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Tag: School Safety

Blog Banner School Bus Safety
February 22, 2023

Taking Bus Safety to the Next Level

In the event of an emergency or accident, the school bus driver is often the first point of contact for students. This means they must be prepared to respond quickly and efficiently to ensure the safety of everyone on the bus. Safety drills can help school bus drivers become familiar with the proper emergency procedures for emergencies such as inclement weather, a fire or explosion, an intruder, weapons, accidents, and more. By participating in safety drills, drivers can develop the skills and confidence needed to respond quickly and effectively in a crisis. Here are some situations in which school bus drivers should be trained to handle emergencies:

  1. Inclement Weather: Emergencies such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or snowstorms can significantly impact transportation routes and road conditions. 
  2. Fire: In the event of a fire, bus drivers need to know how to evacuate the bus quickly and safely while keeping students calm and orderly. They should also be able to identify potential fire hazards on the bus and take proactive measures to prevent fires from starting in the first place. 
  3. Bomb/Explosive: Bus drivers should be conditioned to recognize suspicious packages or objects on the bus and know what to do if they suspect the presence of a bomb or explosive device. 
  4. Intruder/Unauthorized person: In the event of an intruder or an active shooter on the bus, drivers need to know how to secure the bus and keep students safe until help arrives. They should also be taught to recognize suspicious behavior and take appropriate action to prevent or mitigate potential threats.
  5. Crash/Accident: Bus drivers need to be prepared to respond quickly and effectively in the event of a crash or accident. This includes evacuating the bus, administering first aid, and contacting emergency services.

Providing bus drivers access to safety technology can significantly enhance their ability to perform their job safely and efficiently. By reducing the risk of accidents and improving driver behavior, we can help ensure the safety of passengers and others on the road. In order to understand how, consider these reasons:

  1. Enhancing situational awareness: Safety technology such as forward-facing and rear-view cameras, blind-spot monitoring, and collision avoidance systems provide drivers with increased visibility and understanding of their surroundings. 
  2. Improving driver behavior: Some safety technology systems provide real-time feedback to the driver, which can help them correct any unsafe driving behaviors, such as harsh braking or acceleration. 
  3. Reducing the risk of accidents: Safety technology such as lane departure warning systems and automatic emergency braking can detect potential hazards and intervene to prevent accidents before they occur. 

By recognizing the signs of a crisis and taking appropriate action, drivers can help ensure that students receive the support they need to be successful both in and out of school. School bus drivers should be able to recognize student crises for a couple of reasons:

  1. Early intervention: Bus drivers are in a unique position to observe students regularly and may be able to recognize early warning signs of a crisis, such as changes in behavior or demeanor. By identifying these signs early, drivers can take action to help the student before the situation escalates.
  2. Safety: Students in crisis may pose a risk to themselves or others. By recognizing the signs of a problem, bus drivers can take steps to ensure the safety of all passengers on the bus and prevent any potential harm.

While safety is most critical within the walls of the school building, it also reaches further. Understanding the idea that school safety reaches beyond the school property line encourages schools to work with local communities to create a safe and secure learning environment for students and staff. Many students travel to and from school via buses, bikes, or walking. Their safety during these trips is just as important as their safety on school grounds. School officials must work with school bus drivers, local transportation providers, law enforcement, and community organizations to create safe transportation routes and identify potential hazards along the way.

Our product, nSide|Fleet, provides an extra layer of safety for school bus drivers, their passengers, and the staff that oversees them. With just over sixteen percent of accidents relating to school or bus companies directly, it’s crucial that schools reduce their liability and make their modes of transportation as safe as possible. nSide|Fleet does just that, giving schools the ability to monitor their entire group of school buses in just a few clicks of a mouse.

February 22, 2023
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Blog Banner Updating Maps (1)
February 9, 2023

How updating your maps can boost school safety

The nSide platform is designed to help create safer learning environments for schools. It is built around the idea that in the event of an emergency, seconds matter. Organizing all the tools that go into emergency planning in one platform is what makes response time quick and efficient. When we look at the big picture, however, it is important to point out that in order for the platform to perform the way it was designed to in those seconds, consistent day-to-day use and maintenance is critical. For that reason, any time there is a change on your campus, your nSide maps should be updated.

There will inevitably be times when your school buildings will undergo maintenance, new construction, or have new utilities added. In each of these situations, there are steps you can follow to make sure your nSide map stays up-to-date. There are five main scenarios to consider:

  1. Building Maintenance
  2. New Construction
  3. New Emergency Equipment
  4. Changes in Room Information
  5. Staging Area Updates

1.Building Maintenance

There are several reasons maintenance can be an important factor in school safety. For one thing, HVAC systems can be vital to air quality control. Leaks of chemicals or unmaintained gas heating systems can lead to emergencies in themselves. Even something as simple as a roof leak can lead to disastrous effects if combined with a room full of electronics. 

Whenever there is significant maintenance completed in a building on your campus, there may be information that needs to be updated in your nSide map. Things like HVAC systems, water main shut-offs, and emergency equipment should all be labeled on your map. When you click on the icons that indicate the location of these systems, there is a menu that pops up on the left where you can keep track of maintenance and update information if any parts or units are replaced. 

2.New Construction

Another building change to consider is new construction. Schools often get new additions, whether it is a new classroom building, a new sports facility, or even a new parking lot. 

Each new addition to a campus has the potential to affect the Emergency Operations Plan, and there will be many safety considerations that need to be documented. 

Whenever there is new construction of any kind on campus, this will require an updated set of floor plans. In order to add new construction to the nSide map, you will need to send nSide a copy of the new floor plans at help@nside.io.

Once nSide has a copy of the new floor plans, they can add the new structure(s) to your nSide map and add any relevant emergency equipment, HVAC, or camera details. Notify nSide at help@nside.io of any new construction so that we can keep your maps as updated and accurate as possible.

3. New Emergency Equipment

Whenever a new utility, camera, or piece of emergency equipment is added to your campus, these also need to be added to your map. Knowing where emergency equipment is located can save seconds or even minutes in an emergency situation. On a relatively large campus, most faculty and staff members will not automatically know where these things are located. Having these details accessible on the map makes it easier for your faculty and staff to navigate a difficult situation.

Examples of emergency equipment include, but are not limited to: 

  • AEDs (Automated External Defibrillator): for use when someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest
  • Emergency Eye Wash (usually in science labs or near cleaning chemicals)
  • Emergency Lighting Equipment
  • Emergency Phones
  • EpiPens
  • Fire Alarms
  • Fire Extinguishers
  • Fire Pull Stations
  • Fire Department Connections (or hydrants)
  • First Aid Boxes
  • Key Boxes or Key Cards
  • Roof Access
  • Security Alarm Panels
  • Panic Buttons

4. Changes in Room Information

In addition to physical structure changes on campus, there are also often personnel changes, as well as rearranging of rooms and departments to different parts of campus. While nothing has changed your floor plans in these situations, it is still important to note these changes on your map. 

When there is a personnel change on campus, editing that information in the map is simple but vital. For example, if there is a new teacher in a room, you can simply click on the room in the map and change the name and any other information associated with that teacher. The reason this is important is because in an emergency situation, people like emergency responders may be looking at your map to check locations of certain students, faculty, or staff who may have been affected. If that information is not updated, then a chain of communication is broken, and time may be wasted searching for the correct information.

When we say, “Seconds Matter,” this is one example of how seconds can be wasted in a simple administrative error. Updating your maps takes minimal time and effort, but it saves precious time in an emergency situation.

5. Staging Area Updates

The last change we will discuss is staging areas. Staging areas should be easily accessible and the routes to reach those areas clearly marked on the map. Whenever there are changes to a school’s floor plans or campus arrangement, staging areas could also be inadvertently affected. For example, if a new fence or barrier is constructed between a classroom building and a football field which serves as a staging area, then the evacuation route may be blocked. These small changes can lead to confusion in the event of an emergency. While the staging area may not have changed technically, the route to reach it did. This creates a need for a change on your map.

Whatever changes need to be made to your nSide map, we are always here to help! Please reach out to help@nside.io or use our Live Chat to get assistance with updating your map.  For a step-by-step guide on how to update your maps, check out our Knowledge Base article!

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February 9, 2023
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Blog Banner Severe Weather
January 19, 2023

Severe Weather and the nSide Platform

Ask anyone in the South what to do when the tornado sirens ring out, and they could probably recite a list of procedures to go through: Get inside or underground, go to the bottom floor of the building (a basement if possible), get away from all windows, and go to the centermost part of the building. Most of us have heard the warnings all of our lives, and school faculty and staff are no exception. We know the drills, and we know the procedures by heart. So when it comes to improving safety plans and procedures for severe weather, we sometimes get stuck on our own script. 

The nSide platform is the ideal planning tool to make sure severe weather plans are organized in advance for before, during, and after the event. There are many features within the platform that can help make implementation of severe weather plans as efficient as possible.

We know the drills, and we know the procedures by heart. So when it comes to improving safety plans and procedures for severe weather, we sometimes get stuck on our own script. 

BEFORE

Severe weather plans are often included as a section of a school’s Emergency Operations Plans. These are often standard plans that are primarily designed for response to an immediate threat. However, there are many things that can be done before a threat exists that could greatly enhance not only response time, but also prevention of injury and efficient recovery from any damage.   

  • 360 photos: As part of the mapping process, nSide team members take 360 photos inside and outside of your campuses. These photos can be used by first responders to locate specific locations on the map. However, it can also be used as crucial before photos in the context of potential damage to any structures. 
  • Map school safety zones: Sometimes safety zones on campus are limited to space available, such as hallways and bathrooms during a tornado warning. It is important to investigate further to make sure safety zones are identified and vetted before severe weather hits. Partnering with local first responders or fire departments may help with this task. Along with hazards from high winds, severe weather can often come with flash flooding. It is important to verify that the safety zone is not also a flood zone. In addition to safety zones on campus, don’t forget to consider safety zones for buses that are on the road. When editing your nSide map, make sure to mark these safety zones in case of a weather emergency. 
  • Communication: Planning methods of communication before an emergency will prevent confusion and panic during an event. Mass communication apps, including nSide|Lockdown, should be kept up-to-date and tested regularly. In case of power outage or other logistical issues with mass communication, each hallway or building should have wireless radios and weather radios available, as well as a designated emergency coordinator to use these tools.
  • Update maps and contacts: It is essential to update your nSide map anytime there is a personnel change or change to campus structures or features. During a severe weather emergency, providing first responders with accurate teacher and classroom information as well as contact information for your safety team is extra important. This can only be done if your maps and school information  are updated regularly.
  • Update your EOP: Like the map, your EOP must be updated regularly in the nSide platform. This ensures that all the latest emergency plans and documents are easily accessible to the appropriate staff members. 
  • Drills: The number and types of severe weather drills you will conduct on campus will depend on your geographic location and state requirements. However, the more often an emergency plan can be practiced, the better a real emergency is likely to be handled. With every drill that is conducted on campus, don’t forget to log those drills in the nSide platform for your records. It is also important to note any issues that arise during drills or potential changes that may need to be made. Communicate with your faculty and staff what went well and what needs to be improved with each drill conducted.

DURING

The warning has been issued. A severe weather event is now imminent. This is when all priorities shift to simply staying safe. Teachers and students will move to their safety zones, and communication should become the top priority of administrators. During a severe weather situation, there are a few things you can do on the nSide platform to ensure a smooth response.

  • Implement your EOP: Have your EOP documents pulled up on the nSide platform so that you can assist anyone who needs information about where to go or what to do. Use your nSide map to direct administrators or other support staff to locations that may have limited communication or simply need extra support in an emergency. Make sure you have a plan in place to communicate emergency plans with any substitute teachers or guests on campus. 
  • Monitor campus cameras to identify any issues: With nSide|Live, you can pull up your video wall on the platform to scan the campus to make sure there are no students or staff who are not in a safe location. If you are able to carry a mobile device with you to a safe location, nSide|Live can allow you to view multiple locations at once to see any safety issues in real time to keep first responders updated if they need to be called.
  • Communicate with Faculty and Staff: Although nSide|Lockdown is primarily used as a lockdown notification for active shooter, fire, or medical situations, it can also be used as a mass communication tool for authorized users. For more information on how to use nSide|Lockdown for mass communication purposes, please visit https://nside.io/lockdown-app/ or contact help@nside.io. 

AFTER

After the severe weather event has passed, assess the campus for damage before any students are released from their safety zones. If there is damage or injury, first responders should be called, and the following can be done to help in the recovery process. 

  • Assess the damage: Using your nSide map, direct available administrators and staff to different locations around campus to assess any damage, potential injuries, or safety concerns. If issues are found, keep your map open for first responders to use in recovery efforts. 
  • Reunification: If there is significant damage, you will need to implement the reunification plan in your EOP. It helps to have reunification zones marked clearly on your nSide map so that staff can help direct students and guardians to the correct locations as quickly and safely as possible.
  • Recovery and Reassessment: Once everyone is safe, then recovery can begin. If structures have suffered damage, have your 360 photos available for insurance and reporting purposes. Take time to discuss the severe weather event with your faculty and staff: What worked well? What needs to be changed in the future? What can be done to improve emergency plans? Reassess your EOP and document any changes in the nSide platform.
  • Reassure your school community: Having all your maps, drills, documents, and assessments in one place provides a quick way to reassure your community that you are doing everything you can to keep students safe. 

Contact us today to make sure you are ready for the next severe weather event! You can reach out to help@nside.io or use our live chat!

January 19, 2023
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Untitled design (57)
November 17, 2022

What to Expect at nSide’s 2022 School Safety Summit

The 2022 School Safety Summit is less than three weeks away! The nSide office is busy making preparations for an eventful conference that will be a chance for school leaders to connect and brainstorm new ways to help keep schools safe. 

What exactly can attendees expect from Safety Summit 2022? 

nSide is hosting School Safety Summit December 6-7, 2022 in Orange Beach, Alabama. The event will take place at Orange Beach Event Center, with registration opening at 7:30 am each morning, followed by a full schedule of speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities. 

This year’s conference is focused on the topic of school violence aversion. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Frank Straub, has led in-depth studies of targeted school attacks and other mass violence events. He administers the national Averted School Violence Project and consults with government and non-government organizations regarding extremism and terrorism prevention. You can read a full bio for Dr. Frank Straub here. Dr. Straub is scheduled to speak at 9:00 am on December 6 – thank you to our partners Rhombus Systems for making Dr. Straub’s session possible! 

Other speaker and workshop topics include: Taking Your Drills To The Next Level, An Overview of Behavioral Threat Assessment, Situational Awareness in Academia, Mental Health in Children and Adolescents Since COVID-19, and Evaluating your Emergency Operations Plans.

The full agenda is posted below: 

2022-School-Safety-Summit-Agenda

2022 School Safety Summit AgendaDownload

This year we are joined by some amazing partners and sponsors – Rhombus Systems, Eagle Eye Networks, Kisi Inc., GetWireless, and CoolVu of Birmingham SE. Thank you to these organizations who partner with us and help make this event possible. 

Who should attend the School Safety Summit? 

School safety is a multi-faceted issue and involves the participation of many folks from a school and/or district’s staff. Here are just a few of people we suggest participate in this event: 

SuperintendentsSRO/SSOFacilities Managers
PrincipalsTechnology CoordinatorsSchool Counselors
Safety CoordinatorsAssistant PrincipalsSchool Nurses

We are truly so excited for this year’s Safety Summit and we look forward to seeing you in just a few weeks in Orange Beach! If you have not registered yet, please go to nside.io/safety-summit. You can also find biographies of our speakers, as well as links to accommodations on this link! Still have questions about Safety Summit 2022? Please contact Sarah Ann Evans at sarahann@nside.io.

Sources:

School Safety Summit

November 17, 2022
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The relationship between school climate and school safety
November 4, 2022

The Relationship Between School Climate and School Safety

School climate is one of the most important factors of school safety. It is an abstract term that we often hear but don’t entirely understand. So what are the elements of school climate and how do they relate to school safety?

Norms

It may be a gentler word for “rules” from a certain perspective, but “norms” of a school can define behavioral standards from top to bottom. What is allowed or disallowed creates boundaries for everyone on campus.

  • Is lateness tolerated?
  • Are students allowed to roam campus in the morning before the first bell rings? This may depend on where you are and what has happened in the school’s past to shape these norms.
  • Does your school have a dress code or a uniform? Again, location and demographics may shape the norms surrounding school clothing.
  • Do students take pride in their campus by contributing to cleanliness and decorating signs and hallways for holidays and big school events?

Letting students take part in maintaining the school environment can foster school spirit and help create a sense of safety and comfort in their own surroundings.

Values

There may be many similarities between what most schools value; however, it is important to set your school apart with specific values that are made clear to students. These values may even change over time, depending on societal changes and community climate. At certain points in time, values such as equity and inclusion become a core focus for a school that has struggled in the past with these issues. What is it that your school needs to focus on in order to cultivate shared values throughout campus?

Some schools value community service and make service hours a required part of the curriculum. Others may value sustainability and create green spaces on campus where students can grow and monitor plants and vegetables as a part of their curriculum. Many schools value athletics and choose to generate school pride through their mascots and athletic events. Schools must be careful, however. Focusing too much attention on one value, such as using athletics as the sole generator of school spirit, can leave non-athletic students feeling alienated and not part of the school community. Whatever they are, it is important to have a variety of values that reflect the entire student body. Doing so ensures that students feel valued and gives them a sense of safety and belonging.

Expectations

Expectations are often confused with rules. Rules can be one-dimensional and restrictive. Expectations are less about reinforcing rules and more about sustaining a culture that is valued by everyone in the school. Having school-wide expectations in place also reduces the pressure on teachers to enforce rules that may be vastly different from other teachers’ rules and may cause frustration for students.

School-wide routines and traditions are essential to expectations as well. Examples of these routines include student orientation programs, student and faculty handbooks that outline school values, school-wide reward and consequence systems, morning announcements that reiterate expectations, and simply maintaining a consistent schedule with as few interruptions to student learning as possible. Consistent expectations and routines create an environment of stability, a crucial factor of school safety.

Attitudes

Attitudes may be the trickiest part of school culture, especially within middle and high schools, when students start to develop more apathy toward school. However, there are a few things to consider when it comes to cultivating positive attitudes in a school environment. First of all, the attitudes of faculty and staff can greatly influence the attitudes of students. If students are in an environment where they are constantly criticized and restricted, they will react accordingly and develop a deeper apathy towards their education. On the other hand, performative positivity should be avoided for the same reason- it can be alienating and make faculty and staff feel unapproachable.

Faculty should never feel pressured to be performative, as this can further drain their energy and potentially harm their relationships with students. Instead, it is important for school leaders to check in with their faculty often to hear their concerns and make sure that they feel supported and appreciated. A supportive environment is key to positive attitudes for both staff and students. In turn, faculty and staff can support students and help them feel like they have an authentic voice and space to express themselves. Avoid thinking of attitudes as “positive” or “negative”; attitudes are not polar and should not be treated so simplistically. The attitudes we want in schools are those of authenticity, care, and supportiveness. These are the attitudes that make students feel safe and connected.

School Connectedness

Creating a climate of connectedness requires a level of authenticity that is sometimes difficult for schools to grasp. As said before, there should never be pressure to be in a constant state of positivity, regardless of what self-help books have told us over and over. In an environment where staff and students are constantly pressured to “stay positive,” students will not feel safe coming forward with something that seems negative or outside the norm.

Instead, schools should aim for authentic connection with students and staff. The more connected students feel with each other and with their teachers, the more likely they are to open up about the important issues they are facing. This is imperative to developing an environment of trust, one in which students feel comfortable reporting suspicious behavior, coming to a teacher or counselor when in crisis, or simply divulging a serious problem for which they need help.

Relationships

Along with connectedness, relationships can make or break a school’s climate. Again, the goal is genuine communication with coworkers and students. The teachers who feel comfortable opening up about their struggles with each other are more likely to support each other in difficult situations. Likewise, the students who feel closer to their teachers are more likely to communicate when there is trouble later. It is up to faculty and staff to form relationships with students and to prioritize those relationships above all else. The trust that is built as a result is invaluable to the school climate and vital to an environment where students feel safe.

Teaching and Learning

While this may be the most obvious purpose of a school, teaching and learning affect school climate in ways we may not immediately realize. For years, the buzzword in education has been “engagement.” Are the students engaged? Is your instruction engaging? We often confuse engagement with entertainment. Teachers are not obligated to turn cartwheels in order to keep students entertained. However, whether or not students feel connected to what they are learning has a great impact on school climate. If they are stuck in dry lectures all day, they will inevitably feel restless and frustrated, possibly leading to behavior problems. At the same time, having an endless stream of entertainment in the classroom can negatively affect students’ ability to learn critical thinking. Finding a way for students to be active in their own learning is all engagement is really about. When students feel like they have something to contribute and something to work towards, their sense of value in their school environment skyrockets.

Other factors to consider in the learning environment are: 

  • Do students feel comfortable asking questions in your classroom?
  • Do students feel comfortable making mistakes in your classroom?
  • Are students given autonomy in their learning? 
  • Are the more reserved students given the same opportunities to ask questions out of the spotlight?

These questions may seem insignificant in the scope of school climate; however, these are issues that can greatly impact how safe or secure students feel throughout their day.

Safety

Now we come to the big one: Safety itself. School climate and school safety are inextricably linked. A school can be gated, with a camera at every corner, and an SRO at each door, but if the climate is out of balance, safety can take a complicated turn quickly. Some questions related to school safety and climate to consider are:

  • Are all possible physical safety measures in place? 
    • Has the school exhausted its resources for security officers, cameras, gates, etc.?
    • Are structures well-maintained and free of leaks and damage?
  • What measures are in place to protect and enhance student mental health?
  • What training does your staff receive in emergency preparedness? 
  • What is your staff’s attitude toward school safety? How often is safety discussed in faculty meetings? 
  • Are students encouraged to be involved in safety planning and awareness campaigns?

There are many other factors to consider when planning for safety. However, when it comes to safety and school climate, it is important to make sure students are not only aware but actively involved in the schools’ safety plans. It is also critical for faculty and staff to have training and resources available on emergency plans and safety issues. A safety-first approach to everyday routines is also crucial. Let students in on the reasons behind certain rules and expectations that relate to safety. When they understand how these seemingly arbitrary rules relate to their safety, they are more likely to invest in the school’s safety initiatives as a part of the larger climate. 

School climate is a complex system that takes a lot of commitment and teamwork from faculty, staff, and students. nSide strives to help schools make their environments safer with a one-stop platform where faculty and staff can view and enhance Emergency Operations Plans, navigate a detailed map of their school’s facilities, increase their understanding of emergency procedures, and conduct threat assessments to identify students who are in crisis and get them the help that they need. To find out more about how we can help you make your schools safer, reach out to us at help@nside.io or send us a chat! 

Sources:

What is School Climate and Why is it Important?
School Climate and Safety

https://www.erstrategies.org/cms/files/3714-schoolwide-values-ms-building-block-pdf.pdf

November 4, 2022
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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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When they know but don't tell
June 14, 2022

When They Know But Don’t Tell

In 4 out of 5 school shootings, at least one other person knew about the shooter’s plans but failed to report it.* That statistic is staggering, and it begs the question: Why are we not reporting suspicious activity?

One issue is that those who know these plans are often children, and they are simply scared to come forward. This is understandable, as the burden of this knowledge can be too unimaginable or too heavy for an innocent child. Another issue is that we often miss the signs associated with potential violence, so when a child comes forward with information, the seeming absurdity of the information gets brushed aside. 

In the aftermath of an event as violent as a school shooting, we are left stunned, heartbroken, and shaking our heads with the weight of our own feeling of helplessness. In our desperation, we spend a lot of our energy pointing the finger of blame, trying to find ground under our feet in the midst of a scary situation that, in truth, could happen to any of us. 

One of the biggest mistakes we can make in the aftermath of a school shooting or other violent event is to assume that this is a school problem, and that we are outside the realm of control. However, few of us are truly isolated from our local schools and the communities that surround them. We all share a connection and a responsibility to look for signs of trouble.

In 4 out of 5 cases, someone knew. 

So how do we make sure that we are recognizing the signs, and how do we make sure that children feel comfortable enough to report what they know?

  1. KNOW THE SIGNS

One of the first things we can do is make sure that we recognize the signs of potential violence. In the aftermath of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, a group of parents and relatives of the victims created a nonprofit called Sandy Hook Promise, whose goal is to educate children and community members about the signs of violence and prevent future events like the one that took their children’s lives. Through extensive research, they discovered the following signs of potential violence:

  • Sudden withdrawal from family and friends
  • Bullying; especially if targeted toward a particular race, gender, etc.
  • Excessive irritability or anger
  • Chronic loneliness or social isolation
  • Expressing persistent thoughts of harming themselves or others
  • Bragging about access to guns or weapons
  • Making direct threats toward a place, themselves, or other person
  • Recruiting accomplices or audiences for an attack
  • Directly expressing a threat as a plan

  1. KNOW HOW TO REPORT

Once we know the signs, the next question is: What do we do with this information? The answer will vary depending on where you are and what is available in your community. One thing is clear, however: If this is an immediate concern or emergency situation, do not wait; Call 911. 

For other situations, most schools or districts have a reporting system in place where you can fill out relevant information and it will be directed toward the appropriate party. Check your district’s website to see where to report or simply call the school so that they can direct you to the appropriate place. If your school has the nSide platform, you can also report via our TIPS page at tips.nside.io.

  1. LISTEN AND ACT

We know to act when we witness problematic behavior ourselves, but a lot of times, children are the ones who witness red flags in their peers. Sometimes children have a hard time processing what they know, and they do not report for a variety of reasons. One reason they don’t report is fear of retaliation or fear of being labeled a tattler or a snitch. 

One way to combat this fear is by making sure we maintain an environment of trust in our classrooms, our schools, and even our households. Having honest, open conversations about hard topics can help students feel more comfortable coming forward later when they learn something troubling.

Another way to help students feel more comfortable reporting is to create or promote an existing anonymous reporting system. Reporting can actually put a child at risk, so having the option to report anonymously is extremely important.

Regardless of how students choose to report, the most important thing for adults to know is how to respond when we have that information. Understand and respect the fact that the student took a big risk in reporting and make every effort to act right away. It is vital not to waste time doubting or downplaying the situation. Every report must be taken seriously. 

CONCLUSION

Expecting children to report what they know without guidance is a dangerous and all too common mistake to make. We must build trust with students by opening communication, allowing them to remain anonymous and, perhaps most importantly, taking them seriously when they do come forward. 

One tool that can make reporting easier is nSide’s Tips page. Anyone using our platform can go to nside.io and click on Submit a Tip or go directly to tips.nside.io. For more information or for help getting started with Tips, please email us at help@nside.io.

June 14, 2022
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