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| 10/22/2009 |
America's Safe Schools Week October 18-24, 2009
(For specific information about contracted services, including site assessments and training, please e-mail NSSC's Executive Director, Dr. Ronald D. Stephens, at ronaldstephens@schoolsafety.us)
America’s Governors Support America’s Safe Schools Week 2009
The National School Safety Center would like to recognize the governors who proactively champion creating and maintaining safe schools for America’s youth by signing proclamations and letters of support for America’s Safe Schools Week, October 18-24, 2009.
Each year during the third full week of October, America’s Safe Schools Week, sponsored by the National School Safety Center and state governors across the nation, acknowledges that significant momentum is taking place at the local, state and national levels to ensure that our nation’s schools are safe, secure and productive. The goal of this initiative is to motivate key officials, as well as students, parents and community residents, to vigorously advocate for school safety.
NSSC thanks all the participating governors for their support and observance of 2009 America’s Safe Schools Week. NSSC received notices from the following governors:
Governor Bob Riley, Alabama
Governor Sean Parnell, Alaska
Governor Janice K. Brewer, Arizona
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California
Governor Bill Ritter, Colorado
Governor M. Jodi Rell, Connecticut
Governor Charlie Crist, Florida
Governor Sonny Perdue, Georgia
Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois
Governor Steven Beshear, Kentucky
Governor John E. Baldacci, Maine
Governor Martin O’Malley, Maryland
Governor Haley Barbour, Mississippi
Governor Dave Heineman, Nebraska
Governor John Lynch, New Hampshire
Governor Bill Richardson, New Mexico
Governor Beverly Eaves Perdue, North Carolina
Governor Theodore R. Kulongoski, Oregon
Governor Edward G. Rendell, Pennsylvania
Governor Donald L. Carcieri, Rhode Island
Governor Mark Sanford, South Carolina
Governor James H. Douglas, Vermont
Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Virginia
Governor Christine O. Gregoire, Washington
Governor Jim Doyle, Wisconsin
Governor Joe Manchin III, West Virginia
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| 06/30/2009 |
Celebrating 25 years of Continuous Service
(For specific information about contracted services, including site assessments and training, please e-mail NSSC's Executive Director, Dr. Ronald D. Stephens, at ronaldstephens@schoolsafety.us)
Our Mission
Serving K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions, the National School Safety Center provides school communities and their school safety partners with quality information, resources, consultation, and training services. The National School Safety Center identifies and promotes strategies, promising practices and programs that support safe schools for all students as part of the total academic mission.
What We Believe
The National School Safety Center believes that schools have the choice to create and maintain safe schools or to return their institutions to safe, secure and effective places of learning. We believe that this work is best done with the help of school safety partners. We believe that today great opportunities exist to apply the best of school safety research and practices to the vision of safe schools for all students.
What We Do
The National School Safety Center:
- Advocates for school safety as part of the total academic plan and mission for a safe and effective school.
- Trains educators, law enforcers and other youth-serving professionals in the areas of school crime prevention and safe school planning.
- Presents school safety keynote addresses for local, regional and national conferences and workshops.
- Develops and delivers customized school safety training and services.
- Provides international leadership to the safe school movement through its 25 years of experience in the field of school crime and violence prevention.
- Provides on-site technical assistance to school districts and college communities facing significant school crises and challenges.
- Assesses school site safety for individual schools, school districts or institutions interested in developing or analyzing their school safety plans.
- Provides expert witness and trial consultation.
- Publishes an informative and user-friendly website.
- Furnishes media commentary, information and resources.
- Produces publications and videos highlighting school safety research, practice, strategies, trends, and resources.
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| 01/11/2008 |
Watch here for news about 2008 School Safety Leadership Training programs
NSSC works to promote safety on college and university campuses
On April 16, 2007, the shooting events at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, sparked intense debate about the responsibility of colleges and universities to provide safe environments and to increase their abilities to prevent and manage serious crisis events. The National School Safety Center has been commissioned by the US Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to develop a campus safety and crisis management training program for college and university communities.
NSSC will develop training tools, strategies and materials specific to the culture and safety needs of institutions of higher learning. These resources will reflect community policing principles, such as relationship building, problem solving, and organizational transformation. The goal of the project is to help college communities build stronger partnerships and develop more effective crisis plans and programs to promote safety, security and preparedness.
NSSC will engage the experience and perspectives of a multi-disciplinary advisory team to address the unique challenges of providing safer campuses. These challenges include:
1. Educating large, culturally diverse, and often disconnected student populations
2. Promoting collaboration and information sharing among departmentalized programs and services
3. Interpreting and applying laws and policies related to personal rights and responsibilities
4. Managing a mix of old and new facilities
5. Overseeing expansive campuses that may be segmented throughout a community
6. Protecting significant capital assets including sports, theater and medical facilities; student housing; research laboratories; libraries and special collections, historical records; and specialized equipment and technology
7. Promoting student life that is carried out through a myriad of daily activities while preserving long-standing traditions.
The overarching challenge will be to deliver a training program that will help institutions balance the unique spirit of today’s colleges and their traditional open campus environments with the need for increased security.
Click on "PREVIOUS NEWS" link below for more information related to college and university safety.
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| 11/13/2007 |
AMERICA’S SAFE SCHOOLS WEEK, October 21-27, 2007
America’s Governors Support Safe Schools
The National School Safety Center would like to recognize the governors who proactively champion creating and maintaining safe schools for America’s youth by signing proclamations and letters of support for America’s Safe Schools Week.
Each year during the third full week of October, America’s Safe Schools Week, sponsored by the National School Safety Center and state governors across the nation, acknowledges that significant momentum is taking place at the local, state and national levels to ensure that our nation’s schools are safe, secure and productive. The goal of this initiative is to motivate key officials, as well as students, parents and community residents, to vigorously advocate for school safety.
NSSC thanks all the participating governors for their support and observance of 2007 America’s Safe Schools Week. NSSC received notices from the following governors:
Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama
Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska
Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California
Bill Ritter Jr, Governor of Colorado
M. Jodi Rell, Govenor of Connecticut
Rod Blagojevich, Governor of Illinois
M.E. Daniels Jr, Governor of Indiana
Ernie Fletcher, Governor of Kentucky
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Governor of Louisiana
John E. Baldacci, Governor of Maine
Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota
Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi
Matt Blunt, Governor of Missouri
Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana
Dave Heineman, Governor of Nebraska
John Lynch, Governor of New Hampshire
Edward G. Rendell, Goverhor of Pennsylvania
Donald L. Carcieri, Governor of Rhode Island
Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina
Rick Perry Governor of Texas
James H. Douglas, Governor of Vermont
Christine O. Gregoire, Governor of Washington
Joe Manchin III, Governor of West Virginia
Jim Doyle, Governor of Wisconsin
If you would like your state to be represented in this initiative, please contact NSSC for further information. The dates for the 2008 America's Safe Schools Week are October 19-25, 2008.
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| 08/20/2007 |
The Horror at Virginia Tech
April 2007
Dr. Ronald Stephens
Executive Director
National School Safety Center
The unprecedented school massacre at Virginia Tech has underscored one terrifying fact: Such attacks can never be completely prevented, and college campuses are especially vulnerable. Unlike the typical American elementary and high school, college campuses are by design too spread out and open to be totally safe from incursion or attack. According to many college and university officials, maximum security is neither possible, nor desirable in a setting built on openness, accessibility, and trust. Strategies used in crisis situations by K-12 schools likely will not work on the majority of postsecondary campuses because most are simply not built to be locked down, and rarely are the buildings connected to a single public address system with a speaker in every room.
What can we predict in the months to come as a result of the tragedy experienced at Virginia Tech?
1. Not long after the dust settles from this horrific event, legal action is bound to begin. Questions will need to be answered: What happened? Why did it happen? Who was responsible? What went wrong? Who should pay? Did the school have reasonable and appropriate standard operating procedures for campus security? Did the campus security force follow their standard operating procedures? Unfortunately for the University, there may be years of litigation to follow.
2. Living in a democratic society in which preeminence is given to individual rights and freedoms propagates an underlying vulnerability. As in most tough societal problems, the solutions to college and university violence will most likely require the willingness on the part of individuals to sacrifice certain freedoms in the name of public safety and to take responsibility for their own safety.
3. Soon after the Virginia Tech shootings, university officials and the police were criticized for taking too long to alert students to the danger after the first attack. Getting people important news as fast as possible can save lives but it is equally important to get accurate news to those who have the need to know. Most colleges and universities will soon have to address these critical issues.
4. The Virginia Tech shooting underscores the need for colleges and universities to re-think their students admissions and student screening policies as well as their academic and behavioral supervision policies. University and college systems are generally not involved in monitoring psychiatric treatment. If no laws are broken, then schools have little authority to mandate counseling or treatment. But because students attend postsecondary institutions voluntarily, schools can establish the behavioral requirements and expectations that when violated subject students to dismissal or voluntary withdrawal.
What can colleges and universities do to make their campuses safer?
The following list includes some safety strategies that postsecondary institutions may want to consider in light the public’s heightened awareness of the potential for violence on collegiate campuses:
1. Require first-year students to attend a security and campus safety seminar at orientation. Post safety notices at areas on campuses most frequented by students and staff.
2. Encourage students, faculty and staff to report to designated authorities if they see suspicious or troubling activity. There is no substitute for personal vigilance when it comes to safety on any school campus.
3. Provide stand-alone emergency phones on campus that students can use to contact the police directly.
4. Train faculty how to spot signs of depression and how to access mental health services for students.
5. During the admission process, specifically require students to disclose if they have been convicted of a crime or disciplined at school. In essence, require them to submit an “applicant disclosure statement” about their past misconduct. Consider conducting more thorough background checks on prospective students.
6. Prior to admission, require students to sign statements that they fully understand the consequences of exhibiting conduct that is unacceptable, troubling or mentally unstable, or criminal in nature.
7. Establish electronic communications systems that can readily disseminate important information to all faculty, campus police and security personnel, students and parents.
8. Consider installing intercom systems that can immediately broadcast a message to a single classroom or to the entire campus or to any combination in between.
9. Control access to dormitories by giving residents an electronic key that can also be used to track the comings and goings of individual students. Even with building access controls in place, sometimes doors are casually propped open to let in fresh air or to allow easy access. Continually advise residents against such practices.
10. Provide sufficient lighting in and around main entrances.
11. Consider the use of “smart” video cameras that rely on computer algorithms to detect suspicious activity such as someone climbing up a fence, walking down an alley late at night or lingering by a windowsill.
12. Provide adequate training to campus police and security personnel, including how to manage active shooter situations.
Violence often prevails because we cannot predict, fully control, or completely understand all the factors of human behavior and thought that foster such violence. We will never be able to fully prevent every act of violence. In the long run, however, scarce resources may be better spent on mental health services than on high-tech security. Rather than investing in defenses, the best use of our resources may be to direct them toward prevention.
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| 04/17/2007 |
COMING: FALL 2007 SCHOOL SAFETY LEADERSHIP TRAINING
NSSC is pleased to present the FAll 2007 School Safety Leadership Training program on September 27 and 28, 2007 in Westlake Village, California.
This interactive workshop is designed for all members of the university, public and private school community, who play a critical role in emergency preparedness and disaster response. Goals of this workshop include:
-- to summarize the basic information, practices and skill sets that are part of preparing schools, colleges and universities to recognize and assume their roles and responsibilities for preventing and responding to acts of school violence, terrorism and natural disaster.
-- to deliver quality written tools, materials and resources designed to help participants educate their school communities in this critical area.
Focusing on preparing schools to respond to the unthinkable this two-day workshop will cover topics such as:
-- Safety on the College Campus
-- The Horror at Virginia Tech
-- Lessons Learned from Columbine. 9/11, Katrina and Red Lake
-- Schools: Targets of Terror? Is My School Vulnerable?
-- The Give and Take of Community Response & Self-Reliance
-- The Voice of Terrorism
-- Identifying Risks and Assets
-- Updating the Safe School Plan
-- The Nature of Crisis: Planning, Response and Recovery
-- Thinking Like a Professional Responder
-- Dealing with Litigation
-- All Threats Considered
-- Participating in the Incident Command System
-- The Roles of Law Enforcement, Campus Police and Security
-- Dealing with Hazardous Materials Events
-- Understanding Triage and Mass Casualty Incidents
-- Managing the Crime Scene on Campus
For more information, contact info@schoolsafety.us.
To view previous news and comments related to school violence, please click below on "Previous News" below.
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| 02/05/2007 |
What Can I do if my Child is Harassed at School?
Parental interest, support and involvement are key to effective school safety. If your child is being victimized at school, it may become necessary for you to advocate on behalf of your child to help resolve the problem. The following steps can be taken to become informed of the school's bullying and harassment policies and to help school officials understand the nature or intensity of the problem your child is experiencing:
Request a copy of the school’s code of conduct, policies and rules to review the school’s expectations and guidelines for responding to bullying and harassment.
Organize and maintain a log of specific incidents that have occurred and all the communications that have taken place regarding those incidents. Well-documented information — including names, dates, times and locations — is much more credible than an emotional call or attack.
Use this documentation to report the problem through the various levels of authority and chain of command within the school system, beginning with the person or persons closest to the problem.
Keep a record of the requests for help and the responses received. Continue up the hierarchy until you receive satisfaction that the problem has been resolved.
Present yourself as calm, cooperative, rational and prepared with factual information and documentation.
If the behaviors or incidents warrant, contact the local police, particularly if the behavior constitutes criminal activity.
If circumstances dictate, pursue legal action and counsel, including pressing charges or obtaining a restraining order.
In extreme cases, contact the media to build awareness of the problem.
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| 10/18/2006 |
America’s Safe Schools Week 2006 proclaimed by 32 Governors
This year, 32 governors join the National School Safety Center in proclaiming October 15-21 as America’s Safe Schools Week. In doing so, they encourage the citizens of their states and commonwealths to join the effort to provide safe and peaceful schools that promote the development of knowledgeable, responsible and productive citizens. NSSC wishes to acknowledge and applaud the following governors who formally adopted resolutions and proclamations to promote America’s Safe Schools Week 2006 within their states:
Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama
Frank H. Murkowski, Governor of Alaska
Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California
Bill Owens, Governor of Colorado
J. Jodi Rell, Govenor of Connecticut
Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida
Linda Lingle, Governor of Hawaii
James E. Risch, Governor of Idaho
Rod R. Blogojevich, Governor of Illinois
Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr, Governor of Indiana
Ernie Fletcher, Governor of Kentucky
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Governor of Louisiana
John E. Baldacci, Governor of Maine
Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., Governor of Maryland
Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts
Jennifer M. Granholm, Governor of Michigan
Matt Blount, Governor of Missouri
Dave Heineman, Governor of Nebraska
Kenny C. Guinn, Governor of Nevada
John Lynch, Governor of New Hampshire
Jon S. Corzine, Governor of New Jersey
Kenny C. Guinn, Governor of Nevada
Mike Easley, Governor of North Carolina
Theodore R. Kulongoski, Governor of Oregon
Edward G. Rendell, Goverhor of Pennsylvania
Donald L. Carcieri, Governor of Rhode Island
Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina
James H. Douglas, Governor of Vermont
Timothy M. Kaine, Governor of Virginia
Christine O. Gregoire, Governor of Washington
Jim Doyle, Governor of Wisconsin
To view Dr. Stephens' comments regarding recent events of school violence, please click below on PREVIOUS NEWS.
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| 10/06/2006 |
What Can We Learn from Recent Events?
October 2006
Dr. Ronald Stephens
Executive Director
National School Safety Center
This week Americans watched as three tragedies unfolded on school campuses across the nation. These events generated unsettling images and powerful emotions. The alleged sexual nature behind two of these events caused intense and disturbing personal reactions. In the midst of such crisis, America was also afforded lessons in dignity, compassion and forgiveness to counter the ugliness of violence. As is often the case of unspeakable acts, burning questions remain.
Americans were not the only ones to observe and react to these incidents. The National School Safety Center hosted numerous calls and inquires from around the world. Regardless of whether the calls came from concerned parents, school officials, media outlets, legislators or the international audience, three key questions resonated above all others:
Are schools in America safe?
Do these acts of school violence represent a trend?
Could these acts have been prevented?
In response to the first two questions, the public must consider that while on the same days that these three schools experienced the unthinkable, thousands of other schools experienced relative calm, peace and order. On a daily basis, the vast majority of American schools go about the mission of educating our children in safe and welcoming environments. Schools remain among the safest places for our children to be.
Since the Columbine High School shooting incident and 9/11, increased vigilance and attention to school safety have served American schools well. Many schools have applied the lessons learned from such incidents and are engaged regularly in the process of planning for safe schools, crisis response and crisis recovery. A more notable trend today is the number of schools engaged in such strategies as:
Establishing law enforcement and education partnerships;
Proactive problem-solving;
Relationship and rapport building;
Sharing common goals;
Training;
Engaging in drill and practice;
Conducting safety assessment;
Applying current technology to school safety issues.
Following incidents such as those that have occurred this week in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, schools are asking the haunting question: Was there anything that could have been done to prevent such tragedies?
In retrospect, it is easy to see many things that could have been done differently. During a crisis, educators and law enforcers face challenging situations, difficult questions and often a very short time line for making life-and-death decisions. These responders are also forced to accept the responsibility for their actions before the court of public opinion.
School officials and communities should not be too rough on themselves because violence remains a matter of the heart. Violence often prevails because we cannot predict, fully control, or completely understand all the factors of human behavior and thought that foster such violence.
Each school safety tragedy provides new insights and reminders for school communities to rethink, revise and assess their strategies for keeping their schools safe. Every school community is unique. NSSC recommends that schools assess their unique challenges and needs and then develop a plan in response to those circumstances. Cookie cutter plans, solutions and responses are ill-advised.
The following recommendations highlight some of the basic lessons learned from incidents of violence in schools:
Recommendations:
Assess the public’s access to your school. How easy is it for intruders to gain access to your facilities? How are vehicle and pedestrian access controlled? What non-school functions provide additional access to your site?
Review screening policies for visitors, volunteers, workers and service personnel. Be aware that individuals who are "rule followers" will abide by the rules and directional signs for visitor check in. Those who intend to do harm will circumvent screening procedures. Train school personnel regarding non-confrontational methods for approaching strangers on campus. Direct them to report all unknown persons who are in the building.
Encourage students to report any unusual activities, behaviors or people that they encounter on campus. Students must be taught that they share the responsibility for their own safety and for promoting the safety of their school. Students may be the first to see something unusual that requires an immediate response. Consider the use of a student tip line that gives students an avenue to report suspicious behaviors or rumors.
Review your official partnership agreements with law enforcement so that crisis roles and responsibilities of educators and law enforcers are clearly understood. School personnel must know when to lead, when to follow and when to step aside when a crisis unfolds.
Train members of the custodial and maintenance staff to assume roles and responsibilities for crisis response. Maintenance personnel may be the first line of defense against a campus intruder. They should be capable of being in radio contact with the central office to report unusual or threatening circumstances.
Provide all staff members with adequate crisis training and support. Become aware of those staff members on campus who have medical or other skills that can be used in an emergency.
Establish protocols and procedures for assessing and dealing with threats at school. Establish threat assessment teams - teams of school personnel, law enforcement and mental health professionals who are called upon to assess the validity of a specific threat or who work together in an information network to discuss as appropriate students who are experiencing unusual emotional stress or who are showing signs of trouble.
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