do about the Ebola crisis?” My response is simple – the same thing that I recommended for schools during the pandemic influenza crisis – make a plan and follow that plan.

The current Ebola situation should be an exercise of biological incident planning for schools. Although, we have not seen US schools completely affected (although there have been a few scares), it is important that school officials begin meeting with local and state public health entities to form a plan of action. There are a few things that schools can do now to prepare for Ebola (and subsequently prepare for the upcoming flu season):

1. Begin/continue universal health precautions campaigns. Hand washing is still a great infection control method.
2. Establish and practice disinfecting/decontamination guidelines for all school facilities including support buildings, school buses, and other transportation vehicles.
3. Developing NIMS (National Incident Management System) compliant protocols, location, equipment and staff assignments. School nurses are the front line people and should be a part of the command staff if not incident commanders of biological incident for schools.
4. Encouraging parents to have alternative child care plans should closures be necessary in containment and building disinfection/decontamination efforts.
5. Developing a mental health plan for students and staff, in conjunction with local mental health services staff to implement during an incident. Do not forget that fear, anxiety and panic should be expected and it is important that plans are in place to communicate facts adequately.

It is unlikely that a full blown outbreak will happen, but maintaining a state of readiness for Ebola will prepare all schools and youth based organizations for almost any public health emergency.

For more on this topic, sign up for our newsletter and look for the issue that we will be releasing this week with more detailed information on planning and preparedness for Ebola and other outbreaks. You can also catch my interview with Campus Safety Magazine here!

School safety lines can help students and staff reduce the risks of school-traffic incidents in areas where students and cars both move in proximity on a regular basis. As school traffic-related deaths are one of the leading causes of school related fatalities, stay back lines can be a high impact tool to reduce risk for K12 schools.

Safety Lines are an Excellent School Safety Strategy

In his groundbreaking report Relative Risk of Death for K12 Schools, Safe Havens International Adjunct Analyst Steve Satterly documents that far more school-related fatalities involve school-related traffic incidents than acts of violence. While all major categories of school safety incidents should be considered, a careful review of available data indicates that improvements in school traffic safety offer some of our greatest opportunities to reduce serious injury and death for school children and school employees.

What are School Safety Lines?

One simple concept that has been helping reduce the risk of traffic safety incidents at K12 schools is called a safety line or “stay back” line. The safety line can take the form of a painted line, icons forming a line, or other visual aid to help students and staff form positive safety habits to help reduce the chances that students will be hit by cars or school buses. Stay back lines clarify safe positioning for students and staff who supervise them.

School Safety Lines are not Just for Elementary Students

While most educators think in terms of pre-k and elementary students when it comes to pedestrian/motor vehicle safety incidents, cases of middle and high school students being seriously injured or killed also take place with regularity. Safety lines can help older students who can be easily distracted while they chat with friends in person or via the web just as they can help younger students who often fail to realize the dangers that motor vehicles can pose to their safety.

School Safety Lines can Significantly Reduce Risk

There are many other simple ways to reduce the risk of school-traffic safety incidents. Our analysts routinely see opportunities for the use of school safety lines along with these other simple, yet impactful ways to reduce the risk of school-traffic safety incidents.