How a Connecticut middle school won the battle against cellphones
By Joanna Slater, The Washington Post, May 2, 2024
When Raymond Dolphin became assistant principal of a middle school in Connecticut two years ago, it was clear to him that the kids were not all right. The problem was cellphones. Students were using the devices in class, despite a rule against it. Social media was exacerbating nearly every conflict among students. So in December, Dolphin did something unusual: He banned them.
The experiment at Illing Middle School sparked objections from students and some parents, but it has already generated profound and unexpected results.
Would-be Wisconsin school shooter aimed pellet gun at police before he was shot dead: prosecutors
By Katherine Donlevy, May 4, 2024, 8:19 p.m. ET
The armed student who was shot dead this week before he could charge into a Wisconsin middle school pointed his pellet gun at police, prosecutors said Saturday. According to the state Department of Justice, the unnamed student was carrying a Ruger .177 caliber pellet rifle outside Mount Horeb Middle School Wednesday. “Officers directed the subject to drop the weapon, but the subject did not comply,” the department said in a release.“The subject pointed the weapon at the officers, after which law enforcement discharged their firearms, striking the subject. Lifesaving measures were deployed but the subject died on scene.”
11 Tampa charter school students sickened after eating candy believed to be laced with Delta-9 THC: TPD
May 3, 2024, 5:50 p.m. EDT
More than 10 students at New Springs Charter School in Tampa got sick after eating candy believed to be laced with Delta-9 THC, according to officers.
The Tampa Police Department said they responded to the school, which is located at 2410 East Busch Boulevard, just after 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. School staff told police that several children got sick after eating the candy.
School employees told TPD that they found a clear cylindrical container that had two pieces of what looked like Nerds-branded candies, sometimes legally sold as Delta-9 THC products in Florida.
In Colorado, the United States District Court held that summary judgment was inappropriate in a Title IX case involving student-on-student sexual harassment. The case arose out of a series of incidents in which for several years male students would “grope, grab, or touch female students’ breasts as part of “T Touch Tuesday”… and slap or touch the butts of primarily female students as part of “Slap Friday.” Students tended not to report the assaults because “it was so normalized that they assumed administrators knew it was happening.” The court announced that “school recipients of federal funds may be liable under Title IX for its own conduct in being deliberately indifferent to student-on-student sexual harassment…to establish school district liability under Title IX for being deliberately indifferent to student-on-student sexual harassment, a plaintiff must demonstrate that (1) an appropriate person with authority to take corrective action to end the discrimination; (2) had actual knowledge of discrimination in the recipient's programs but (3) failed adequately to respond in a manner amounting to deliberate indifference; and (4) the harassment was so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it deprived the victim of access to the educational benefits or opportunities provided by the school. The court ruled that summary judgment of not appropriate because while it was “undisputed that multiple former students who attended …from 2010 through 2017…described a culture wherein male students touched female students’ breasts on Tuesdays and their butts on Fridays without consent… the parties dispute the level of knowledge of the administrators.” A.C. as next friend S.T.C. v. Jefferson County R-1 School District
In Virginia, a Blue Ribbon Panel on School Safety for Loudoun County Public Schools has produced a series of recommendations for protecting students. The major take-away was the proposal for school officials to hire police officers or private security guards for the 61 public elementary schools. Police are already deployed at the middle schools and high schools. The only police presence in Loudoun's elementary schools is through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. Other recommendations include (2) increasing security personnel coverage for afterschool events; (3) making school-level participation in safety and security and threat assessment training a priority; (4) making sure that police and mental health representatives are involved in every threat assessment; (5) designating the Division of Safety and Security as a “Law Enforcement Unit” for purposes of FERPA; (6) designating a campus as an alternative school; and (7) adding “a digital analysis assessment to all serious and very serious threat assessments.” The recommendations are now up for public review and feedback.
In New York, the Niskayuna Central School District School Board is authorizing an outside consultant to study “the potential return of its dormant school resource officer (SRO) program.” The Board acknowledges that “(o)ver the course of the last month to two months, there’s been considerable advocacy from the community for an SRO program and opposed to an SRO program.”
In Kentucky, a Report by the Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security shows that “just 67% of public elementary schools and 75% of public middle and high schools” have taken advantage of the $140 million provided by the state last summer to put an armed school resource officer in every school.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O), also known as “Laughing Gas”, is a colorless gas used to relax the body and mind. Our dentist typically use N2O in a 80:20 ratio: 80% nitrous oxide and 20% oxygen. When Whippets are used at home, 100% of nitrous oxide is used. Whippets typically only last 10-15 minutes. Therefore, when one Whippet is found, oftentimes there will be several more found nearby. Whippets are usually found with a device called a “cracker.” Find out more by listening to this week’s episode!
CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) uses design, management, and activity strategies to reduce opportunities for crime to occur, reduce fear, and improve the overall safety of schools. The CPTED concept emphasizes the relationship between the physical environment, the productive use of space, and the behavior of people. Upon completion of this 24-hour course, successful completion of a written test is required to obtain a course certificate. The course will include a hands-on CPTED evaluation of a school, and attendees will be provided with tools to use on their school campuses or in their associated activities with school safety.
Cost: $400 per person for NASRO members / $450 per person for non-NASRO members
Introduction to Threat Assessment and Threat Management (2 days) Tuesday, May 14th AND Thursday, May 16th 1:30-3:30pm (ET)
This presentation is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of targeted violence and terrorism prevention. It will examine threats facing our communities, terminology used in the prevention space, how individuals radicalize to violence, and resources available to assist law enforcement officers to better practice prevention with their communities.
School Safety Seminar in New Jersey Rutger's University-New Brunswick June 6, 2024
The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) and Newark Field Office are hosting a free, in-person School Safety Seminar on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at the Jersey Mike's Arena of Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
This seminar will provide an opportunity to hear from expert speakers and local stakeholders on best practices for behavioral threat assessment and preventing targeted school violence. Parking is free, and morning refreshments will be provided.
When: Thursday, June 6, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. (doors open at 8:00 a.m.)
Where: Jersey Mike's Arena, 83 Rockafeller Rd., Piscataway, NJ 08854
The establishment of an external door and window numbering system can be extremely valuable to emergency responders and will also assist your students and staff in acclimating themselves to door locations in case of an emergency. Request a free copy of our updated Model Door and Window Classroom Numbering System Guide.
A carjacker lurking in a shopping mall parking lot. An abusive husband pounding on the door. A disgruntled employee brandishing a gun. These days, no one is safe from the specter of violence. But according to Gavin de Becker, everyone can feel safer, act safer, be safer -- if they learn how to listen to their own sixth sense about danger.
De Becker has made a career of protecting people and predicting violent behavior. His firm handles security for many of the leading figures in Hollywood and Silicon Valley, and his computerized risk-assessment system helps analyze threats to members of Congress and the Supreme Court. Now, in this unprecedented guide, de Becker shares his expertise with everyone. Covering all the dangerous situations people typically face -- street crime, domestic abuse, violence in the workplace -- de Becker provides real-life examples and offers specific advice on restraining orders, self-defense, and more. But the key to self-protection, he demonstrates, is learning how to trust our own intuitions. For everyone who's ever felt threatened, this book is essential reading.
