It shouldn’t take national media attention of a crisis, such as a tragic school shooting, to make you think about your schools safety and security. We already know the dangers that face our students. It is our job to try to prevent these issues and be prepared to quickly respond to any emergencies when they do happen. Below you will find the Top 5 tips to help you improve school safety and security.
School Safety & Security
Evaluate the school campus for areas where safety and security could be improved. This might include adding additional lighting in the parking lot, the installation or repair of fences, security camera installation, or emergency power solutions. The first step to school safety and security is knowing what current problems exist and what you need to do to correct them.
Create an emergency response team. In the event of an emergency situation, your staff needs to be able to respond quickly. You can avoid potential school safety and security issues by simply being proactive. Make sure that every single member of your emergency response team knows exactly what role they need to play in an emergency.
Implement a communication system. In the event of an emergency situation the ability to communicate is vital. All members of the emergency response team should be equipped with two-way radios. Part of your school safety and security communication plan can also include mobile devices that offer 24/7 access to your staff and student data, including medical information, and emergency contact numbers.
A school safety and security plan that is not clearly defined, publicized, and put in practice is a failed plan. All acceptable and not acceptable behaviors in your school should be clearly defined within the official school policy. All faculty and staff need to be properly trained on how to react and defuse situations that violate school policies. With proper training many violent situations can be prevented before they happen. Outline the procedures for all emergency situations and put those procedures into practice regularly.
Strive to improve on student relations. The best way to stop school safety and security issues is to prevent them from happening. Students who feel like just another invisible number can often act out to get the attention they require, even negative attention. Getting to know your students and implementing programs that encourage this relationship can prevent problems before they arise. Show your students that you care about them and that they are not just another invisible number to you.