Gun control activists, the National Rifle Association (NRA), civil rights special interest groups, and politicians have hijacked school safety to advance their own political agendas. Meanwhile, little is being done to help principals, teachers, and first responders improve school security on the front lines in education. A closer look reveals individuals and organizations with little-to-no […]
Blog Archives
It’s Time to Rejuvenate School Safety, Security & Preparedness
Overloaded. Burned out. Unemployed. Distracted. Disjointed. Stressed. These are just a few words describing what I see and hear more and more every day. I find them among school staff, parents, neighbors, family, and about everywhere else life takes me each week. Uncertain Times Breed Stress and Anxiety We live in a time of economic uncertainty, political […]
An Expert Analysis: Why Crime Rises in Charlotte NC Schools
Criminal or violent acts rose 19% in one year in the Charlotte-Mecklenberg, NC, schools according to a Charlotte Observer news story in early March. Yet security staffing continues to be dramatically cut by school officials. In a January story by WBTV, the district’s superintendent recommended cutting nearly $1 million from the district’s school law enforcement division, cutting […]
How a Pre-Columbine Mindset is Threatening School Safety
Shootings, hit lists, explosives, and even a murder do not seem to be keeping some school administrators and boards from hunkering down into a pre-Columbine mentality on school safety. School Administrators and Boards Playing School Safety “On-the-Cheap” Hiding behind challenging fiscal times, some school “leaders” are playing school safety “on the cheap” in spite of […]
Budget Cuts Shift School Safety From Proactive to Reactive
School boards and superintendents tell parents school safety is their top priority. But in some districts, they are not putting their money where their mouth is. Budget Cuts Make Schools More Reactive on Safety Charlotte-Mecklenberg’s school district superintendent is recommending $1 million in cuts to the district’s law enforcement division, according to a local news […]
Is the Next School Board Shooter Coming to Your Meeting?
Economic problems. Mental health issues. Frustrations at a boiling point. Does this describe anyone in your school community? Could they be the next person to walk through your school’s Administration Building doors or into your next school board meeting? In a December 15, 2010, article entitled, “School board shooter in Florida had frustrated, turbulent life along […]
School Security Budget Cuts: Education Dept Report Reveals Major Setbacks
Federal, state, and local school safety budget cuts are having a dramatic effect on school safety and security programs, according to a federal report by the U.S. Department of Education published in July, 2010. “The elimination of several significant funding sources (e.g., Title IV, Safe and Drug‐Free Schools) from both national and local budgets has also […]
Why a Proposed Federal School Safety Grant Does Not “Replace” the Eliminated Safe and Drug Free Schools Program
In a local Cleveland news interview last Thursday, I spoke about the elimination of the state grant component of the Safe and Drug Free Schools program. As the public attention on school budget cuts center around teacher layoffs, reductions in transportation, and elimination of sports programs, cuts to school safety funding are going on behind-the-scenes […]
Safe and Drug Free Schools Grant Elimination Hits Schools Hard
The state grant component of the decade-old federal Safe and Drug Free Schools Program has been eliminated from the latest federal budget, costing many schools as of July 1st their primary funds marked specifically for school safety. The program was a formula grant drug and violence prevention program which passed money through state education departments to local […]