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May, 2022

Home2022May

Increasing School Safety Over the Summer

Summer is making its welcome arrival and as the busyness of the school year dies down, school administrators and others who work in school communities can shift their focus to improving their school environment for students returning in the fall. Utilizing the time you have available during the summer months to focus on your Emergency Operations Plan and emergency preparedness can make a tremendous difference when the routine of the school year kicks back into gear. Not only can you take this time to update your EOP, you can also use this opportunity to familiarize, train, and educate school personnel on how they can help.

Updating Your EOP

Making plans to keep students and staff safe, schools play a crucial role in taking preventative and protective measures that can save valuable moments when the unthinkable happens. This means each should dedicate time to ensuring that the information in their Emergency Operations Plan is up-to-date and that everyone in the school community knows exactly how to execute these plans in an emergency. The nSide Platform makes Emergency Operations Plans easily accessible, allows you to digitally record your emergency operations plan, and keeps you informed on what needs to be updated, what is in progress, and what has been completed. 

Staff Training/Workshops

Everyone involved in your Emergency Operations Plan should be aware of their roles and responsibilities before, during, and after an emergency. With students out for summer break, dedicating time to training and familiarizing school personnel with your specific plan will ensure that everyone involved has all the information needed to respond to emergencies. Here are a few key training components you could provide: 

  • Hold a meeting with your staff to educate, familiarize, and discuss any updates to your EOP
  • Visit your evacuation, reunification, media, and first aid sites to help your team members feel more confident in their ability to assist in an emergency
  • Post key information throughout the building(s), such as evacuation routes, shelter-in-place procedures/locations, etc. 
  • Provide proper training for your staff on the necessary skills needed to fulfill their roles

You may also consider practicing your plan. This can include:

  • Tabletop exercises: small-group discussions that walk through a scenario and the courses of action a school will need to take before, during, and after an emergency
  • Drills: school personnel and community partners (e.g., first responders and local emergency management staff) use the school grounds and buildings to practice responding to a scenario

While planning and preparing are essential parts of any emergency operation, practicing is key to understanding pain points and identifying inefficiencies in your plan. nSide’s subject matter experts are skilled in conducting these types of training and helping your team enhance its emergency response and save lives. 

Enhance Community Relationships

There are many things administrators can do to make their schools safe, but reaching out to local emergency responders and other community agencies and including them in emergency planning can make a huge difference. Collaboration among these partners is essential to ensure that schools can mitigate, respond to, and recover from emergencies. While many schools have already established these partnerships, enhancing them is never a bad idea.

nSide partners can allow their local agencies access to their platform by submitting a  Memorandum of Understanding (or MOU). This is a letter of agreement that describes each agency’s roles and responsibilities and permits them to access the school’s information. Working with local law enforcement can also include implementing a School Resource Officer position, a specialized officer whose sole focus is the safety of the campus and students.  

Implement Multidisciplinary Team

Research shows that perpetrators of targeted acts of violence tend to engage in both covert and overt behaviors preceding their attacks. Implementing a multidisciplinary team approach can aid in overall behavioral assessment and intervention to identify students in need and get them the resources they need. This team serves as a central convening body, so that warning signs observed by multiple people are not considered isolated incidents when they may represent escalating behavior that is a serious concern. Your multidisciplinary team should include representatives from a wide range of school personnel, such as:

  • Principals
  • Counselors
  • School Resource Officers
  • Teachers
  • Other appropriate personnel

When the right people on your team come together to identify students exhibiting behavior that indicates an underlying need or issue, the root cause can be detected and the child will be able to receive appropriate and adequate care. 

Update Safety Infrastructure 

In addition to an emergency response plan, having the necessary infrastructure will ensure the effectiveness of that plan. Having the proper equipment in place and utilizing technology will aid in the efforts you have laid out in your emergency planning to prevent and respond to emergency situations.  Some things you can put in place to boost your safety infrastructure are:

  • Cameras
  • Access control systems 
  • Fleet tracking technology
  • Cell signal boost
  • Emergency notification systems 

Attend School Safety Conferences 

Another way to build your emergency planning and response knowledge is to attend school safety conferences. Throughout the summer, conferences are held nationwide to encourage and prepare educators. These conferences are great educational opportunities where you can learn best practices, meet experts in the school safety field, and learn about new technologies and solutions that can help you execute safety improvements. 

How Can We Help?

To keep schools truly safe, it is critical that a good plan is in place for emergencies and that each member of the school community knows what their role is in the event of an emergency. There are many moving parts when it comes to safety and the most important thing is that those parts are well oiled and synchronized. Otherwise, you are left with a fragmented system. 

The nSide Platform is designed to integrate your school’s infrastructure, assets, and resources in one place that can be accessed quickly and easily. There are five key mission areas in school safety: prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. Everything we offer is centered around connecting your school community to make reactions quick and directions clear. We work to help you create an environment that saves lives and feels safe so learning can flourish.

Sarah Ann McCain
May 24, 2022
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Meet the Team – Angela Robinson

Up next in our Meet the Team series, we have our Executive Assistant, Angela Robinson!

What is your position with nSide: The School Safety Platform?

I am the Executive Assistant!

What is your most-used productivity hack?

I like to make priority lists and listen to focus music while I work.

What 3 items can you not live without?

Besides my family and friends, Diet Mountain dew, Cheeseburgers, and Alabama Football! Oh and Yellowstone!

What is your favorite thing about working at nSide?

My favorite thing about working at nSide is the wonderful working environment and the awesome coworkers!

What was your favorite subject in school and why?

I enjoyed Home Economics.

Outside of work, what are your favorite things to do?

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family, playing with my millions of dogs, watching Alabama Football, and riding around in the country.

If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?

If I could travel anywhere right now, I would go anywhere with a beach!

What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?

I would describe myself as loyal, compassionate, and crazy!

Sarah Ann McCain
May 19, 2022
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The Effects of COVID-19 on Students’ Mental Health

For the last two years, nearly everyone has somehow been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. School-aged children are no exception. Studies have shown that mental health struggles brought on by the pandemic appear to be the most common affliction for them. 

LET’S DIVE INTO THE NUMBERS 

The American Psychological Association conducted a study of 107 high school students to assess the extent of any mental health struggles they may have experienced. This survey concluded that students of various ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds reported they had experienced some degradation in their mental health.

  • 77.4% of White students
  • 53.6% of Asian students
  • 50% of Black students

This data makes it clear that the impact of the pandemic has been far-reaching and unpredictable. 

WHAT ARE PARENTS NOTICING? 

In April 2022, NPR and Ipsos asked parents if they had seen symptoms of mental illness or other behavior changes in their child(ren). Parents reported they had seen an increase in anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, and attention disorders in their children.  

  • Increase in Anxiety: 19% 
  • Increase in Depression: 12% 
  • Increase in ADHD: 9% 
  • Increase in Another mental or emotional health issue: 6% 
  • Increase in A learning disability: 5% 

With the increase in symptoms parents are seeing, 73% of parents admitted that their child would benefit from mental health counseling and 78% believe social and emotional wellness programs are beneficial. 

WHAT SHOULD EDUCATORS BE LOOKING FOR? 

While specific mental health issues can present in various ways, many symptoms can overlay. Consult with a school counselor, nurse, or administrator and the student’s parents if you observe one or more of the following behaviors:

  • Feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks
  • Intense worries or fears that get in the way of daily activities
  • Extreme difficulty concentrating or staying still that puts the student in physical danger or causes problems in the classroom
  • Severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
  • Drastic changes in the student’s behavior or personality

WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO TO HELP? 

Educators can often be the first people to notice the signs of mental health issues. It is important that schools find ways to support the mental health of all students, not just individual students who may exhibit behavioral issues. In March 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services shared a list of School-Based Mental Health Services resources that included everything from early care to emergency response.  

By making a few changes and bringing awareness to teachers, staff, and administrators schools can create a space that cares for the emotional well-being of students that extends beyond the classroom. Here are a few things you can do to make that happen:

  • Educate staff, parents, and students on symptoms of and options for help with mental health problems
  • Teach and reinforce positive behaviors and decision-making
  • Promote social and emotional competency and build resilience
  • Help ensure access to school-based mental health supports 
  • Recognize when young people are at risk for or are experiencing mental health problems
  • Identify how to intervene early and appropriately when there are problems

It is evident that COVID-19 has had extensive impacts on so many of our lives. The upheaval of the academic structure has been difficult for kids, and as teachers and students return to the classroom, it is vital that awareness of these mental health issues and the indicating behaviors are at the forefront.

Sarah Ann McCain
May 10, 2022
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