Follow the money. If you are a superintendent, school board member, or principal you should follow it very closely when it comes to school safety, or you may lose control over decisions about safety in your schools. Private investors are increasingly taking control over the school safety industry Private investors increasingly have their eyes set […]
Blog Archives
If the school safety presenter at your conference is paid for by a security vendor, will their message be truly independent? School leaders in the audience need to look behind the curtains to learn about the potential wizards in the wings
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” That famous saying came from Wizard of Oz movie. It refers to the Wizard of Oz being exposed as a “normal” man behind the curtain pulling the strings to create the perception of something much different than what it really was in real life. Today the […]
Exposed emails show a leading AI weapons detection system missed its own test gun “a few times with the cameras rolling” during a media demo in a school district that signed $11 million contract for their systems. But the local news report did not show it missing a gun. Are parents being left in the dark?
Emails exposed by IPVM, the world’s leading authority on physical security technology, shows AI weapons detection systems missed their own test gun “a few times with the cameras rolling” in a media demo for a Virginia school district that reportedly signed an $11 million contract for the units. And the school district’s communications director wanted […]
Cell phones and school safety: They are often disruptive to the educational process and can create unsafe conditions in an emergency. Yet many students and parents want them. Now, some politicians want to ban their use in schools.
Teachers find that cell phones create classroom distractions. School administrators find they accelerate bullying and conflicts. However, many students — and some very vocal parents — often feel they are essential to school safety. But are the cell phones an emotional security blanket for parents even more than a security tool for students? Some now […]
Superintendents, principals and other school leaders share a common struggle: How to communicate with parents about school safety. The good news is we can help them to communicate better.
“I don’t know what to say, how to say it, and when to say it.” Those were the words of a school principal at the beginning of my doctoral program at Johns Hopkins. The topic with which he was struggling: Speaking with parents about school safety. This school administrator was not alone in his struggle […]
Are parents a growing school security threat? Parents threatening, attacking students and teachers at schools
The headlines include parents dressing down to bypass security and watch their kid attack another student, parents attacking a classroom teacher, and parents going after other students having conflicts with their kids. Principals and their school school safety teams prepare for many potential school security and emergency situations from school shootings to natural disasters and […]
The politics of school safety: From “tours” of school mass shooting scenes to statehouse lobbying and your local school district, the politicization of school shootings and school safety may be the very reason progress has stalled, not advanced.
Strategic school safety leaders must recognize and understand that school safety is a political issue. From the highest national levels to your local school community, politics has infiltrated school safety narratives, policy and funding. Superintendents, school boards, and principals must be consciously cognizant of the increasingly political context around school shootings and school safety. Yet […]
Are leaders of schools with artificial intelligence (AI) weapons detection systems in over their heads? The students entering their buildings certainly are…
The Indianapolis Star ran a story last week on some school districts betting on artificial intelligence (AI) weapons detection systems as the future of school security. I spoke with the reporter at length when she was working on the story, and she captured my concerns in her story about fidelity of implementation issues and the […]
What’s my “Why?”: A look behind the scenes of my writings on school safety, security and emergency preparedness
A popular question buzzing through the business and education worlds today asks, “What’s your ‘Why’?” Here’s a closer look at some of the “why” behind my articles and posts about school safety issues: “Does this guy ever post positive things?” or “Are we actually learning from failures?” I hear this question from time-to-time: Does this […]
Missing school security assessment reports, outdated plans, retired members on school safety teams, and high turnover of leaders: Is school safety part of your leadership transition process for new superintendents and principals?
“We have an entire top leadership turnover since your consultation with us five years ago and nobody can find your assessment report.” Imagine that being your first call in the morning as a school security consultant. How would you feel? The good news is that someone remembered that you were there and did something. But […]