As much effort as we put toward keeping our schools safe, the unfortunate reality is they are tremendously soft targets. Of course, there’ll be numerous failures and missed opportunities noted within an assessment of the below incident, but any time an entity is responsible for so many individuals, coupled with dynamic changes, these events can occur.
We’re very lucky that the trespasser was intercepted without incident, but this should serve as a grim reminder to all schools of how comprehensive School Safety must be.- Joey Melvin
Recent School Safety News
Man charged after posing as high school student in Franklin County
MERCERSBURG, Pa. — A Franklin County man is charged after pretending to be a student in the Tuscarora School District, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
PSP said Devin Reed, 23, got onto a school bus Wednesday morning after claiming to be a newly enrolled student at James Buchanan High School.
Upon arrival at the school, faculty noticed he was not a student there and contacted state police.
Court documents allege Reed confessed to police. Troopers said he told them he was highly intoxicated and decided he would try to pose as a student.
Reed had a backpack on him with a handgun, ammunition and several alcoholic beverages, state police said.
25 students taken to hospital after gas leak at Illinois school, officials say
By Stephanie Usery and Emily Van de Riet, April 4, 2024, 5:31 p.m. EDT
O’FALLON, Ill. Multiple students at a private school in Illinois were taken to the hospital Thursday, April 4, after they were exposed to a gas leak.
According to O’Fallon Public Safety officials, officers were called to St. Clare Catholic School just before 9 a.m. after several students became ill during an all-school mass in the gym. At least one student passed out.
Once students and staff realized something was wrong, the building was evacuated and 911 was called.
Officials said 25 students and one adult were taken to the hospital after experiencing minor symptoms. They were all discharged by the afternoon.
Tennessee judge set to decide whether a Nashville school shooter’s journals are public records
BY TRAVIS LOLLER
Updated April 16, 2024, 8:44 p.m. EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Some of the writings of a former student who fatally shot three 9-year-old children and three adult staff members at a private Christian elementary school last year can be released to the public without compromising the investigation, a lawyer for police said in court Tuesday.
The comments by attorney Lora Fox came on day one of a two-day hearing over whether records collected by police investigating the March 27, 2023, shooting at the Covenant School can be made public.
About 1 in 4 U.S. teachers say their school went into 'gun-related lockdown' last school year
About 15% of teachers say a gun-related lockdown happened once during the 2022-23 school year, and 8% said it happened more than once, according to findings from the Pew Research Center.
By Mirna Alsharif and Cristian Santana. April 12, 2024, 4:38 p.m. EDT
About 1 in 4 U.S. teachers said their school went into a “gun-related lockdown” during the 2022-23 school year, according to new findings from the Pew Research Center.
The Pew Research Center surveyed about 2,500 teachers who are nationally representative of U.S. K-12 public school teachers on many different topics, including lockdowns prompted by guns, Associate Director Juliana Horowitz told NBC News.
In Kentucky, the Court of Appeals of Kentucky affirmed the dismissal of a case brought against a school based upon qualified immunity. The lawsuit arose out of an incident in which a school employee on the security team attempted to physically restrain a student when the student attempted to leave the school building while in a state of intoxication. The appellate court ruled that “qualified official immunity” was appropriate under Kentucky law because the “security monitor’s duty to provide a safe school environment was discretionary rather than ministerial.” On this point, the judges found that the school employee “exercised discretion in determining whether to allow the student to leave the building after the student did not follow verbal instruction.” Finally, the appellate court ruled that the employee “chose increasing degrees of physical restraint and… did not exercise his discretion in bad faith.” Carpenter v. Goodall
In Minnesota, schools are bringing back to their campuses school resource officers. They were removed from more than few school districts after a 2023 law “included some provisions in an omnibus education bill that amended the chapter of law governing students’ rights, responsibilities and behaviors.” Police became wary of its provisions, specifically on whether their officers had the authority to use reasonable force to resolve campus disruptions. The new law, going into effect on March 15, 2024, removed the ambiguities. The provisions of the 2024 law also require that SROs have training before going into a school to work and require that the role of the SROs focus upon (1) fostering a positive school climate through relationship building and open communication; (2) protecting students, staff and visitors to the school grounds from criminal activity; (3) serving as a liaison between law enforcement and school officials; (4) providing advice on safety drills; (4) identifying vulnerabilities in school facilities and safety procedures; (5) educating and advising students and staff on law enforcement topics; and (6) enforcing criminal laws.
In Florida, Bob Tyler Toyota donated bulletproof shields for the City of Gulf Breeze school resource officers. “The shields will be used in all Gulf Breeze elementary, middle and high schools.”
In Ohio, “(t)he Ohio Controlling Board, which handles making adjustments to the state budget, approved public safety officials’ request for $78,028 in March to purchase two “mobile modular shoot houses” to train public school staff who are permitted to carry firearms.” These mobile homes will help armed staff members comply with a 2022 law that allows school boards to arm specific staff members. The provisions of the law require “at least 24 hours of initial training and eight hours of annual requalification training.”
Practical School Safety Solution to Support Individuals with Special Needs
This World Autism Month, The Sound Off dedicates a special episode to supporting students with autism and other special needs. Join us for the discussion with inspiring advocate Jeff Snyder and Nick Savarise from the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation. This episode is essential listening for educators, parents, and anymore committed to creating safe and supportive school environments.
“Student Engagement: Building Positive Relationships to Improve School Safety
April 24, 2024, 2:00 pm – 3:30 p.m. EDT
Online
An essential role of school resource officers and other school-based security professionals is providing a safe and secure environment that promotes student success. A fundamental principle in providing for this safety is developing positive student-officer engagement aimed at building relationships that support school safety through prevention and intervention, thereby reducing the need for criminal enforcement action. In this webinar, participants will explore the correlation between student engagement and school safety while learning practical strategies to improve engagement, including the application of cultural intelligence and trauma-informed responses.
The Southeast Summit will focus on bridging relationships to implement a “whole community” approach to school safety. It truly takes a diverse team to ensure the safety of our schools, so gather your team and join Safe and Sound Schools for this exciting event!
Identifying and Responding to Anonymous Online Threats
Research conducted by the Pew Research Center reveals that approximately four in 10 Americans have experienced online threats and harassment. This alarming statistic highlights the importance of equipping your team with the skills to identify online and anonymous threats to schools/communities (i.e. swatting and bomb threats).
Join us for a complimentary educational session where we will discuss anonymous online threats and how to identify them. With the proper tools and skills, your team can effectively provide support to individuals when these threats are encountered.
Date: April 23, 2024
Location: Livestreamed to your location (via Zoom) Time: 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. - Pacific Standard Time
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.
