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8 Ways to ADVOCATE for School Safety
October 19, 2022

8 Ways to Advocate for School Safety

October 16-22 is America’s Safe School Week. It is a time to bring awareness to school safety issues, as well as re-examine existing safety plans and policies. School safety is hardly a controversial issue; If there is anything a community can easily come to an agreement about, it is the fact that safety should be the highest priority in school planning. However, there tends to be a lack of understanding in the general public, and sometimes, even with school staff and students, about what goes into school safety and how many people need to be involved. During this Safe Schools Week, it is important to raise awareness and ask our schools and community members to advocate, not only for the safety of students but also for updated safety plans that are keeping up with the ever-changing landscape of school safety.

For Safe Schools Week, here are some ways that educators can ADVOCATE for school safety: 

Ask questions about policies that are outdated or ineffective.

Policies are put in place at the school, district, state, and even federal levels to impact safety in schools. Some of them are enforced, and some are not on an everyday basis. Some are simply outdated and not effective for modern-day safety issues. The fact is, safety changes as technology advances and as culture changes. School shootings are not the only safety concern. Mental health took a huge hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and schools must keep up with those challenges in order to ensure students are safe. It is tempting to feel powerless when these policies are at a distance – Central Office or even the State legislature. However, educators are the first ones to notice changes in what students need. Educators must feel empowered to ask the hard questions when policies are no longer effective. 

Develop strong safety plans.

Every school may have safety plans in place, but are they collecting dust in a drawer each year? If so, it is time to make changes. Safety plans should be constantly evolving to stay relevant and at the forefront of school community members’ minds. A plan is not worth much if it is not practiced and improved over time. 

Voice your concerns about vulnerable students.

Again, educators are the first to notice when there are changes in a student. Safety plans can cover a lot, but there are always situations that require a more personal approach. When there is a change in a student’s behavior, no matter how subtle, educators need to speak up, and administrators and counselors need to be ready to listen and act.

Organize a community-wide safety awareness event.

Educators are not the only ones invested in school safety. The community surrounding a school can also be an effective advocate for school safety. Many community members may want to get involved but don’t know how. They also may have a lack of knowledge when it comes to real school safety issues. The media tends to focus on school shootings, which may create a barrier of fear around the issues that face schools. Engage the community at large with school safety events or simply have meetings that involve community members. In the event of a school evacuation or a missing student, community members play a vital role in recovery. It is important to make sure those who are interested are involved in the planning steps as well.

Communicate with parents about safety initiatives and planning.

Parents especially have a vested interest in school safety, and many are looking for ways to be involved in their child’s school. Encourage parents to get involved in safety planning and let them know when safety initiatives are being implemented. 

Assign safety-related projects and activities in class.

Safety education is not always effective when it is simply dictated to students. Instead, it may be a good idea to involve students by getting them to research safety-related topics and create their own safety plans. When students have hands-on experiences with safety, they are more likely to be invested and cooperative when it comes time to implement school safety plans.

Teach students conflict resolution skills.

Many dangerous situations develop after a simple conflict escalates into a crisis. It can happen so quickly, and it is crucial to intervene before it gets to a boiling point. Sometimes that means we must work harder on prevention. Conflict resolution is a skill that must be taught. The reality is, it is not always taught at home, so schools must incorporate conflict resolution into the curriculum as part of a larger safety plan. Counselors are an excellent choice for these lessons. Educating students on their emotions and how to appropriately respond in high-stress situations should not just be an afterthought in safety planning, but a significant part of the plan itself.

Engage students in discussions about safety.

Students must be invested in school safety in order for plans to be effective. They must prioritize safety as a part of their school day routine. Many already do, the reality being that school is already their safe place when their home is not. This should provide even more reason for that safe place to be protected. Get students involved in their own safety, and have difficult discussions. Students face dangerous situations more often than educators and parents realize. Giving them space to speak up and feel involved is imperative to school safety.

These are just a few ways to advocate for school safety. For more ideas on how you can advocate or get involved with school safety, go to http://www.schoolsafety.us/safe-schools-week. The nSide platform is constantly evolving to improve safety plans and prevent crisis situations through threat assessment, planning, and monitoring through mapping and camera surveillance. Contact nSide today at help@nside.io to see how we can help you make your schools safer!

Sources:

  1. http://www.schoolsafety.us/safe-schools-week

October 19, 2022
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Blog Cover School Violence Aversion Pt. 2
September 27, 2022

School Violence Aversion, Pt. 2

Adolescence is a time that most of us would rather not relive. It is a time of awkwardness and insecurity, and rarely a time of roaring courage. It is difficult to get through this time in life under normal circumstances, but these days, the threat of school violence can make the life of a teenager even more stressful.

The two stories we share today show the immense courage it takes for a student to report their peers and our responsibility, as the adults in the room, to listen and take action.

Overheard on the Bus

(Uniontown, Pennsylvania – 2018)

Imagine being 14 years old, sitting quietly on a bus, and overhearing a classmate bragging about his plans to carry out a shooting at your school. People laugh nervously or brush him off, but part of you knows there is truth behind what he is saying. You’ve seen him get angry. You’ve heard him talk about his weapons before. You’ve seen the news about shootings at other schools, and deep down, you know there’s always a possibility it could happen to your school. To your friends. To you. You also know that if you were to tell anyone, you could become the number one target if you are not taken seriously. 

This is the pressure facing kids today, and this is exactly what happened in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 2018. 

One brave student told his parents and later authorities what he heard on the school bus that day. Police carried out a search warrant on the classmate’s home and found one semi-automatic rifle, one shotgun, two lever-action rifles, one revolver, one crossbow and bulk ammunition for all weapons in the 14 year-old’s bedroom. They also found throwing knives and two machetes.

In their investigation, police learned that the student was planning to target four individuals at his school and open fire on the rest of the school. He had a specific plan for targeting the individuals with a sniper rifle, as well as a plan for causing mass casualties with other weapons. He also told police how easy it would be to get his guns inside the school. 

The student was arrested and charged with terroristic threats, possession of firearms by a minor, and criminal attempt to commit catastrophe.

The reporting student was hailed by parents and school faculty as a hero. His courage was not lost on those who would have been directly affected by these horrific plans. 

A Haunting Online Conversation

(Arlington, Vermont – 2018)

When Angela McDevitt reconnected with an old friend on Facebook, she noticed immediately that something was wrong. The Jack Sawyer she had known before  was “a very kind person,” but months after they had last seen each other, he had grown despondent. Their conversation took a turn when he started talking about his desire to carry out a shooting at his old high school in Vermont, the same school that Angela still attended. 

It was February 2018, and the day after their conversation, the Parkland shooting in Florida happened. Seventeen people were killed by a former student. 

Angela knew she needed to talk to Jack again. Not only was their previous conversation haunting her, she knew they had a mutual friend who had attended the school in Florida. 

She got on Facebook and brought up the shooting to Jack, mentioning their mutual friend. She expressed how horrified she was by the events, and asked him what he thought. His response? “That’s fantastic.” 

At that point, she knew she had to tell someone about their conversation. Unsure of who to contact, she first sent an email to her school’s guidance counselor saying she needed to speak to her in the morning about something urgent. After a sleepless night, she spoke to the school social worker the next morning and showed him the messages from Jack. The social worker then shared the information with the SRO (School Resource Officer) and Sheriff’s Deputy. The message was then distributed to police.

As it turned out, she was not the only one who had noticed a change in Jack. Another friend had reported that his demeanor had changed dramatically, and he was already on the authorities’ radar. 

Once Angela submitted her report, police learned that Jack had made a series of threats against his former school, and he had recently purchased a shotgun and four boxes of ammunition from a local sporting goods store. 

Jack Sawyer was arrested the same day that Angela reported.

There are two important takeaways from these stories: 1. Students must feel empowered to report suspicious behavior from their peers; and 2. Adults must take them seriously when they do report. It is crucial for schools and communities to create an environment where students feel safe coming forward with information. These stories could have ended very differently if the adults had not taken these students seriously and acted quickly. 

One important thing a school can do is make sure there is an anonymous reporting system in place that is being monitored daily. When students have information to share, they need to know where and how to report. If your school is already set up with the nSide platform, you can spread awareness about our anonymous TIPs page at tips.nside.io. 

If you would like to learn more about how to improve your school’s safety plans, please contact us today. Our support team is available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by emailing help@nside.io, calling 1.800.604.1822, or by using our live chat function available on our website and on the platform.

Sources:

  1. https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/uniontown-high-school-shooting-threat-arrest/
  2. https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2018/02/22/vermont-shooting-arlington-student/358888002/

Bonus: Do you know the warning signs of violence?

September 27, 2022
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Blog Cover School Violence Aversion Series (1)
September 16, 2022

School Violence Aversion, Pt. 1

School shootings. School violence. These terms are enough to stir fear in even the most stoic of school leaders. It is the most dreaded topic of conversation, and yet the constant barrage of media coverage on the latest violent incident makes it impossible to avoid. Even violence prevention training can be a grim affair when details of what has happened and what could happen are discussed.

Of course, we must address these topics when we work in schools, no matter how scary and uncomfortable it may be. However, what we sometimes forget is that for every violent incident that makes the news, there are countless other incidents that are successfully averted. 

A History of Red Flags

One such incident happened in Malcolm, Nebraska in 2004, just five years after the Columbine shooting in Colorado. Josh Magee, a 17 year-old student at Malcolm High School, was arrested in the school parking lot on March 16, 2004 after a staff member saw him drinking liquor from a flask and putting on a black overcoat. While this may not seem to be an obvious clue to his violent plans, the behavior was suspicious enough that the staff member contacted police. 

When police arrived, they searched Josh Magee’s car and found a bolt-action rifle, several rounds of ammunition, and twenty rigged homemade bombs. With the weapons, police also found a handwritten note from Magee saying that he wanted to kill everyone in the school except for three of his friends. 

The car was parked less than 100 feet from a school building with over 400 students. Josh Magee was charged with attempted first-degree murder.

The trouble had not just begun that day, however. The actions of Josh Magee in the parking lot that Tuesday followed a long history of red-flag behavior at the school. Having shown an interest in violence and weapons from a young age, he had been on the district’s radar since elementary school.

According to teachers and classmates, he talked frequently about the 1999 Columbine shootings, in which Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves. He even expressed his admiration of Harris and Klebold to classmates in private conversations. When classmates reported to faculty that Magee was bragging about building and testing explosives at home, faculty and staff members started paying close attention to Magee’s movements and behaviors.

When Magee was seen swigging liquor from a flask and donning a black overcoat similar to those worn by the Columbine killers, a staff member wasted no time reporting another suspicious behavior from the teen. 

There is no doubt that the staff member’s judgment call saved lives that day.

A Friend Speaks Up

Another incident of averted violence comes from Pottstown, Pennsylvania in 2008. It started with a teenager who stole three handguns from his father after expressing a plan to kill classmates and himself. His father reported the stolen handguns, not knowing then that his report would play a key role in stopping his own son’s violent plans.

Richard Yanis was in the ninth grade at Pottstown High School in December of 2008. He was planning to smuggle his father’s guns into school shortly after Winter Break, shoot other students, and then turn a gun on himself. 

One day, he handed a bag to a friend, asking him to hold onto it for him. The friend took the bag home and opened it. Inside he found three handguns and ammunition. The friend reported this to his stepmother, and the two of them took the bag to a nearby creek and dumped the weapons there.

Later at school, the friend told a teacher about the guns, and police were contacted. The police were able to talk to the friend and get the details they needed to recover the weapons and learn of Yanis’s plans.  When police found the weapons, they discovered that they were the same weapons reported stolen by Yanis’s father a few weeks before. 

Richard Yanis was taken into custody before any part of his plan could be implemented. 

A tragedy was avoided because a friend spoke up. Yanis had no history of aggressive behaviors at school, and family friends were shocked by his plans, saying it seemed out of character for the teen. It was later revealed in court that Yanis had been a victim of severe bullying at school, but he had never told anyone what he was going through.

These stories show a few key elements of school violence prevention: awareness, threat assessment, and reporting. Josh Magee had a history of fascination with violence and weapons. Faculty and staff paid attention to his behavior, and when he began acting suspiciously, they did not hesitate to call the authorities. Richard Yanis had no history of aggression. However, his friend recognized suspicious behavior and reported it. His actions most likely saved lives.

nSide is first and foremost about preventing school violence by emphasizing safety measures that build awareness, make threat assessment easier and more accessible, and increase response time when a report is made. If you are already an nSide user, be sure to tell your faculty and students about our Tips page. Tips about suspicious behavior or known plans can be reported anonymously at tips.nside.io. If you would like to learn more about how to improve your school’s safety plans, please contact us today. Our support team is available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by emailing help@nside.io, calling 1.800.604.1822, or by using our live chat function available on our website and in the platform.

Sources:

  1. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/19/us/nebraska-student-found-with-bombs-outside-his-school.html
  2. https://www.upi.com/Judge-Student-insane-when-he-tried-attack/86041132731863/?spt=su
  3. https://www.pottsmerc.com/2009/01/08/thwarted-school-shooter-admits-guilt-to-judge/
  4. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/09/school.plot/index.html

September 16, 2022
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Blog Cover Sports and Extracurricular Safety
August 30, 2022

Back-to-School Safety Series, Pt. 4

The sun is setting behind the bleachers, and Friday night lights beckon football fans from around the community to come relive the beat of the band, the chants and cheers, and the buzzing energy from the sidelines of their high school days. There is a certain comfort in a Friday night game and the traditions that have survived for decades and created a culture of community pride and camaraderie. 

When you walk through those gates and feel the energy of game day, does it feel safe? In the midst of the excitement, has the school prioritized a safe environment for community members? 

School safety does not end when school is dismissed. School safety is a culture that must extend to school sporting events and extracurricular activities where the general public is as much a part of the school community as students and staff. 

Planning Ahead

Planning is one of the most critical aspects of school safety. When it comes to extracurricular activities, there are few restrictions as to who can be involved. Therefore, it is important to have an effective method of communicating emergency procedures to staff and volunteers. Plan to share information with the appropriate people before, during, and after an event. This may include parents, coaches, law enforcement, students, administrators, etc.  If handheld two-way radios are available, distribute those in a way that communication can reach all areas of the event location. However, these events can be loud and distractions are inevitable. It is a good idea to make sure that staff and volunteers have their personal cellular devices with them, and that a mass communication app is being used.

It is also extremely important to include sporting events and extracurriculars in your Emergency Operations Plans. All faculty and staff should be trained in emergency plans for sports and extracurricular activities in case they are needed for these events. In addition, even when not working or volunteering, many faculty and staff simply attend these events in support of students. When trained to handle emergency situations, their presence adds to event security, since they know what to look for and how to respond.

Another important way to plan ahead is to familiarize yourself with the emergency procedures of the away venue. While most schools plan for the same things, that does not mean they plan the same way. You should also consider establishing a direct line of communication with the contact person and security team at the away location.

Severe Weather

Luckily, severe weather is a type of emergency that can usually be planned for well in advance. However, it can sometimes sneak up unexpectedly. In this case, make sure you have a clear protocol for weather delays and how they are to be communicated. Have a readily available and easily accessible shelter-in-place location in the event that there is an extreme emergency. Make sure your coaches, teams, and parents are familiar with the procedures as well. When traveling, it is always a good idea to also be familiar with the emergency protocols of the away venue. 

Fire

Unlike severe weather, it is nearly impossible to know when a fire will occur. In the event of a fire, no matter how big or small, it is important to have evacuation plans. When outlining your evacuation plans, make sure that you are not overlapping with emergency responders. For example, once they exit the building, you do not want people to be standing where a fire truck will be parked, or possibly blocking a fire hydrant. Having plans in place that take these types of precautions into account saves time when an emergency occurs.

Bomb Threat

Similar to fire procedures, a bomb threat requires an evacuation plan. It is important to note that not just anyone can recognize a bomb threat. With today’s technology, these threats can present themselves in many different ways. It is critical to have members of your safety team that are able to identify any suspicious activity or suspicious items at an event. 

Another important thing to note is that many students make these threats with no intention of ever actually carrying them out. In this age of social media, these rumors and threats can spread like wildfire. However, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Have a designated person or persons that can communicate and  intervene in the appropriate way when this occurs. 

When we attend sports and extracurricular activities, we often take safety for granted. These events are designed to be fun and exciting for both students and the community. Taking a few extra steps before these events to ensure safety precautions are in place can help everyone feel more safe. Make sure your staff and volunteers are trained in emergency response procedures, and most importantly, make sure communication stays open and clear. 

The nSide platform is a valuable resource for your safety plans, including plans for sports and extracurricular activities. Contact us today to see how we can help you make your extracurricular events as safe as possible. Our support team is available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by emailing help@nside.io, calling 1.800.604.1822, or by using our live chat function available on our website and in the platform.

August 30, 2022
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