Key points:

• Visitor management is an increasingly large part of school safety policy
• 4 considerations for school safety solutions
• How to start solving your school bullying problem
• For more news on school safety, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub

One crucial aspect of school safety is monitoring who comes on and off campus, including visitors. Visitor management can be tricky, because school campuses tend to have various points of access. In recent years, schools have put in the effort to advance all safety measures within schools, including visitor management. In fact, recent research by Pew Research Center found that 98 percent of schools require visitors to check in and wear a badge. 

Schools can emphasize their protection of students and staff by requiring visitors to wear a visitor-specific safety badge that can monitor their location while on campus. Opposed to staff safety badges, which only provide location information once an alert is initiated to maintain staff privacy, the visitor badge will monitor the visitor’s location in real-time while on school grounds.

Visitor management solutions can monitor all visitors, including but not limited to parents, volunteers, contractors, and vendors, and can flag whether any visitor is not allowed on school grounds. Through my experience as a former educator and superintendent, I have identified the following five ways to keep K-12 schools safer with better visitor management strategies:

Conduct visitor screening

School visitations occur on a daily basis; therefore, they should be streamlined and made safer for students and staff through protocols and procedures. In previous years, schools may have had little to no set program when it came to recording the visitors in schools. In today’s more modern times with technological advancements, there are more steps that can be taken to ensure a safer school environment. Running background checks on visitors prior to allowing them to enter the campus is one of these important steps. Through screening of visitors, schools can confirm the reasoning and relationships behind the visitor’s attendance at the school. In addition, this screening can also allow for a custom banned persons list. This is to protect the students and staff from individuals who put them at risk.

Have technology in place for instant alerts about visitors

There are many levels of sophistication when it comes to visitor management systems. Instant alerts can offer insights to campus staff on the status of visitors within the school. Through discreet notifications, administrators can be made aware of who is attempting to visit the school. For example, if someone on the custom banned persons list is trying to enter the school, a school resource officer can be made aware through a discreet notification without the visitor knowing that others are being alerted. These awareness notifications can also be made through emails and SMS text messages.

Provide secure student releases

When students are being picked up early from school, there is an early dismissal, or any situation that could possibly alter a student’s typical routine at school, there should be safety measures in place to ensure they are being released in a way approved by their parent or guardian. These unordinary releases should also be a time to conduct background checks on the adults picking up students to confirm that these individuals are allowed to and that the child will be safe.

Utilize detailed reporting for all visitor activities

All data related to the visitor management system should be recorded and accessible to all staff through any internet-connected device to minimize mistakes that could impact a student’s safety. When there are many moving parts in a school system, it is crucial to have a point of reference when referring to a child’s location for their safety. Your school safety system should have one location where this information lives. Within your recorded data, all hours of visitors and staff within the building should be recorded down to the minute–this includes for teachers, substitutes, other staff members and volunteers. In the case of an emergency, you want to be sure that all people within the building are accounted for.

All available data should be taken into consideration when a visitor is checking in. It is important that mandatory reviews of photos and background checks are taken at every single visitor check-in, regardless of whether the handling staff members recognize or know the visitors. The banned persons list is likely to change, therefore, procedures should be followed during each individual check-in.

If a staff member is ever uncertain of a visitor-related situation, they should be able to have immediate access to visitor reports. The main purpose of this is not fully for convenience but also to save time in a situation that could possibly be a safety emergency.

Integrate visitor locating systems with other campus systems

Whether you are looking to add visitor management to your current system or are looking for a completely new product, it is crucial that your selection goes with any other student information systems you have implemented within your school. The synchronization will ensure higher adoption from staff, convenience for all parties involved, and increased cross references amongst student information. Syncing student meetings, daily attendance, and time codes directly to your SIS is crucial for a successful visitor engagement element within your plan.

School safety plans are developed through careful planning and evaluation of individual schools’ needs and challenges. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to handling visitor management, so a comprehensive safety plan should consist of data-driven and human-based checks. Once a safety plan is developed and approved, ensuring buy-in and understanding from those who will enforce the plan is critical. A strong strategy for handling visitor management will help to avoid unnecessary oversights and ensure the safety of students. 

Key points:

• Very soon, districts must closely examine the edtech they use and compare it with budget realities
• How to ensure edtech ROI? Ask these 4 questions
• For school leaders, routine decisions aren’t so routine
• For more news on district edtech use, visit eSN’s District Management hub

For much of the past 12 years, Casey Rimmer sometimes felt like a “dream killer” when it came to the edtech tools used in her district. As the executive director of curriculum and instruction for Union County Public Schools, a district of over 41,000 students outside Charlotte, N.C., she was often tasked with letting teachers know why a potential new tool wasn’t approved for use.

Lately, though, the district has flipped the script. Now they ask teachers to check the tool’s data privacy policy and age requirements when making a request, so they have a better understanding of why a tool is—or isn’t—a good fit. When teachers feel part of the discussion, it often leads to productive conversations, she explains. 

“We’re doing a lot of work around helping teachers to understand the different processes and what they need to do if they want to bring something into their classroom. Whether it’s a free resource or an edtech product, there’s still some kind of criteria” that needs to be met.

The new policies are part of a wider effort to strengthen and streamline the district’s “edtech ecosystem,” the collection of core and supplemental tools that teachers can use. And Union County is far from alone. In the coming months, many districts will be taking a close look at the edtech they use, especially as it relates to current budget realities.

Making tough choices

Later this year, the final round of federal pandemic funding, known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), will expire, leaving school budgets uncertain in many districts. Funds they have come to rely on for staffing and technology will end in September if not allotted. (If funds are allotted, however, districts can request an extension to use them through March of 2026 in some cases). 

For many districts, the relief funding was significant. San Antonio’s district has received $100 million over the past three years, which it used to boost staffing and help combat pandemic-related learning loss. 

Given that schools were forced into online learning, many districts used those funds to invest in edtech—in hardware like laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots but also in edtech software. The most recent Edtech Top 40 Report notes that districts access an average of nearly 2,600 edtech tools annually, a number that has swelled in the past few years as companies offered free access to their tools during the pandemic and districts spent their relief funding. 

With these funds drying up, districts may face some difficult choices. But they may also see it as an opportunity to reassess their technology use and how to maximize the resources they do have, according to education experts speaking on a recent webinar, “Take Control of EdTech: How to Manage an Effective Digital Ecosystem,” put on by Instructure, the company behind both the Canvas learning management system and the edtech evaluation and management tool LearnPlatform.

“School districts are really having to take a hard look at what the critical parts of this ecosystem are,” said Tal Havivi, the managing director of research and development at ISTE, on the webinar. One way to think of it is as a “strategic culling,” he explains, as districts square budget realities with whether tools are truly meeting their needs. 

How to assess your edtech

Assessing whether a district should continue using—and paying for—a tool is dedicated work involving backend data collection and surveying teachers and students for their thoughts. But both practices can reveal useful insights. 

Core curriculum products can be quantitatively assessed by looking at whether they are helping meet district goals around student learning. In other words, can you tie the tool’s use to improved reading or math scores?

But “there’s also a qualitative piece around each of these tools,” said Melissa Loble, Instructure’s chief academic officer, speaking on the same webinar. “Is this the right experience that represents our district and our goals? Does it help teachers create a deeper connection with their students, address areas of deficiencies, or engage students in new areas that they might be interested in?”

Crucially, collecting good data around edtech use can help districts see the overall picture, she said. And feedback from teachers and students can help contextualize these patterns even further.

That tracks with what Union County has found. Rimmer explains that the district uses LearnPlatform to keep track of its tech use and start conversations. “As a district, we can monitor what our top 10 [most used] products are,” she said. “I want our top 10 products to be those products that we invest in: We invest money, we invest time, we invest in professional learning. Sometimes, I can see maybe some free products creeping up there.”

When core tools aren’t getting used, Rimmer digs in and finds out why. Teachers might not feel comfortable using the tool with students yet, or it could be that they haven’t had enough training. That’s a simple enough fix. But other times, teacher avoidance can signal larger questions about whether the tool is a good fit overall.

“Sometimes they’re great products, and we have to say the product—even though it’s an amazing, robust tool that does amazing things for other schools and districts—maybe it’s not doing that for us,” she said.  

The good news is that teachers are more invested than ever in the edtech they’re using with students, and more willing to experiment with new tools, adds Loble. 

“I still see investment—districts wanting to build ecosystems—but they need to do it where they can have the most effective or the largest return on investment, with reduced funding coming in,” she said. “We use dollars to try everything. We’ve tried it out. Now we’re going to pick what’s going to be the most important [for us].”

Key points:

• School leaders must implement models to deter school violence
• See article: How districts can proactively protect against school shootings
• See article: 4 considerations for school safety solutions
• For more news on school safety, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership page

For three consecutive years, the U.S has had a record high number of school shootings, resulting in a repetitive cycle of grievances, anger, and frustration. The U.S. had 344 school shootings in 2023, which surpassed the record-breaking number of 308 school shootings in 2022 as reported by K-12 School Shooting Database.

On January 5, 2024, this past month a mass shooting occurred at  Perry Middle school in Iowa and left an 11-year-old student and the school principal dead and six other individuals wounded. The shooter, a student, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.

As media reports were coming in, it took law enforcement 7 minutes to respond to the Perry Middle school shooting. When an active shooter is on campus, “seconds count.” This is why all schools need to have a permanent School Resource Officer assigned.

It has to stop. Our students and teachers deserve better and need to have a safe and secure school environment. Parents should not have to worry about their children in school.

There are many questions coming from the Iowa shooting and other past shootings, including whether or not it could have been prevented.

Are there lessons learned from past school shootings? Yes, 10 of the deadliest mass killings in the United States were carried out by attackers who exhibited some form of concerning behavior in the months or years prior to their attacks, according to an analysis by the Washington Post.

Mass shooting perpetrators had made previous threats, been violent, alarmed family members, or signaled their intentions online, and in two attacks, there had been previous criminal charges or allegations of abuse, the Post reported.

“Very rarely do we see someone commit a mass shooting where there were no warning signs,” Lisa Geller, a senior adviser at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, told the Post.

Is there technology that can help collect and connect red flags or warning signs before a known at-risk individual escalates to a shooting? Yes–the First Preventers Platform helps schools collect, funnel, share, assess, and connect the dots before disruptive incidents by leveraging people, systems, and automation to eliminate dangerous gaps and information silos so they and their resource teams (Threat Assessment Teams and Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Teams) can more effectively help at-risk individuals and prevent disruptive incidents, delivering world-changing results–saving lives, reputations, and bottom lines.

In 2023’s record levels of shootings, suicides, overdoses, hate crimes, and other incidents are red flags that new technology is needed to equip schools, colleges, workplaces, and communities to help known at-risk individuals and keep them from falling through the cracks.

With soaring numbers of at-risk individuals, we know that until we seriously embrace a collaborative, proactive pre-incident intervention and first preventers approach, we will continue to see the high numbers of deaths and injuries associated with school shootings and mass shootings.

We do know that past shooters have researched past shootings that have made national news, especially the Columbine school massacre.

We also know from research and National Threat Assessment Center reports that most shooters shared messages or images on social media or told someone about their intentions.

The key to safer schools is collecting scattered warning signs exhibited by at-risk individuals so threat assessment teams can see the bigger picture and act on them to help the at-risk individual(s) before they end up taking the lives of innocent children and adults in schools and communities.

Through careful planning, it is possible for schools to develop a high-quality security crisis plan that meets campus needs without breaking the budget. Work with a school security expert, school administrators and their staff, and local emergency responders to complete a thorough risk assessment to include all hazards approach of all their schools and campuses.

Schools are soft targets, and their campuses are unique and have their own individual challenges, i.e., size, age, location, design or type of construction and other factors.

A risk assessment pinpoints critical areas of vulnerability and will identify the school’s security strengths, as well as any security weaknesses. The entire process is designed to reduce incidents and try to anticipate any emergencies that might occur on campus. The prevention assessment identifies gaps, silos, disconnects, and blind spots that keep school threat assessment teams from seeing the bigger picture and allow at-risk individuals to be missed as they escalate on a pathway to violence.

Any plan will undoubtedly include security technology, but no single security implementation will protect a school–true protection comes from layers of security protocols and ongoing intervention processes that focus on the at-risk individuals before they escalate and show up ready to execute their plan. 

It is highly recommended to implement a closed-campus policy–this will deny the unwanted individuals. All entry, exit, and classroom doors should be locked throughout the day.

If early arrival of students before school starts is necessary, a designated door should be identified and monitored by a staff member.

School administrators should ensure they have a comprehensive safety, prevention, and security plan in place. The plan should be a living document that is continually updated to meet the challenges of a particular school and campus and to eliminate the common blind spots that allow at- risk individuals to fall through the cracks.

Key points:

• School leaders have a responsibility to address and solve bullying in their schools and districts
• All stakeholders and all aspects of bullying must be involved in solutions
• See related article: How my 5th graders are taking a stand against bullying

Student bullying is a nationwide problem. Parents are outraged and demand that school administrators evaluate their campus security protocols to keep all students alive and safe.

A southern California school district agreed to pay $27 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a 13-year-old boy who died after he was assaulted at school. On Sept. 16, 2019, two 14-year-old boys were videotaped attacking the victim outside classrooms at the school. One boy struck the teenager in the head from behind and he fell, hitting his head against a pillar. The boys then continued punching the boy, who died nine days later from a brain injury.

Last school year, a 14-year-old female student at a high school in New Jersey died by suicide two days after a video of her being viciously attacked by her bullies at school was uploaded online. The school district’s superintendent has resigned, and four girls have been criminally charged in connection with the assault.

Bullying at schools is pervasive across the country. According to a recent national survey report by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, 130,000 kids and teens ages 9-18 reported some form of bullying.

This survey revealed that in the past year, 40 percent of youth said they were bullied on school property and 18 percent of youth say they have experienced cyberbullying. Unfortunately, 37 percent of youth say they have skipped a day of school in the last month.

Research has found that students who are bullied are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, have more health complaints, and skip or drop out of school.

Is there anything school administrators or parents can do to control this problem? The answer is yes, but it will take a real commitment by leadership and parents to make a change to create a safe environment.

Recommendations for school administrators

A comprehensive security risk assessment of each campus is needed and is designed to reduce incidents, pinpoint critical areas of vulnerability, and identify the school’s overall strengths and weaknesses. It also helps schools review existing crisis response plans to address and tackle problems such as bullying.

1. Admit you have a bullying problem: To begin with, educators need to admit the situation occurs on their campuses.
2. Provide training to teachers: Teachers and staff will need training on what bullying is, what the school’s policies and rules are, and how to enforce the rules.
3. Work with parents: Schools must work with parents to help them understand that bullying is a severe problem and that they should talk with their children about it.
4. Develop student awareness: Similarly, students must be made more aware of the effects that this problem can have on their classmates.
5. Support LGBTQ students: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students should not be discriminated against due to their sexual orientation and their gender identity.
6. Cyberbullying: Students need to be aware that cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.
7. Install security cameras: Cameras need to be installed, especially in areas where bullying is most likely to take place: hallways, near restrooms, inside the lunchroom, gymnasium, on the playground and on school buses.
8. Having direct evidence is important: Many parents insist their child would never bully another student. However, when they are shown the video evidence, most promise to work with their child at home. The video also makes it easier for the school to enforce detentions and suspensions.
9. Provide adult supervision: Keep an adult–ideally a teacher or administrator–in the lunchroom during mealtimes, on the playgrounds during recess and in the hallways during passing periods. Most bullies are cowards and will not act up when they know they are being watched.
10. Set up an anonymous tip line: Have a tip line or other means of communication (text, online, etc.) that allows students, parents, teachers, staff and the community to anonymously report incidents.
11. Empower teachers: Teachers have concerns that if they report bullying, they might face severe repercussions from their administration. There needs to be a mechanism for teachers to share information about incidents and concerns outside of the normal reporting structure.

It takes planning and the will to act, but bullying can be brought under control. It takes collaboration from all individuals in the school community.

My thoughts and prayers go out to families, friends, and the community who have been impacted by bullying.

Related: 5 ways bullying changed during the pandemic

Key points:

• Students and educators report feeling increasingly unsafe in their schools
• A school safety plan should include both reactive and proactive measures
• See related article: 4 considerations for school safety solutions

The U.S. continues to grapple with its gun-related violence problem as new shootings make headlines every day. In 2022, Americans witnessed the horror of the second deadliest school shooting of all time, which resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers. While Robb Elementary School was the target in this particular tragedy, school shootings have proven to have a domino effect that permeates the entire school system.

K-12 schools are facing a national teacher shortage and declining public school student enrollments, with enrollment dropping by roughly 3 percent in 2020-21 compared with the previous school year. These declines cannot be attributed solely to budget cuts, salary disputes, or curriculum changes. In a recent National Center for Education study, 57 percent of students and 63 percent of parents claimed they are worried about a shooting happening at their school, while 40 percent of teachers reported feeling less safe compared to five years ago.

Furthermore, according to K-12 School Shooting Database founder David Riedman, 100,000 out of 130,000 U.S. schools experienced some sort of active shooter hoax, tip, or related threat in 2022, and this is a conservative estimate based on limited public reporting at the state and county level. The fear, anxiety, and psychological fallout that students and staff experience from swatting is similar to that caused by actual school shootings.

When looking at these statistics, it is clear that teacher resignations and student public school dropout rates are at least partly connected to the rise in school shootings, swatting, and gun-related threats. School shootings have created a public perception that school properties are unsafe. Children’s main worries used to be who they sat next to at lunch or whether they aced their algebra test – now they are worried whether they’ll make it to second period alive.

There are steps school districts can take to make themselves less vulnerable to gun-related violence and ensure that families feel safer sending their children to school each day:

Create a multi-layered plan that includes both reactive and proactive measures

In order for schools to effectively prepare for gun-related threats, they must take a multi-layered approach. There is no silver bullet when it comes to security; instead, there are several different types of measures that should be implemented in tandem. These include not only solutions that mitigate the threat as it occurs or speed up investigations afterward, but also those that can actively identify or prevent threats before they happen.

Reactive measures

Install smart lockdown systems: School districts should consider implementing smart lockdown systems that are able to remotely secure specific hallways, classrooms, and wings throughout the school. This reactive measure will work to isolate the bad actor(s) and reduce potential violence. However, these systems have limitations and must be used with care; without situational awareness, the smart lockdown system could inadvertently lock the shooter with students in a classroom, hallway, or other area.

Unfortunately, several schools have installed double keyed deadbolts requiring keys for entry and exit. This is dangerous and against National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) regulations. What would happen if an active shooter started a fire? How are the kids barricaded in a classroom going to escape if they are locked in?

Utilize communication platforms: Decision makers should also implement communications technologies that can provide first responders with important real-time information during a gun-related event, as well as inform teachers, students, and parents. A common issue we see today when active shooter incidents happen is that first responders lack the situational awareness necessary to take confident and swift action to save lives. Often, multiple people call 911 with contradictory reports, creating a confusing ‘fog of war’ and making it impossible to gauge the true nature of the threat. Studies find that nearly 25 percent of law enforcement are injured or killed when engaging an active shooter without accurate intelligence, and responders know this, making them less inclined to rush into an active shooter situation. With proper insight relayed through advanced communications platforms, first responders will be able to respond to threats more quickly and efficiently.

Again, however, this solution has limitations. It can take several minutes before the communication platforms are triggered. For example, at the 2018 Parkland shooting, it took over three minutes after first shots were fired for the active shooter communications to be activated. By that time, several students had been shot and killed. Furthermore, even if the communication system is activated as soon as the shooter starts to fire, it won’t necessarily be able to provide the exact location of the threat, and the students could end up running right towards the gunman.

Install innovative technology: There are many other cutting-edge tech solutions available that can help schools address shooting threats. Examples include intrusion detection systems and proactive gun detection that leverages security cameras situated at all access points and hallways.

Proactive measures

Assess and address potential vulnerabilities: When evaluating a campus’s vulnerability to potential threats, school administrators should think critically about where potential threats might come from (such as disgruntled employees or troubled students). They should also consider the school setting, whether urban or rural, and how it can influence gun-related threats.

Conducting a threat assessment from the perspective of a potential threat actor is also a good way to gauge which security measures are necessary and where they should be implemented. Schools should try to visualize where and how the shooter might enter the school and where and how they could hide. This process will expose potential weaknesses such as security blind spots, evident hiding places, or even poor lighting. There should be sufficient lighting in parking lots and the buildings’ exterior, and no bushes or items blocking security cameras. If necessary, schools can hire online resources, local emergency responders or specified vulnerability consultants to conduct these evaluations.

Determine safety policies and procedures and conduct training: Safety rules and procedures should be clearly identified in both the student and employee handbooks. These should include Emergency Response Plans that involve streamlined processes for staff, students, and local responders to follow in the event of a threat.

Frequently review policies and security measures: It is important for schools to frequently review their vulnerabilities and procedures and conduct regular safety drills as outlined in the handbooks. School admins and teachers are strongly encouraged to meet 2-3 times a year and evaluate whether legacy and new security measures are effective, whether the existing safety protocols are working, and how they can be improved.

Target harden the location by installing physical security: Schools should harden their security to prevent potential shooters from targeting the school in the first place. School districts should evaluate their points of entry and make sure that security systems are in place for all locations. Evident physical security features such as doors with limited access, security personnel on premises during and after school hours, and locks and bars on windows can deter bad actors from attempting to enter the campus.

Implement gun detection software: Newer technologies such as A.I.-based gun detection systems are also very effective, as they can detect brandished guns before the first shots are fired, alert schools and first responders of the threat, and provide real-time updates on the shooter’s location, appearance, and weapon. This solution is absolutely critical not only to potentially prevent a shooting, but also to save the lives of the injured. In many active shooter events, several minutes are wasted trying to locate and secure the area before law enforcement allows EMTs to approach the victims and provide life-saving medical care. In many incidents, the victims survive the gunshot wounds, but ultimately die by bleeding out before EMTs are allowed to help them.

Make schools safe again

Teachers and parents are increasingly concerned about safety on school campuses, and many are deciding to change careers or switch to homeschooling. With shootings continuing to occur every day, these safety concerns and their domino effect will persist. However, schools can help mitigate these concerns and prevent further losses by taking immediate action to improve their security.

Schools will greatly benefit from a multi-layered approach involving both traditional reactive and innovative proactive security measures. School administrators should regularly review and practice emergency policies and drills. While our politicians engage in discussions about gun policy and mental health programs, schools can implement immediate measures to help. This way, schools can confidently assure all concerned parties that they have taken all the necessary steps to prepare for school shootings, and hopefully, prevent the loss of more innocent lives.

Related:
Student mental health tops list of school safety concerns
3 ways schools play a vital role in community safety

Key points:

• School safety tools should be flexible to address everyday events along with emergency situations
• Staff use and buy-in is critical when adopting a new safety solution
• See related article: 3 ways schools play a vital role in community safety

Recent school safety data revealed that during one school year, more than 900,000 violent incidents – such as physical attacks and fights (with or without a weapon) – were reported by public schools throughout the U.S. 

Many schools adopt safety technology in hopes that it will never be used, but the reality is that safety incidents happen every day; therefore, the technology should be able to handle everyday situations in addition to the most extreme. Schools need to be equipped with technology to prevent, prepare, and respond to all situations, from medical emergencies to the most serious ones such as active shooters. 

To help support and encourage the adoption of safety technology in schools, many states have passed Alyssa’s Law, which requires all public elementary and secondary school buildings to be equipped with a silent panic alarm connected to local law enforcement.  

When determining the most effective school safety technologies, there are four critical areas that district leaders should focus on to ensure that the solution they choose will meet the needs of their K-12 campus.  

Adoption and utilization 

In order for technology to be effective, all staff must be equipped to use the technology and staff must be committed to adopting and using the solution. Most solutions either come with an app-based panic alarm or a wearable panic button. 

While app-based safety platforms have become popular over the past several years because of their low cost, the usage of these app-based solutions is also low, making them impractical as a component of a school’s safety plan. According to news reports, schools that use solutions requiring personnel to download an app on their personal mobile phone see a download rate of just 20 percent. This can be attributed to the hesitancy to use personal devices for work purposes and overall privacy concerns. When most staff members don’t have the solution, it becomes less effective, decreasing the chance of positive outcomes when emergencies arise. 

During high-stress situations, it is also common for individuals to experience a decrease in control of their fine motor skills. So, requiring staff to maintain control of their motor skills to quickly perform a task such as unlocking their phone, searching for an app, and choosing the type of alert that needs to be sent out in order to notify the school, law enforcement, and emergency responders, may not be realistic. 

On the other hand, research has shown that when wearable panic button systems are provided, the ease and accessibility of the single-button device gives school staff an increased sense of support and confidence to take action in an emergency situation. That’s due to the fact that wearables are always on your person, and usually are designed to be small and discreet. This makes it much easier for staff to use, especially while under duress as these types of panic buttons are designed to be easy to use. An accessible, easy-to-use tool that connects to school administration and local law enforcement can be vital when trying to quickly identify and respond to emergencies.  

Connection sources and campus-wide coverage 

During a time when we are highly dependent on our mobile devices, we all know that poor connections and dead zones can happen anywhere at any time. Schools are even more susceptible to bad or unreliable cell signals due in part to how they’re built.  

When considering school safety tools available on the market, administrators should consider those that operate on networks independent of Wi-Fi or cellular data. These solutions are much more reliable and effective when alerting authorities of incidents. 

Also, it is critical that a safety system can provide total campus-wide coverage, including both the buildings and all of the campus property, to ensure that every square foot of your school property is protected at all times.  

Immediate and multi-layered notification 

When and if an emergency happens on campus, every second counts. That’s why it is important that you choose a safety platform that enables staff to immediately and discreetly request assistance or initiate emergency protocols from anywhere on campus, instantly, through multimodal communications that immediately notify key stakeholders of an incident. This includes first responders, law enforcement, and other emergency personnel, as well as staff and students.  

A platform that provides multiple means of notifications, such as colored strobe lights, desktop alerts, and intercom integration, can help to communicate with everyone inside the school and offers a greater chance of getting them to safety. 

Technology that relies solely upon notifications to staff, such as emails or texts, is highly ineffective and can result in mass chaos if we’re relying on staff to alert their students and give direction on the next steps. With strobe lights and intercom announcements, communication is spread throughout the school, with information on how to proceed, allowing everyone inside the school to act instantly and in the way that they’ve practiced in drills.  

Precise location detection 

A modern school campus may be spread over 10+ acres with multiple buildings, and multiple floors and may have 50 or more classrooms. Substantial time can be lost if the only information first responders have is the street address. 

In the most serious cases, such as an active shooter, those responding need to be able to identify the location of the event to direct help to where it is immediately needed. Safety technology that incorporates campus maps and building floor plans can point first responders to the location where an alert was initiated and help them determine how to reach that point as quickly as possible. 

Even for everyday occurrences like medical emergencies, authorities should be able to ascertain where the crisis is happening – down to the floor level or classroom number – so that EMTs can quickly locate those in need and administer medical attention. In addition to training, adopting technology that has mapping features is critical because in any type of emergency situation, every second counts. 

For every type of incident, from every day to the extreme, school districts want to improve their school safety strategies. There are many solutions on the market for taking measures to enhance school safety. When looking at district budgets and taking into account the concerns amongst students, staff, and parents, three non-negotiable considerations district leaders should look for when adopting effective, new technology are measures for prevention, preparedness, and response.

We all play a role in protecting our schools, and because emergencies happen, we must ensure our schools are equipped with multiple safety and security layers that will provide the type of environment where teachers, staff, and students feel safe and supported.  

Related:
Student mental health tops list of school safety concerns
Learn to align your communication strategies with school safety

Educators participating in a recent survey overwhelmingly believe that the Covid pandemic has increased student mental health needs–and in many instances, mental health issues are the biggest obstacle to school safety.

These latest statistics are found in the 2023 School Safety Survey from Raptor Technologies and the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO). Through the survey, Raptor gathered insight into a wide range of school safety and student wellness challenges school safety decision-makers face today. 

The survey surfaced critical data and insight on obstacles related to school safety and security processes, such as physical security, safety drills and procedures, and emergency response planning. In addition to 60 percent of respondents citing “mental health issues” as the greatest school safety obstacle they are encountering, 78 percent of respondents indicated the mental health needs of their student population have increased since returning post-Covid.

Mental health affects how children handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Early intervention is the most important and effective way to support a student who may be experiencing mental wellbeing issues they are not equipped to manage. However, over 50 percent of respondents indicated they aren’t fully equipped to assist with the mental health-related needs of their students.

“Recognizing a student in the initial stages of distress empowers schools to reduce that child’s exposure and give them the support they need when they need it,” said Gray Hall, CEO at Raptor Technologies. “With Raptor’s early intervention technology, school counselors and behavioral threat assessment teams can address concerns more effectively and prevent students from slipping through the cracks.” 

Using behavioral threat assessments is a critical component of school safety, enabling schools to evaluate threats and help guide students off the pathway to violence. Raptor’s StudentSafe software allows schools to document and manage low-level concerns, create student chronologies, conduct assessments for behavioral threats and suicide risks, and manage cases for positive student outcomes. Administrators gain immediate insight through alerts and robust dashboards and determine trends and gaps with full-scale reporting and more. 

Additionally, the Raptor-NASRO survey found that the top two most-needed safety improvements are physical security and training. The top three tools and processes most frequently identified are door hardening and emergency communication.

Raptor’s Emergency Management software includes Raptor Alert, which equips schools with an immediate way to call for help and, if necessary, initiate an emergency response, such as a lockdown or evacuation. The person initiating the alert can connect to 9-1-1 directly via the mobile application, voice call, or, where available, text-to-911, advancing emergency communication.

“From early student intervention to reunification tools and software, Raptor is dedicated to continuously working to improve our fully integrated school safety software and transform how the nation’s school districts manage every stage of school safety,” continued Hall. “These results of our NASRO survey provide us essential insight into the safety challenges districts face, helping us to fulfill our mission of protecting every child, every school, every day.” 

Related:
Preparing for the worst, hoping for the best: School leadership for emergencies

This press release originally appeared online.

Schools do so much for a community. They provide a safe place for children to learn and grow each day, filled with educators who truly care. However, as a parent or educator, it’s important to understand that many schools aren’t being used to their full potential.

When utilized properly, local schools can uplift safety in your community, providing a place outside of traditional school hours for children and families to feel secure and supported.

The task of neighborhood safety shouldn’t fall solely on teachers and administrators. However, these individuals who have regular contact with local youth can spearhead the initiatives that promote safety in the community.

If you’re not sure where to get started with that kind of promotion, let’s cover a few ideas that can increase the role schools play in community safety and security.

Community Outreach Programs

One of the best ways to utilize local schools is to transform them into community centers when classes aren’t in session. School outreach programs provide countless benefits for kids and teens. They bring resources into the buildings that keep young people engaged while providing a place of safety after school. Some of the biggest benefits include:

• Continued education on specific issues;
• Behavioral changes;
• The promotion of civic engagement;
• Improved student outcomes.

If you’re not sure how to transform your space into a community center, think about what your neighborhood really needs. Some teachers could volunteer to teach specialized classes. You could open up the gym to offer sports programs to kids and adults alike. Professionals from the community might be willing to come and teach parents about things like financial health and self-care.

Related:
5 school safety questions your district should be prepared to answer
Learn to align your communication strategies with school safety

Not only do community centers and outreach programs provide a safe space for kids and families to spend their afternoons and evenings, but they also bring communities together. When people take the time to get to know their neighbors and get involved in their communities, it generally makes for a safer neighborhood. This kind of collaboration encourages people to look out for one another and build a strong, secure community full of support.

Providing Proper Nutrition

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools across the country provided free meals for their students. Some went the extra mile and would send extra food home on weekends. For some kids, those free meals would be the only real nutrition they received each day.

Unfortunately, many government grants and forms of assistance have halted in this post-pandemic society. While some schools are continuing to offer free lunches, others have gone back to charging their kids.

If your district isn’t currently offering free or reduced lunches for local kids, you might want to consider speaking up to the community or starting a fundraiser to make it happen. It’s essential for kids to receive proper nutrition each day if they want to stay focused, grow and develop naturally, and continue to excel in school. However, a lack of available nutritious food can also cause safety issues. Some of the benefits of free school lunches include:

• Ending school food stigmas;
• Reduced food insecurity within the community;
• No more “lunch shaming”;
• Reduced bullying;
• More social solidarity.

By finding the funds to provide nutritious lunches and extra weekend meals for families, your school can also foster a greater sense of community and help families in need from having to struggle to survive.

Teaching Beyond the Curriculum

Again, the burden of student and community safety doesn’t solely need to fall on teachers. However, educators have a unique opportunity to connect with young people. Often, teachers interact with children and teens more than their parents do on a daily basis. If you’re an educator, you can use that connection to promote safe, healthy living for kids and teens in your community.

Teachers are already mandatory reporters when it comes to any dangers they might foresee, such as a minor in a relationship with an adult. However, sometimes those situations aren’t so obvious. You can use your daily interaction with teenage students to talk to them about things like dating apps for teens and the potential dangers of connecting with someone online. You might also consider talking to your school counselor about popular apps and social media sites teens are using, so you can work together to make parents aware and protect as many young people as possible.

No matter what type of neighborhood your school is in, there’s no reason it can serve as a central safety hub for the community. Whether it’s a safe place for kids to stay after school, a safe haven for families in need, or a place where kids and teens can go to get honest advice from educators and administrators, there’s no reason your local district can’t wear multiple hats and help as many people as possible. Consider bringing up some of these school safety ideas to your local school board or campaigning for them within your community.

Having a campus-wide communication ecosystem is imperative, and school district leaders have no higher priority than to create secure and informed campus environments.

Being able to initiate a controlled emergency notification protocol to alert, notify and monitor directly from a mobile device, classroom audio system, or interactive flat panel is essential.

An eSchool News panel of experts, including Brent Thrasher, Instructional Technology Coordinator at Overton County Schools and Todd Eddy from Galaxy Next Generation, offers insights into how to make better decisions, prevent risk, and strengthen communication between faculty, administration, and first responders during an active threat.

Topics include:

• How to immediately notify teachers of a lockdown through software alerts.
• How to instantly notify law enforcement and first responders.
• How to monitor communication within your entire ecosystem using one software platform.

Related:
3 keys to school communication and community-building

COVID has undeniably changed education, and as schools, districts, and states move forward with educating students in a new reality, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) is focusing on student learning and student safety.

MDE is investing up to $49 million of its American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funds in four new services to support student safety and learning statewide.

“These student and school support services will help all district and school leaders manage the challenges of the pandemic and help students accelerate their learning,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “Along with a system to make schools safer, we are offering districts services that will give students access to high-quality content, college and career planning tools, and live tutors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

All school districts have the option to subscribe to the services, which are being provided at no cost to districts. Districts that decide to implement the new services will have free access to them through the end of the ESSER III funding cycle, September 30, 2024.

The four new student safety and learning services include:

Health and School Safety Platform (nSide)
The web-based the nSide platform enables schools and districts to develop and implement stronger health and safety plans that protect students, teachers and staff. Features include an emergency alert system to first responders, surveillance cameras that detect crowd congestion, and a system to create detailed campus maps and building floor plans with georeferenced images that give first responders precise locations. 

The nSide platform offers a variety of functionality to ensure that schools and school districts are complying with safety protocols, ranging from required active shooter and severe weather drills to plans for social distancing and COVID measures, in their emergency plans, said Brian McGairty, MSDE’s director of Safe and Orderly Schools.

Web-Based High-Dosage Tutoring (PAPER)
PAPER provides students in grades 3-12 with online access to English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics tutors 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Districts that sign up for this service will be able connect their students’ courses to the tutoring platform so tutors will have access to the course content and assignments.

College and Career Readiness Platform (MajorClarity)
The MajorClarity computer platform manages college and career readiness goals and automates the Individual Success Plans (ISPs) for each student. More than 40 Mississippi districts currently use MajorClarity for their ISP system. This platform manages college and career readiness goals and plans for students in grades 7-12. 

Online Learning Resources
These supplemental digital subscriptions offer districts online learning resources for English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies for students in grades K-12. Teachers can assign tasks, or students can use the resources to help with their assignments. Students will be able to use the resources at home and during school breaks. Resources include Discovery Education, HOMER Learning, Newsela, Imagine Learning, Gale and News-O-Matic.

Through the state’s Mississippi Connects initiative, every teacher and student received a new device, along with expanded access to broadband. And on the heels of that connectivity came increased digital and online learning opportunities–along with better access to support services, including mental health services.

“We felt it was important to follow up on that,” Wright said. “Now you have the device, but what can we do to provide students access to high-quality materials that are digitally-based? We’re hearing a lot about the mental health needs of students. We, as a team, felt those had to be priorities for us. And school safety goes without saying, all the time.”

In addition to these four focus areas, telehealth and teletherapy will be available through a partnership with the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “Within 18 months, we’ll have telehealth and teletherapy expanded across the entire state,” Wright said. “That was in response to teachers and students talking about different mental health issues they’ve experiences across the past two years. This will give them immediate access–particularly in rural areas–to mental health.”

MDE is also partnering with five universities to establish a teacher residency program. Over the next two years, the state will pay for all tuition, books, and fees for selected students, who will earn a graduate degree in elementary and special education. The partnership will produce more than 200 teachers for Mississippi.

“We want these teachers to reflect the diversity of our state and return to areas of our state that are hardest hit in terms of teacher shortages,” Wright said. “It’s a great incentive for someone who wants to change a career or finish their education.”

These priorities get to the heart of education’s top priorities, Wright said.

“I’m a classroom teacher at heart,” Wright said. “Those things that happen in the classroom, to me, are the most important things we do each and every day. How we support our teachers in our classrooms every day–that’s where our first priorities are. What do teachers and leaders need? What have we been hearing over the past two years?”

December 2021 saw the latest TikTok challenge encouraging students to make threats of shootings, bomb threats, and violence against schools. Some schools enhanced security protocols while others canceled classes entirely. Many of the threats were ultimately unverified, but even rumors of potential school violence were enough to incite major panic for parents and put school leaders across the country on high alert.

Though many students see social media challenges as a rite of passage or a way to fit in with their peers, what they may not realize is that students caught participating in challenges to make threats of violence or engage in destructive behaviors face severe consequences—including criminal charges in some cases.

It’s clear that schools must work with parents to inform students of the consequences associated with participating in these dangerous viral challenges. And with the spike in school violence over the last year, every threat should be taken seriously. So, what can schools do now to ensure their students and colleagues remain safe?

Early prevention

First off, schools should monitor social media posts to understand and anticipate which ones may be relevant to them. Additionally, parents should monitor their student’s social media activity on a regular basis. Not only are parents generally unaware of social media trends in a broader sense, but they are also often unaware of what their own child is participating in.

Next, teachers and school personnel need to be hyper-vigilant in observing student behavior. They need to take note of students who are quicker to get angry and need to understand what their triggers are in order to avoid pushing them past their breaking point. We also need to understand that although it may be necessary under certain circumstances, the purpose of threat assessment is not to punish students or send them to jail, but rather provide them with assistance—like mental health support—and prevent situations from escalating.

Furthermore, mental health is a reality and concern for many students today. It takes a lot of people and moving parts to aid the kids that need it. For example, in the wake of a catastrophic event, everyone says, ‘I knew that kid was going to do that.’ Therefore, it’s critical that these observations are shared before it gets to that point.

Analyzing future threats and long-term prevention planning

In an analysis of targeted acts of school violence, the U.S. Secret Service found that plotters showed six common concerning behaviors in the months—sometimes years—prior to acting on their plan. Those six behaviors are as follows:

• Threats indicating intent to attack
• Interest in violence or topics associated with violence
• Weapons-related behaviors
• Harassing or threatening others
• Exhibiting a concerning mental status
• Extreme changes in behavior

It’s important that every student has at least one adult within the school that they trust and feel safe disclosing information to. These existing relationships are necessary for students who observe dangerous behavior in their classmates, as well as those displaying the signs. 

Oftentimes, one of the main catalysts for violent student behavior is a poor home life. School personnel should focus on identifying these students and simply letting them know they care—making sure they aren’t eating lunch alone or playing alone, as well as keeping in communication with parents/guardians to monitor the situation and intervene if necessary. Ensuring ample communication between school officials and police can help identify which students and parents need resources or support, which can dissipate future issues.

Another important part of prevention is cultivating relationships between the school and the community—this is a case where schools can use social media to their advantage. If the community is involved in the school and aware of positive news, they’ll be less apt to believe unverified rumors or be overly critical of school policy (which can be a hindrance during the emergency response process).

In order to prevent surges in concerning behaviors, school personnel must understand common circumstances that lead to increases in violent threats, such as the days leading up to a break or school holiday. These breaks are strategically placed at times when students—and staff—are apt to need a mental recess. Classroom structure often becomes more relaxed before a break as well, meaning that concerning or destructive student behavior is likely to be overlooked. Teachers and staff members need to remain especially organized and vigilant in observing student behavior during these times.

Strategies and Tips for Coordinated School Emergency Response

• School emergency operations plan (EOP)
  A school emergency operations plan (EOP) is a multi-hazard plan that is intended to be used for all emergency events. The plan should include details for prevention, response, and recovery. An EOP needs to be dynamic–tested through regular drills and exercises and revised as needed. Emergency situations are fluid, and you can never truly plan for every contingency, but if you have a basic plan that has been practiced, the intent is that it can be easily modified as needed to fit the given situation.  

• Crisis communication plan
  Crisis communication plans are needed for both internal and external communication. A key piece of this plan is identifying a designated spokesperson, typically—but not always—the school principal. Information needs to be released strategically, presenting only necessary facts without bias or speculation. There is a fine line between being transparent and providing too much information that becomes counterproductive and can escalate the crisis situation.

• Tools for coordinated response/recovery
  Schools need to utilize technology and rapid-communication tools to streamline emergency response and recovery procedures. A key advantage for response teams is a mobile panic button that seamlessly integrates with their existing emergency management system and alerts essential school personnel to initiate the response plan.

Multi-disciplinary Approach

Finally, with these key behavioral identifiers and prevention strategies in mind, school personnel should consider a multi-disciplinary approach, which is incredibly beneficial in terms of offering multiple perspectives when assessing or responding to a threat. This team should include personnel such as the principal, assistant principal, school resource officer (or other law enforcement), and the school’s mental health professional/guidance counselor. Each member of the team has a unique perspective on the threat itself and has specific priorities when responding. For example, the mental health professional will focus on working with the student to understand their behavior while the law enforcement officer will focus on investigating the situation.

As communities and schools work together to support students, it’s important that staff have the right tools and emergency plans in place to respond to student crises or increased violence. Preparedness is key and will be critical into 2022 and beyond.

After a lull in threats of violence early in the pandemic, we are once again seeing tragic stories of deadly shootings and acts of violence as schools reopen. Schools and educators are in difficult positions and looking for ways to keep kids and staff safe. Nationwide, schools are preparing for potentially harmful threats, putting precautions in place, and evolving the school safety landscape.

As a parent of school-aged children, I received notifications regarding the recent threats that trended on Tik Tok in December. Local authorities, the FBI, district leaders and school security teams all worked together to monitor the situation. But what proactive safety and security measures can schools be taking?

Here are three ways schools can reduce potential safety risks before and during an emergency.

Take a holistic approach to school safety

It is critical that school leaders consider school safety across all phases of an incident: how do we prepare better in advance of an emergency? How do we surface tips and critical information from our communities that provide early indications of issues? What happens after the incident occurs – how do we restore normalcy? This type of holistic approach considers each stage of an emergency: preparedness, response, and recovery.

David Riedman, lead researcher for the K-12 School Shooting Database, shared a few strategies with the Washington Post. One beneficial approach is to host crisis response trainings that provide the opportunity for students to speak up if someone they know may be in crisis. To this end, pre-emptive resources such as anonymous tip solutions have been shown to be effective as most attackers share their plans with at least one other person.

Anonymous tip solutions can allow students and their communities to instantly relay information anonymously concerning unsafe or potentially harmful activities, or the threat of these activities, to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and school officials.

Restoring normalcy after an emergency is also an important element to a holistic approach. For instance, after the deadly school shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan, administrators enacted new measures to hire additional security personnel, provide trauma response training for staff, and make trauma specialists available to students. A holistic strategy considers both the physical safety and mental health impacts of such a horrific event.

Deploy proven school safety technology

As schools navigate safety threats both old and new, they need proven technology that can directly connect 9-1-1, first responders, and on-site personnel to activate an immediate response to an emergency.

Effectively deploying safety technology can make a major difference during an emergency, and help students and staff feel better protected. Schools must evaluate technology options that address all types of events, such as active assailants, medical emergencies, or safety drills.The tools must deliver rapid and clear communication to expedite response and ensure better outcomes when emergencies occur.

Panic button apps and school safety solutions can support the entire school community. With one tool, students, administrators, security professionals and first responders can access the information they need to address any situation. For example, during a medical emergency, a teacher can activate a panic button app to share a student’s exact location with 9-1-1 dispatchers and first responders to save crucial time.

Break down information silos

Another strategy for schools to prioritize is overcoming the information silos between the emergency caller, 9-1-1, and first responders. According to information now available about Parkland, multiple agencies responded but could not communicate with each other effectively—or, in some cases, at all. The 9-1-1 calls made from the school were slow to be disseminated and it took more than 20 minutes for law enforcement to access school video to see what the shooter looked like.

Information sharing and interoperability between systems are important to enable communication and collaboration amongst response teams. Delays in communication and information sharing can mean limited situational awareness for first responders in the midst of an emergency. When lives are at stake, it’s critical that every responder has up-to-date information on the status of a situation, how each unit is responding, and where help is needed.

During a lockdown or shelter in place, information sharing can allow teachers and staff to report their location and status of their students in real-time so responders can help those with the most pressing needs first. Interoperable systems can also allow for integrated planning and coordination between schools and emergency response agencies. For example, if an armed robbery takes place near a school, police can proactively inform the school to take appropriate precautions rather than the administrator and staff being unaware of potential risks. Breaking down information silos can provide access to critical information like floor plans and student/faculty rosters which are useful for response coordination.

Create safe places for learning

School safety is a collaborative responsibility and connecting all of the key stakeholders is essential. When a tragic event occurs, it impacts the entire community. To keep students, teachers, and staff safe, schools need to deploy tools for information sharing and interoperability. Working effectively together will help schools be safe places to learn so students can grow, and communities can thrive.

With the academic year underway, K-12 schools have resumed in-person learning. However, there is growing concern amongst parents, students, teachers, and faculty that reopenings come with a variety of safety and health risks. Threats of public violence, mental health concerns, uncertainty around the Delta variant, and more all stand in the way of educators having a successful school year.

A recent survey found that 57 percent of respondents are “extremely or very concerned” that a post-pandemic crisis could affect their safety or the safety of a loved one in a school environment. When combined with the knowledge that students are under significant mental health stress and that many younger learners are still unvaccinated, administrators should think carefully about how best to ensure a safe return to classrooms. 

The key lies in putting tools, strategies, and policies in place today that ease concerns and minimize risk. By taking the proper steps, schools can focus on creating healthy learning environments for students rather than worrying about the safety challenges at hand.

Provide resources to support student mental health

Going into the 2021-2022 academic year, school administrators must acknowledge the elevated risk of mental health crises and violence on school grounds, especially after such an extended period of disruption. In fact, a Reuters survey found that nearly three-fourths of school districts surveyed witnessed “multiple indicators of increased mental health stresses among students” since the pandemic began. Many students have experienced significant isolation and even trauma over the last 18 months, and a full-time return to classroom learning may exacerbate mental health struggles.

Consequently, schools must prioritize mental health and provide ample resources, outlets, and opportunities for students to receive professional care. This may mean bringing more mental health professionals on staff who are accessible to students at all times. It could also mean setting up anonymous tip lines so that students can privately report if they or one of their peers are experiencing mental distress. Having a self-reporting channel helps address minor situations before they escalate into bigger problems. 

On top of implementing new channels and outlets to support student mental health, administrators must also de-stigmatize mental health care in their schools. It’s crucial for leaders to encourage students to take advantage of the resources available to them and reiterate the benefits of doing so.

Prioritize communications about safety

In addition to bolstering mental health support, schools must also adopt a communication strategy to keep students, families, and staff informed. A well-designed strategy accounts for both ongoing, regular communication and real-time updates in the event of an emergency. 

To ensure that outbound communications reach intended audiences, administrators should take a multi-modal approach and assign varying degrees of urgency to different communication channels. For example, schools can reserve recorded voicemails and text messages for urgent emergencies and critical communications, such as a lockdown, while emails could deliver helpful yet non-urgent information, such as vaccine requirements or social distancing mandates. Administrators can also segment audiences into different groups (i.e., teachers by grade, staff by building, etc.) to send more targeted messaging on a need-to-know basis.

Before going into the new school year, administrators should also take the opportunity to check that communications protocols are updated and that safety handbooks, emergency planning documents, and other crucial resources exist in digital form, so that teachers and staff can easily refer to them if needed.  While pre-planning for events is critical, paper-based plans often don’t get used, which is why many schools now manage events large and small through a digital task list or incident management solution.  

Use technology to create a school safety ecosystem

Outside of upgrading communication processes, schools should adopt technology solutions that facilitate collaboration between people on campus, local law enforcement, and other response teams. To do this successfully, administrators must create integrated safety ecosystems through which numerous organizations and departments can engage, share updates, and access the same information. 

Deploying mobile panic buttons is one way administrators can achieve this type of ecosystem. Mobile panic buttons provide faculty and staff the ability to alert emergency responders from anywhere, while advanced solutions provide users the ability to share additional context that could be helpful in addressing an emergency, reporting their location and status, and having 2-way communications with authorities. For example, if a health emergency were to take place at a sports game, a coach could press a mobile panic button, indicate the medical nature of the emergency, and request assistance simultaneously from the school nurse, EMS, and 9-1-1. As a result of this rapid, streamlined communication, the student in need of medical care would receive attention sooner. 

The more that teachers and administrators can stay connected to EMS, fire, and police, the more likely emergency responses will be swift and effective, delivering better results and even saving lives. Campus safety technology offers an easy path for schools to address major health and safety concerns as students return this fall and bounce back after a tough season in education.

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, and that means educators across the globe are still finding inventive and innovative ways to support and teach students in classrooms, during hybrid instruction, and in virtual settings.

The eSchool Media K-12 Hero Awards program, sponsored by Trox, recognizes the determined and dedicated efforts of educators throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Never before have educators been challenged and tested as they were, beginning in March 2020 and up until today, and never before has their resilience been more apparent. Administrators, technology leaders, classroom teachers, and educators in all roles have persevered as they taught each and every one of their students during a global pandemic.

Here, eSchool News highlights Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister–one of its K-12 Hero Awards finalists. Keep reading to discover how this Hofmeister keeps learning going in the middle of a global pandemic.

Nominee: Joy Hofmeister, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Nominated by: Rave Mobile Safety

What makes this nominee a hero?

As COVID-19 swept across the nation, many schools moved student and staff safety to the top of their priority lists. However, as many schools focused efforts solely on testing and case counts, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister never stopped thinking about the holistic safety of Oklahoma’s nearly 700,000 students and more than 85,000 teachers and staff.

A proponent of full-time in-person learning, Joy worked tirelessly through the summer of 2020 to ensure Oklahoma public schools were able to reopen in the fall. With safety top of mind, she was constantly evaluating ongoing cases and evolving situations in schools throughout the state, and reminded students, teachers, and other staff of the importance of following best practices like washing hands. At almost every news conference, she was asking the public to do their part so students could get back to learning, promoting safety along the way.

With COVID-19 on the retreat, Joy turned her attention to the long-term mental and physical health of her students. Just recently, the Oklahoma Department of Education announced the use of $35 million in pandemic federal relief dollars to help districts hire more school counselors, licensed school-based mental health professionals, social workers, and recreational therapists. The School Counselor Corps is a program for which Joy has been advocating for years. Oklahoma children suffer from the highest rates of trauma in the nation, and schools have long needed more counselors to support students. Joy saw the pandemic as adding more trauma to student mental health and worked to provide additional resources to address their social-emotional needs and ensure they are on track for academic success.

Joy’s holistic approach to student safety also includes the state’s innovative use of the Rave Panic Button, a school safety app that, with the push of a button, sends important information to 9-1-1 centers, on-site personnel and first responders in the event of an emergency. As schools look forward to a more traditional school year in the fall, Joy wants to ensure schools are safe and connected via the Rave Panic Button, knowing that it can make a huge difference when responding to an emergency. Joy played an integral role in making Rave Panic Button available to all Oklahoma K-12 public schools and 9-1-1 centers to enhance school safety and security at no cost to the schools. Thanks to her dedication in promoting the program across the state education and law enforcement communities via email campaigns, news conferences and school-by-school safety assessments, the Rave Panic Button is implemented in public schools across the state with countless stories of impact.

Joy has always put Oklahomans at the forefront of school safety. With COVID-19, this goal was certainly challenged at times, but Joy never forgot her longer-term mission. Throughout the pandemic, she has had student, teacher, and staff safety top of mind–and she’s ready to tackle any other obstacles that may come.

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, and that means educators across the globe are still finding inventive and innovative ways to support and teach students in classrooms, during hybrid instruction, and in virtual settings.

The eSchool Media K-12 Hero Awards program, sponsored by Trox, recognizes the determined and dedicated efforts of educators throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Never before have educators been challenged and tested as they were, beginning in March 2020 and up until today, and never before has their resilience been more apparent. Administrators, technology leaders, classroom teachers, and educators in all roles have persevered as they taught each and every one of their students during a global pandemic.

Here, eSchool News highlights Greenville County Schools–one of its K-12 Hero Awards finalists. Keep reading to discover how this district keeps learning going in the middle of a global pandemic.

Nominee: Greenville County Schools

Nominated by: Gaggle

What makes this nominee a hero?

When South Carolina closed school buildings across the state last year, Jeff McCoy and his team sprang into action, working diligently to accommodate the district’s educators and students. As the Associate Superintendent for Academics at Greenville County Schools, McCoy knew how important it was to keep students engaged in their education from wherever they were.

He quickly launched the district’s virtual learning school, ensuring continuous learning for 23,000 students from the onset of the pandemic. Getting one-third of the district’s students set up with e-learning in mere days was no easy lift for McCoy’s team, but these efforts showcased their dedication to both students and academics.

Throughout the pandemic, McCoy and his team continued to implement, coach, and support professional development courses for the educators in the district. Approximately 2,000 educators participated in these sessions to ensure they were successfully engaging students in their education during the pandemic. This allowed both educators teaching remotely and those teaching in the brick-and-mortar environment to continue with their PD efforts during this unpredictable time.

McCoy’s commitment to creating and sharing best practices with educators throughout Greenville County Schools showcases his tremendous dedication to teaching and learning. The vast number of educators voluntarily joining the virtual learning sessions is a testament to his passion for education.

Last October, McCoy and his team made digital safety top of mind for the district. After seven months of navigating the pandemic, they had witnessed so many struggling students and knew that action was necessary. Being unable to see students face to face made it nearly impossible to protect and support all of the students within the district, but McCoy and the senior leadership team recognized the importance of safeguarding students—especially in regards to depression and suicide.

Knowing they could be missing something, and just how unacceptable that idea was, McCoy heightened the district’s digital safety efforts to ensure students were being taken care of. This included altering the OnTrack process, a whole-child approach for early warning response with a team of school personnel to intervene with struggling students. At the first sign of a struggle in the virtual environment, students in distress are identified, preventative action is taken, 1:1 mentors are appointed, and the OnTrack team intervenes to provide the necessary supports to ensure student safety and well-being.  

Educators like Jeff McCoy make us all proud to work in education. His passion for teaching and learning—even in the toughest of times—is truly inspiring. Thanks to his efforts, students were able to remain engaged and safe throughout the pandemic. Whatever next year brings, the students and educators within Greenville County Schools are lucky to have his expertise and dedication as we move forward from this unusual time.

The next challenge for educators as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic is safely returning to in-person learning. After over a year of forced shutdowns and adoption of an online workforce and remote learning, the logistics of safely returning to in-person learning are overwhelming. The challenge is even greater with the Delta variant of COVID-19 becoming more prolific, and K-12 districts, colleges, and universities are racing against the clock to figure out what their approach will be this coming fall.

Whether schools opt for a phased approach, stay with hybrid learning or proceed with fully in-person classes, the goal is the same: to safely, quickly and efficiently return to school. Further, higher education institutions have to be cognizant of their impact on the larger community. Colleges and universities are a hub–with thousands traveling to and from campus each year, mingling, cohabitating and more, what happens within an academic institution may reach far beyond the campus.

So what can be done to help leaders navigate these challenges? Enter no-code. The past year has highlighted the need for agility and the ability to adapt when change and disruption happens – which, as we know, is a constant. The adoption of no-code processes is vital to empowering organizations to adapt with change.

What is no-code?

No-code gives business users – those outside of IT – the tools to build sophisticated applications without the need for professional coding. Because no-code tools don’t require a background in development, an educator is empowered to create nearly any application to solve a myriad of challenges. For example, someone in HR or in academic services can create an application to track vaccination reports, or a resident assistant can create an application to track visitors coming in and out of a dorm.

Is no-code safe?

The benefits of no-code are that it is safe and secure – which is a huge priority for academic institutions. While no-code gives those outside IT the tools to create applications, it doesn’t mean there isn’t any IT oversight. IT is part of the get-go to set the guardrails and parameters to ensure that the applications are safe and secure – so IT and senior leaders can sleep well at night knowing all their data and student and staff information is safe.

No-code solutions be used to solve a variety of COVID-19 related challenges institutions will face, such as:

Tracking health information: School officials can easily create an application where students, teachers and staff can self-report their vaccine status, COVID-19 test results and symptoms. This allows academic leaders to gather real-time insights on the health of the school’s population and make smart, fast, data driven decisions about next steps if there is a spike in cases. This kind of application can also support contact tracing in the event of an outbreak.

Campus wide communication: With a custom developed application, school administrators can deploy COVID-19 related communications, such as shutdowns or quarantines, quickly to parents, staff, teachers, and students. Similarly, if contact tracing procedures need to be implemented, individuals can be notified if they’ve been in contact with someone who has contracted COVID-19.

Managing In-person vs. remote staff: An application can be created by administrators that tracks which staff is working virtually versus in person, ensuring that each individual has the tools they need and access to the most up-to-date COVID-19 safety protocols.

Naturally, no-code solutions extend beyond pandemic-specific use cases. No-code can be taught as a business class and students can be the ones to build applications that solve real life challenges, such as creating an app that tracks the most efficient bus routes, allows them to see how busy the gym is, or lets them check how many meals remain in their dining plan. Nearly half of organizations use no-code as part of their business operations, so it’s an opportunity to both prepare students for the workforce and empower them to be part of solving institutional challenges.

On the administrative side, having real-time access into workflows and processes can help academic staff work smarter and more efficiently. For example:

• The head of the science department can create an application to understand what research projects professors are working on and see how they are progressing.
• The theater department can use no-code applications to track what needs to be accomplished for the upcoming production.
• Student services can easily track items such as tuition payments and classes registration, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks and students are set up for academic success.

The use-cases of no-code within academic institutions are limitless and provide a wealth of opportunity for institutions looking to help their staff and students succeed, but also be more agile in day-to-day operations.

The COVID pandemic has changed much about how we live and how we work. Nowhere is this more evident than in our schools – in how we safely teach our students and how our students learn, safely. The challenge with schools is that, from a safety perspective, educational institutions were already under siege.

Consider the following: According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are more than 3,200 fires each year in schools in the U.S. According to the United States Government Accountability Office, there are roughly 115 school bus incidents involving fatalities each year. Of course, most people don’t realize this because this information is overshadowed by the 180 school shootings in the U.S. from 2009-2018, according to CNN.

And now – in 2021 – we have inserted the impact of a global pandemic into this already-volatile situation, with almost no suggestions or assistance to these schools regarding how to safely re-open and keep our school campuses open.

Fortunately, there are many ways that technology can help in this area. And while this pandemic is not a good thing, there are a number of learnings we can take away from these times that have relevance long after this pandemic is gone. It all begins with asking the right questions.

Because of COVID, schools are facing challenges on two fronts. First, there is the challenge of keeping students, teachers, and staff safe when they come to school campuses. Second, there is the separate challenge of educating students who are not on campuses, but are at home learning remotely. To compound this second challenge, often we see schools offering a choice to their students – learn in class, or learn at home. Given these options, we now see some students attending school, while other students stay at home. And the school is responsible for both sides of this equation.

Given our personal experiences seeing neighborhood children riding bikes, playing on playgrounds, and just hanging out in the neighborhood, it is clear that these young people are not exactly social distancing themselves. Because of this, the ‘safe bubble’ that some schools try to create develops a dangerous leak every day after school ends. And that becomes the challenge. They have no control over this, or over what their students may bring to the classroom.

Therefore, the question we – as technologists – ask ourselves is simply this: How do we create safer campuses for schools concerned with shootings, fires, bullying, gas leaks, weather events, and now a global pandemic, when they barely have enough money to upgrade phone systems or install new clocks or new bell systems?

The solution for these challenges is an intelligent, focused use of AI technologies that are designed to detect incidents or events and make predictions regarding likely outcomes and actions. And by events, this can mean a host of various incidents. A student carrying a gun. Smoke in the restroom. A fire in the chemistry lab. Students gathering in a small area. Faculty congregating too closely. Students with a temperature coming to school. All of these are events that today’s technology can detect.

AI technologies “see” these events and make predictions as to what is happening using machine learning. In other words, we can teach technology to look for a gun, to “sniff out” that smoke or vape, to “realize” people are too close to one another. Sensors that detect smoke, temperature changes, motion, proximity, and gunshots are available today – although gunshot detection is sort of an “after-the-fact” identification. That’s why AI technologies that can detect a weapon before it has even been fired is far better.

The key to deploying these technologies, however, is just as important as the technologies themselves, particularly when we are talking about guns.

For example, many schools consider metal detectors an acceptable deterrent to bringing a gun to school. And while that is a good start, the problem with this mindset is that it assumes that someone who has decided to break the law (by bringing and using a weapon) is going to obey the law by entering only through officially designated areas.

As another example, a student who is bringing a weapon to school is not the ‘lone wolf’ we like to portray – one who simply snaps. No, these students don’t snap. They plan! They look for surveillance devices, staying out of their way or disarming them. They look for fire alarms to activate in order to get more targets in the hallways. So the key is to hide these sensors, these cameras powered by AI technologies, in plain sight. Hide them in speakers in the ceiling. Hide them in clocks. In EXIT signs. In display monitors on the walls. You don’t want this technology to be “obviously visible.” Embedding it into technology students (and teachers) are familiar with, and comfortable with, effectively hides the technology – allowing it to do its job.

Once detected, now the communications and notifications begin. Security or police can be notified of someone with a gun – complete with video of the area. A principal or security person can be notified of students smoking in the bathroom before the students are aware they have been caught. A fire that breaks out in the chemistry lab should not just initiate a general alarm. That alarm should be both visual and audible – and intelligent enough to route students and staff away from that hallway – even though there is an EXIT at the end of that hallway. And a student with a fever can be identified quickly with a photograph so school staff can intervene and potentially send that student home in the middle of a pandemic.

Again, this technology exists today, and is far less expensive than you might realize if implemented intelligently. Embedding AI technologies into a typical school day will create safer, smarter schools – and that’s what we want for everyone.

Interventions into student safety, prompted by technology used to help school leaders prevent students from harming themselves or others, increased dramatically after COVID-19 landed in the U.S. and caused schools to close physical classrooms.

In its annual Student Safety Report, Gaggle, which uses artificial intelligence and trained safety experts in a student safety solution designed to prevent student suicide, bullying, inappropriate behaviors, school violence, and other harmful situations

According to the report, which analyzes incidents detected using Gaggle’s solution, during the 2019–20 school year, school and district educators were able to save the lives of 927 students.

This number represents a general increase of 28 percent over the preceding school year, but a significant difference emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic began. The pre-pandemic increase in lives saved was 11 percent, but during the pandemic, the increase rose to 32 percent.

Related content: 6 reasons we’re using a student safety platform

“We’re able to have a presence in a space that normally we wouldn’t be part of. We’re not in their homes with them, but when students are creating these calls for help, we want to be able to act and provide the necessary support,” said Dr. Adrian Palazuelos, superintendent of the Fillmore Unified School District, in the report.

During the 2019–20 school year, Gaggle reported and alerted educators to:
● 64,000 references to suicide or self-harm in students’ online activity. Of these, more than 5,600 were serious enough to merit immediate attention by the district
● 38,000 references of violence toward others. More than 1,600 warranted an immediate call to prevent a potential incident
● 18,000 instances of nudity or sexual content, of which more than 2,400 were identified to be child pornography

“With school now taking place in our students’ living rooms and bedrooms, safety is more important than ever,” said Jeff Patterson, Gaggle’s founder and CEO. “Many educators are concerned that without in-person school, they may not be able to identify students in abusive situations or those suffering from mental illness.”

Student safety intervention in action

Northern York County School District (NYCSD) in Pennsylvania implemented the Gaggle student safety platform, and administrators said they knew that if the solution saved just one life, it would be more than worth the investment.

In late 2019, Gaggle flagged a student document that was a suicide note written to his family outlining his plan and saying goodbye. Gaggle immediately contacted the school’s administrators. Within half an hour of receiving the alert from Gaggle, school leaders were in the student’s home along with the local police to perform a wellness check. The student received the help he needed to address his struggles, and officials say they believe they saved a student’s life that day.

When the East Irondequoit Central School District in New York implemented Gaggle, the goal was to keep students safe in the digital world. What the district encountered was a months-long investigation resulting in the arrest and conviction of a child predator.

Gaggle intercepted pornographic content sent to an 11-year-old sixth grade student, blocked its delivery, and quarantined the file to keep it
out of the district’s system.

“The file was sent to our police department for their investigation,” said Christine Osadciw, executive director of technology for the district. “That was their proof. If we didn’t have that video, I don’t know if the predator would have been caught.”

After four months, a man from Michigan was arrested for the crime. “As a tech director, it’s difficult. With all of these different online tools that our students have access to, it gets harder and harder to keep them safe,” said Osadciw.

Gaggle’s student safety solution analyzes and reviews the use of online tools within Google’s G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, and the Canvas learning management system for more than 4.5 million students across the United States. Machine learning technology watches for specific words and phrases that might indicate potentially harmful behavior. When a match surfaces, the content is evaluated by a trained safety professional to determine whether it is a threat and how much of a threat it poses.

We are excited to bring you the third in a series of eSchool News Guides, which are full of resources, tips, trends, and insight from industry experts on a variety of topics that are essential to the classroom, school, and district.