What Role Does the Principal
Play in School Safety?
As the leader in the school building, a principal has the responsibility of creating a culture of safety. Campus safety depends heavily on the principals’ day-to-day efforts; from ensuring that emergency response plans are up-to-date and communicated to advocating for his/her students and staff at a district level, a principal’s responsibilities when it comes to school safety efforts are imperative.
Before
- Frequently review and update school safety and emergency response plans
- Foster relationships with community partners
- Train students and staff on safety protocols and warning signs
During
- Communicate with district and community partners
- Ensure students and staff are following the correct safety protocols
- Share urgent and relevant information with parents and the community
After
- Lead or participate in post-event reviews and reports
- Direct students and staff on changes to protocols based on lessons learned
- Manage phases of recovery in collaboration with community partners
Taking Initiative
In his or her capacity as a leader, the principal sets the tone for how students are encouraged, nurtured, and developed. The principal sets expectations and oversees the processes and procedures that ensure the safety of their schools. By being proactive and developing a plan for handling dangerous situations, admins, faculty and staff, students, and parents will have peace of mind that everyone is safe and protected.
Mental and Emotional Health
Administrators have other safety concerns for their teachers, staff, and students. Though physical safety is often seen as the top priority, mental and emotional safety should be prioritized as well. In every school, many students are often dealing with difficult issues, both at home and at school. Issues not addressed in a timely manner can lead to more serious problems and increasingly violent behavior. For that reason, it’s important for principals to ensure their schools provide an environment where students feel secure and connected with teachers and staff.
NSIDE RESOURCES FOR PRINCIPALS
nSide|Plans
nSide|Plans™ is our core product and can help your school plan for emergencies and perform critical tasks to make sure everyone knows what actions to take in the event that they occur.
Includes:
- Critical Infrastructure Mapping
- Creation, management, and storage of Emergency Operations Plans
- Training for administrators and staff
nSide|Live
nSide|Live™ brings all of the different sources of your cameras into the nSide Platform and allows for a simple, easy-to-use technology for your camera solution.
Includes:
- Real-time viewing of your campus surveillance system within the nSide platform
- The ability to share access to cameras with local first responders
- Allows local administrators to control which users have day-to-day access to cameras
nSide|Edge
nSide|Edge™ allows schools to secure their doors to all of their facilities on campus 24/7.
Includes:
- Team of certified installers will visit your campus and set up state-of-the-art door locks and ensure that everything is fully functional and the campus is secure
- Door access icons overlaid on the nSide map provide a view of all controlled access points within the platform
nSide|Lockdown
nSide|Lockdown™ is a Rapid Emergency Notification Tool that equips all teachers and staff within a school or campus to initiate an urgent response to a variety of emergencies
Includes:
- Four types of Emergency Alerts – lockdown, police, medical, and fire