See Something, Say Something

January 7, 2016 by

School Terror?

A man in Zion, IL was shot and killed by police after a foot chase and a struggle with police.  The police were called to a school because a man was reportedly photographing the school.  Several nearby schools went into lockdown during the incident.

With everything going on around the world, the Paris attacks, the San Bernardino attack, and a new attempted attack in Paris, it is easy to conclude that this was part of a terror plot.  It is much too soon to make that conclusion, but it serves as a cautionary tale.

Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security is frequently telling people, “If you see something, say something.” The incident in Zion, IL is a perfect example of how this works.  Taking pictures of a school is not an illegal act.  However, someone in the neighborhood thought that the way the man was acting, along with the focus of his pictures, was enough to call the police to check him out.

Too often people will think something is odd, and do nothing.  Gavin de Becker, in his excellent book The Gift of Fear, outlines why we do this, and provides useful techniques for training ourselves to get back to trusting our instincts.

People will often not say something out of fear of being wrong.  School administration should empower their staff to report suspicious activity, to activate any safety protocol, and to take personal responsibility for the safety of their students and their school.  If their suspicious are unfounded, there should be no repercussions.  Look at it as a practice for your safety protocols.

see something, say something

The November 2015 issue of School Safety Monthly is on school terrorism

Most states have mandatory reporting laws when a school staff member suspects a child is being abused.  The staff member who sees signs of abuse must report it to the agency tasked with looking into the suspicions.  Are there any repercussions for a staff member whose suspicions are unfounded?  This is no different.  If we are truly about the safety of our children, then we owe it to them to check out our suspicions

If you see something, say something.

 

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Special Education Students in School Safety: Include or Not?

August 31, 2015 by

The Special Education Dilemma in School Safety

The Learning Connection is on online community through the Indiana Department of Education.  Recently a question was posted that gives much food for thought for students in special education.  “Has any school dealt with students who are unable to participate in fire drills?  If so, what procedures have you put  in place to accommodate the children while satisfying the requirement to engage all students in the drill?”  Schools with special education students often struggle with including such students in their safety plans.  When do the needs of the students outweigh the safety needs of the school?  Or do they?

Special Education

Special Education students should be included with the rest of the students in safety drills.

Practice Realistically

There is an old sports saying, “Practice as you will play.” This basic truth is relevant to school safety. Everyone should practice safety drills as they would actually happen. It helps reduce errors, and will better assist in identifying gaps in planning.

This is especially true for students with special needs. I have seen some schools warn, some of their special education classes, about drills ahead of time. They feel it’s necessary to reduce the stress some of these students feel with the loud noises and world changing activity that occur with drills. While the concern is understandable, does it help them in an actual emergency? Emergencies occur without notice. Precious seconds can be lost attempting to assist students who react negatively to a sudden change in their routine. Not exposing these students to such situations until a real event, can put them and others at risk.

Individualized Education Plans and School Safety

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), special education students are required to have individualized plans. Different districts call them by different names, but the result should be the same. Identifying each child’s needs and a written plan specifying how their requirements are met, including emergency and safety issues. For children in special education programs, this requires additional scrutiny and thoughtfulness.

Will a special education student need more than one staff member to assist them? If so, who will it be? Will the student require special equipment, such as an evacuation chair to get a student down stairs? Will they need noise-reducing headgear to reduce audio stimulation? These and other similar questions may not be something considered for most students but for those with special needs they can be critical factors.

Just as a building’s age and characteristics would be considered in a facility’s safety plan, so should the uniqueness of special education students when identifying their safety requirements. In special education, individual needs are identified by a case conference committee, which includes the parents. This committee should then create a safety plan that includes the student’s involvement in safety drills.

As with all safety plans the input of local first responders should be sought whenever changes are made. This helps to ensure compliance with local, state and federal regulations. Never forget, the goal is to keep ‘everyone’ safe!

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Plain Language in School Transportation Emergencies

August 19, 2015 by

Are You Using Plain Language?

The first in a line of students boarding their morning school bus whispers to the driver, “Johnny’s got a knife!”. The driver now faces a set of critical decisions within the next few seconds. What steps can he take that would not further complicate the situation? Should he immediately notify someone, call for help? If he uses plain language, will it initiate a confrontation?

Plain language to communicate!

Source: Racine County Eye

Current Practice?

Many fleets use codes to communicate the existence of a situation on their bus. I found this was the procedure in our school’s transportation department after taking responsibility for the fleet. If a driver suspected a weapon was on the bus, they would radio in to the base that they were “invited to the wedding.” This would alert the base, who would then call 911.

One of the reasons given to me for this practice was that alerting the person that help was on its way would cause them to act rashly. Another was that openly communicating the threat could traumatize children riding in other buses who could overhear the broadcast. I understood their reasoning, their desire to keep things from escalating, and the powerful need to protect children from harm. But, was it really in the best interest of the students and did it align with the best approach to dealing with such a situation?

Plain Language is best!

The gold standard of planning is the National Incident Management System (NIMS). It is the framework provided by the Department of Homeland Security for state and local entities. It prepares them to mitigate, respond to and recover from a hazard. The reason for the development of NIMS is to achieve inter-operability across agencies, jurisdictions and disciplines. At the local level, this requires communicating clearly, concisely, and in plain language, so authorities can prepare and respond in the most effective manner.

If there is someone with a weapon, authorities need to know the type of weapon and any other pertinent information. The use of codes can cloud their understanding of the actual situation and events. The faster the response, the less likely events will get out of hand. Every complication increases the time it takes to prepare and get the right people in the right place. Using a code limits the information that can be passed and is open to interpretation, which can add a large degree of uncertainty as to what is actually occurring.

 Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!

Research shows that a person under stress experiences numerous symptoms, among them a decline in cognitive function. They begin to lose the ability to think clearly. At such time, complications like a code only makes things more difficult for them.

During a critical moment on the school bus, the driver’s world narrows down to their bus and the person with the weapon. What a driver needs in such a high stress situation is simplicity. The fewer decisions they have to make, the more likely the choices made will be the right ones. Trying to remember a long list of procedures and codes is not something conducive to clear thinking.

The acronym often used in emergency planning is KISS, and plain language helps keep things simple.

 

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