In Maryland the United States District Court denied qualified immunity to a school administrator accused by a parent of failing to protect her child. The “six-year-old public school student (was) in the first grade …when she was sexually abused by two female classmates.” The court held that, (t)he harm of sexual harassment consists not only of specific acts, but also the hostile “environment” or “atmosphere” these acts create.” Qualified immunity was inappropriate because the allegations showed that, “after (the student) was abused on five separate occasions in her classroom, (the administrator) knew what occurred, yet allowed (the student) to remain in the same class as her abusers, and failed to protect (the student) from further sexual abuse or...separate her from the other female classmates who abused her. The court ruled that “the law clearly established that a school administrator has a duty to ameliorate such an environment. Therefore, it is not appropriate to grant (the administrator) qualified immunity with respect to plaintiff's equal protection claim.” Latisha Robinson v. Board of Education of Washington County
In Arizona, officials in the Arizona Department of Education have approved a policy authorizing schools to fill vacant school resource officer positions with off-duty police officers. The officers “will receive less training than traditional school resource officers, who typically get 40 hours of training. School safety officers will take eight hours of asynchronous training on things unique to the school environment.”
In Minnesota, an investigation reveals that the incidence of guns in schools is increasing. “Schools are required to report to the Minnesota Department of Education when a weapon is found on the property.” The data show that “70 handguns or long guns were confiscated in schools during the 2021-2022 school year. That is more than double the highest previous total and three times the 22 guns recovered during 2018-2019 – the last full year before the pandemic kept many kids out of the classroom…In Minneapolis Public Schools alone, 30 guns were recovered during 2021-2022, a significant increase over the four previous years combined.”
In Arkansas, officials in the Pangburn School District are replacing more than 100 door locks and handles in three of the district’s oldest buildings. Officials discovered that some buildings “still have the original locking mechanisms and different keys for every door.” The upgrade is part of a comprehensive revision of the safety plan that includes, “ID badge card reader system... maglocks and ID scanners… a new Tiger tip line…(and) staff members (who) carry concealed firearms on campus.”
More than 6 Guns Per Day Were Seized at U.S. Schools Last Year
Although last year’s increase in reports of guns on K-12 campuses is alarming, the number is probably a significant underestimate.
Oct. 18, 2023 Robin Hattersley
More than 1,150 guns were seized on K-12 campuses in the 2022-2023 school year, according to a new Washington Post investigation. That translates to more than six guns seized at schools per day last year. And those were the guns that were taken by law enforcement or school administrators before ever being fired.
I highly recommend— given current climates—reviewing with your safety teams and stakeholders past incidents of terrorism in schools including Beslan and Peshwar Academy. Following the review, highlight the below article and explore the implications had these intruders been trained assailants with much more tactical and malicious intentions.
School goes into lockdown after 6 masked people enter, attack students
Officials from the Washington school said a student opened a side door and let the group in, not realizing what was about to happen.
By Elina Tarkazikis Posted: 2:10 p.m. EDT, Oct. 18, 2023
A community is on alert after six masked people reportedly entered a school and attacked students.
The incident happened Monday at Auburn Riverside High School in Washington, according to local station KOMO News. A total of five students were assaulted.
The school district said a student opened a side door and let the group into the school, KOMO News reported. Auburn superintendent Alan Spicciati said the student thought they were being helpful and had no clue what was about to happen.
The school said the masked people ran down the school hallway and hit students at random, according to FOX13 Seattle. Administrators confronted the individuals and they ran.
Teacher and principal detain suspected teen shooter at Greenberg Elementary School in Fresno
by Stephen Hawkins
Reported Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, 11:43 a.m. EDT
FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Fresno police had Greenberg Elementary School on lockdown Thursday morning after the report of a shooting at Lane and Peach Avenues.
Police believed the suspected shooter ran on campus so they quickly surrounded the school.
A 13 or 14-year-old "person of interest" was located and taken into custody. The teen boy was positively identified by witnesses.
Police say a teacher on campus heard the shots and then saw a kid jump the fence onto school grounds.
The teacher told the principal, Linda Ramirez, and they contacted the boy and held him until police arrived.
Michigan State Releases Mass Shooting After-Action Report
The independent review praises MSU Police for its initial response while outlining shortcomings and suggested improvements. Reported Oct. 19, 2023, by Amy Rock
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University released findings of an independent after-action review of its response to a February 2023 campus shooting that claimed the lives of three students and wounded five others.
MSU Interim President Teresa Woodruff on Tuesday released the 26-page report, prepared by Security Risk and Management Consultants (SRMC), which details findings and recommendations to improve campus security and strengthen future responses to emergencies.
Deadline: Nov. 1 to be entered to win a $100 gift card
Your voice matters! We invite you to take a few moments to complete our survey about school safety credentials. Your valuable insights will help us with the safety credentialing process, ensuring that it meets the real needs of professionals like you. By sharing your thoughts and experiences, you are actively contributing to the development of a safer environment for everyone. Your feedback will empower us to make informed decisions, improve training programs, and establish effective safety protocols.
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Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Bomb Threat Checklist
Whether the bomb threat is made via phone, handwritten note, email, or other means, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Bomb Threat Checklist provides instructions on how to respond to a bomb threat and a comprehensive list of information that will assist law enforcement in a bomb threat investigation.
Physical and Behavioral Health-School Climate Assessments
Creating a safe and healthy school environment is a goal of all educational leaders. Identifying physical- and climate-related needs through assessment processes are integral to creating safe learning environments.
Center for Safe Schools (CSS) provides comprehensive safety assessment services to school districts across the country. Our safety assessments contain two critical elements:
Physical Safety Assessment
Behavioral Health and School Climate Assessment
CSS nationally certified assessors are available with extensive experience conducting assessments in public, charter and private educational institutions.
CSS staff work with you through every step of the assessment process, from introduction to final report. At the end of the process, you will receive an-easy to-understand report with concrete recommendations, and your CSS assessor will help prepare you to present these results.
