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Posted by Sarah Ann McCain

HomeArticles Posted by Sarah Ann McCainPage 3

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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A Multidisciplinary Approach to School Safety

It is undeniable that school shootings have become all too common across the country over the past two decades. Each time one of these tragedies dominates our national media, schools everywhere are left pondering, “Was there anything that could have prevented this?”

The answer to this question is as complex as the issue of school safety itself in an era of lightning-fast technology development and increasingly complex social issues. In a time of unprecedented uncertainty, schools are starting to expand to a multidisciplinary approach to school safety.

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice partnered with multiple law enforcement agencies to identify from a law enforcement perspective the ten most essential actions schools and districts can take to prevent mass casualty events and respond when the unthinkable happens. These multidisciplinary actions included:

  1. Comprehensive School Safety Assessment

School safety plans must be kept up-to-date and relevant to changing circumstances. Many times, schools fail to include essential elements in their plans, such as emergency mass communication, family reunification, and consistent long-term mental health support. Safety plans should be updated yearly at minimum and reviewed thoroughly with faculty and staff. 

  1. School Climate

Preventing violence and bullying at school starts with an environment of trust and positive relationships. Everyone at a school is responsible for cultivating an environment where students feel safe and where communication stays open. The more comfortable students feel communicating at school, the more likely they are to speak up when a dangerous situation arises.

  1. Campus, Building, and Classroom Security

Having a physically secure campus is perhaps one of the most important and actionable preventative measures a school can take. Secure locks, access control, and video surveillance are vital to school safety. Silent alarms, such as those activated by apps like nSide|Lockdown™, are also life-saving tools in an emergency situation.

  1. Anonymous Reporting Systems

Reporting a potential threat can be difficult, especially in a situation that puts the reporter at risk. Anonymous reporting systems have proven to be very successful in states like Colorado, where their program Safe2Tell had over 1,500 reports of suicidal threats in just one semester (2018). Anonymous Reporting Systems give officials a way to intervene before an incident even occurs.

  1. Coordination with First Responders

Many schools have SROs (School Resource Officers), but partnering with local law enforcement and first responders can be hugely beneficial for any school. Having mutual training with first responders and school officials can help build an understanding of safety from both sides. It is also important for local first responders to have access to school maps with locations of classrooms and safety equipment easily identifiable when given directions at the time of an emergency.

  1. Behavior Threat Assessment and Management Team

According to the U.S. Secret Service, threat assessments of a child’s concerning behaviors are most effective when including a multidisciplinary team that includes teachers, administrators, school resource officers, and school mental health professionals. Choosing members of a threat assessment team is a delicate process, understanding that all members must be highly-trained but also from a variety of backgrounds to provide support for an at-risk child from multiple fronts.

  1. School-based Law Enforcement

Only around 42% of schools in the U.S. have at least one SRO (School Resource Officer) on campus. SROs are specially trained to work in a school environment and to respond to school-specific situations. When hiring an SRO is not possible, schools also have the option to partner with local law enforcement to see what they recommend. It is crucial for any security personnel to be properly trained in school-specific situations with a focus on adolescent development, de-escalation, trauma-informed response, and crisis intervention. 

  1. Mental Health Resources

There is no doubt that mental health issues play a key role in school shootings and other violent situations on school campuses. Unfortunately, schools have historically been understaffed in mental health positions. Mental health professionals are crucial, not only for trauma response in the aftermath of a violent event, but also for prevention of violent events with regular mental health monitoring and intervention.

  1. Drills

Most school children are no strangers to fire drills, weather drills or even lockdown drills, but it is important for schools to evaluate necessary and appropriate drills for their particular location and population regularly. In addition, school faculty and staff should be trained in expanded drills to include family reunification efforts, communication during an event, as well as locations and use of emergency and first aid equipment. 

  1. Social Media Monitoring

While most social media activity by children and teens is harmless, it can be used in a way to escalate negative social situations, especially with cyberbullying. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, social media alerting systems “provide constant online scanning of messages within a geofence around a school or school district to identify threats and at-risk behavior including cyberbullying.” With appropriate safeguards in place to protect privacy, these monitoring tools can be extremely effective at mitigating a potential threat. As always, these systems work best when accompanied by accountability from parents and the community.

nSide, Inc.™ is proud to offer a platform to house your school’s multidisciplinary safety plans. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with all we have to offer to help keep schools safe.

Email us at help@nside.io so that we can help you build the best safety plan for your school!

Sources:

https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/Publications/cops-w0891-pub.pdf

https://www.nasro.org/

Sarah Ann McCain
April 25, 2022
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The nSider – 2022 Q1 Newsletter

Pages: 1 2
Sarah Ann McCain
April 8, 2022
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Meet the Team – Quan Nguyen

Up next in our Meet the Team series, we have one of our Software Developer’s, Quan Nguyen.

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

I am a Software Developer with nSide: The School Safety Platform.

What is your most-used productivity hack?

I avoid multitasking and set single goals for each day.

What 3 items can you not live without?

I can not live without my laptop, cellphone, and books.

What is your favorite thing about working at nSide?

I enjoy the friendly co-workers. They treat me like a family member.

What was your favorite subject in school and why?

My favorite subjects in school were computer science, mathematics, and physics.

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

I enjoy learning new technologies, playing video games, reading books, and walking around Florence.

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

If I could travel anywhere right now, I would go to Ben Tre, Vietnam (my hometown).

What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?

I would describe myself as loyal, enthusiastic, and curious.

Sarah Ann McCain
March 24, 2022
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Meet the Team – Alan Bentley

Up next in our Meet the Team series we have Alan Bentley, our Director of Sales!

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

I am the Director of Sales with nSide!


What is your most-used productivity hack? 

CTRL + F (not sure if this is a hack but really speeds up finding specific words)


What 3 items can you not live without? 

I can not live without my phone, golf clubs, and vehicle.

What is your favorite thing about working at nSide? 

My favorite thing about working at nSide is the daily grind of keeping schools safe! 


What was your favorite subject in school and why?

My favorite subject in school was Math. I really enjoyed solving problems.

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

I enjoy spending time with my family and every once in a while playing a little golf.


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

If I could travel anywhere right now, I would love to visit Italy.

What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?

I would describe myself as positive, humble, and relatable.

Sarah Ann McCain
February 23, 2022
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nSide, Inc. Granted Health and School Safety Contract with the Mississippi Department of Education

nSide – The School Safety Platform has been approved by the Mississippi State Board of Education to provide Mississippi Schools with a Health and School Safety Platform. 

The contract between the Mississippi Department of Education and nSide, Inc. would provide a web-based solution for public school districts for the consistent and equitable development and implementation of all components of the Mississippi Department Crisis Management Plan. 

Mississippi’s use of the nSide platform includes the ability to create, store, and distribute an Emergency Operations Plan within the nSide platform, access to a navigable “virtual campus” created with 360-degree photos of all schools and district central offices, a rapid emergency notification application for instances such as medical, fire, or other potential emergency situations as well as the option to participate in the surveillance module of the platform by receiving one surveillance camera per district central office and up to five surveillance cameras per school. 

nSide is excited to embark on this partnership with MDE and Mississippi Schools.

Sarah Ann McCain
February 17, 2022
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Meet the Team – Robert Nall!

We are launching a new blog series highlighting our incredible staff here at nSide: The School Safety Platform! First up, we have our Chief Data Officer, Robert Nall!

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

My position with nSide is Chief Data Officer!

What is your most-used productivity hack?

My most-used productivity hack would have to be the Pomodoro method. This is a method of working in 25 minutes intervals, blocking all distractions, with a 5-minute break between intervals. This helps me get in a rhythm to achieve deep focus.

What 3 items can you not live without?

  • Music – I have a wide pallet when it comes to music, and I like to go out in the Shoals area and watch different artists.
  • Traits of curiosity – I love learning new things. 
  • Plants – My favorite plant is a Boston fern because it reminds me of my trips to the Low-country in South Carolina. 

What is your favorite thing about working at nSide?

We have an excellent team, so the people are great. I would also say I enjoy the challenging work. 

What was your favorite subject in school and why?

My favorite subject in school was History. I believe there are great lessons to be learned from events and individuals throughout time. 

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

I really enjoy fishing out on the Tennessee River, and I enjoy growing a garden throughout the year. Both of these allow for a lot of experimentation.

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

If I could travel anywhere right now, I would travel to Austria. I took several German courses doing undergrad, and I have always been interested in the region.

What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?

Three words I would use to describe myself are discerning, reliable, and sensible.

Sarah Ann McCain
February 11, 2022
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nSide’s 2021 Safety Summit Agenda is Here!

We have been working hard to prepare for our 2021 Annual School Safety Summit in Alabama! Due to COVID-19, we were unable to host our this event in 2020, but we are thrilled to be back this year with a full schedule of learning opportunities, nSide updates, and fantastic speakers! 

Today, we are sharing our full detailed agenda with everything we have in store. If you have not already registered, don’t wait too long! With this line up of content, spots are going to fill up quickly, so head over to the nSide website and get registered today! 

Join us at The Lodge at Gulf State Park, December 6 & 7! 

Make sure you are following us on social media! We are going to be announcing our line up of speakers and presenters in the coming weeks and by following, you will be the first to know. You can also find more information and register for the Safety Summit at our website conferences.nside.io!

Also, don’t forget to book your stay at the Lodge or one of the other partner hotels! We’ve got great rates for you to have a relaxing stay during our conference. 

Register Now!
Sarah Ann McCain
October 13, 2021
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Reduce Fragmentation and Increase School Security

WHAT IS FRAGMENTATION IN SCHOOL SAFETY PLANS?
In order to keep schools truly safe, not only is it critical that a school have a good plan in place for emergencies, but also that each member of the school community knows what their role is in the event of an emergency and they are able to easily access and manage the technology needed to prevent or end an emergency. Schools often have different pieces of the puzzle to approach school safety, but rarely do the pieces talk to each other. This is a fragmented safety plan. Each piece of a fragmented safety plan requires different skill sets, and often different people are in charge of different components. Maybe your school’s safety plan is written in a document, maps are posted around the school, and cameras are managed through a server that only one person has access to.

WHY IS FRAGMENTATION BAD?
You might have cameras, door locks, and communication systems, but are they all accessed separately? Does one communicate with another? When the unthinkable happens, every second counts. Using fragmented safety solutions can cost you critical moments that can mean the difference between life and death. According to an Inc. Article, “The problem now is the proliferation of these enterprise apps. These tools hold all the data that grows a business, but the more apps used, the harder it is to read that data, let alone make it actionable.”

WHAT STEPS CAN YOU TAKE TO UNIFY YOUR SCHOOL’S SAFETY ASSETS?

  • Communication is key! Making sure all stakeholders are in the same room when putting together the emergency operation plan. Ensuring that everyone understand their role and knows what to do in the event of any type of situation.
  • Standardize your district’s EOP. Do all schools follow the same guidelines? Can more than one person answer a question related to your EOP or school safety assets? Is there a standard for mapping your facility and emergency equipment? Can you see your cameras in conjunction with your school’s floor plan? These are great questions to get started in unifying your school’s safety assets.

HOW CAN NSIDE HELP REDUCE FRAGMENTATION?
The nSide platform is designed integrate your school’s infrastructure, assets and resources in one place that can be accessed quickly and easily. We use this connected technology to bring together everyone in your school community including administrators, SROs, transportation managers, teachers, students, law enforcement and EMS and make sure they understand what to do in the event of an emergency. Everything we offer is centered around connecting these groups to make reactions quick and directions clear. We work to help you create an environment that not only saves lives, but also creates an environment that feels safe so learning can flourish.

The nSide Platform and Suite of technologies helps keep all school safety initiatives in one place.

When all technology is in one place, good things happen.

  • Help arrives faster
  • Everyone knows what to do in the event of an emergency
  • Less time is spent scrambling in an emergency
  • Lives are saved

Email us at help@nside.io and we can help you find the right solutions for your school and organize all of your schools safety needs in one place!

Sarah Ann McCain
September 16, 2021
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