Hero bus driver saves students moments before vehicle explodes: ‘Courage on wheels’
By Isabel Keane Published March 18, 2024, 12:36 p.m. ET
A New Orleans school bus driver says her maternal instincts kicked in when she spotted smoke coming from the vehicle last week and ushered nine children to safety moments before it burst into flames.
“As soon as I saw the bus smoking, my instinct said, ‘Get them off the bus,’ ” Kia Rousseve, 28, told Fox 8 of the terrifying incident in the Central City neighborhood Wednesday morning.
“A little girl came up and told me the bus was on fire underneath. I got them off,” the driver said.
Prosecutor makes it official: We will not charge any Oxford school officials over shooting
By Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press
One day after securing its guilty verdict against the Oxford school shooter's father, the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office said it would not file any criminal charges against any school officials over their decisions before the 2021 massacre.
"Our office has reviewed all of the evidence in the case," Assistant Prosecutor David Williams said in a statement to the Free Press. "We did not find sufficient evidence to support criminal charges against any school district employees. We believe the Oxford community deserves full accountability, and we stand with the families in their pursuit of changes that would make that possible."
Worcester school board calls for halt to verbal back-and-forth on school violence
By Kristian Jaime, Salisbury Daily Times
The Worcester County Board of Education continued to assure the public that school safety remains a priority despite a statement saying they will no longer publicly respond to concerns raised by county officials.
According to the statement, the board will abide by any current agreements between the Worcester County Office of the Sheriff and the county state's attorney, Kristin Heiser.
"As stewards of the safety, well-being and education of the thousands of students in Worcester County Public Schools, the Board of Education and school system staff will no longer be engaging in public statement trading with law enforcement officials. We believe it is counterproductive, and our focus must remain on keeping our schools the safe and welcoming learning environments that our students and staff deserve," the statement said.
Tell Us About Window Security and Safety on Your Campus
If you are a campus security or public safety professional, emergency manager, or facilities director, please take our 2024 glass and window security survey.
By Robin Hattersley, March 15, 2024
Windows and glass doors can be some of the weakest links in a campus protection program, but glass and window security and safety are often overlooked at a school, college campus or healthcare facility. That’s why Campus Safety is asking all K-12 school district, university, and healthcare facility security executives, public safety professionals, emergency managers, and facilities directors to take our 2024 Window/Glass Security Survey.
Policing Matters Podcast: Dr. Dewey Cornell on how school-based threat assessment improves school safety
March 17, 2023, 3:40 p.m.
Dewey G. Cornell is a forensic clinical psychologist, the director of the Virginia Youth Violence Project, and a faculty associate of the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.
During his clinical and academic career, Cornell has worked with juvenile and adult violent offenders, testified in criminal proceedings and legislative hearings, and consulted on violence prevention efforts. He has authored more than 200 publications in psychology and education, including studies of juvenile homicide, school safety, bullying, and threat assessment.
He is the principal author of the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines, which is an evidence-based model of school threat assessment used in schools across the United States and Canada. He also led the development of the Authoritative School Climate Survey as a student and staff measure of school climate and safety conditions.
In New York, the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, affirmed a ruling that refused to dismiss a case involving the off-campus suicide of a student because school officials “failed to establish that (the student’s) suicide was not a reasonably foreseeable consequence of their alleged negligence.” The appellate court found that the student “had a lengthy history of enduring bullying by other students, which included being called various derogatory names, threatened with physical harm, and mocked for the tics he exhibited as a result of Tourette's syndrome…(and that) instances when (the student) would purportedly respond physically to the bullying (he) would then receive discipline and other sanctions…(and that)…complaints were not taken seriously or adequately addressed.” Therefore, school officials were not immune from potential liability on “the fact that (the student's) death by suicide occurred off school premises and during summer vacation.” Spring v. Allegany-Limestone Central School District
In Michigan, the Tecumseh Public Schools are “working on joining the Adrian and Madison schools in having a service dog to work with their school resource officer. Adrian's SRO, Joshua Perry, has pioneered the program, which uses a non-aggressive dog that can do some typical police dog tasks, such as sniffing out contraband or searching for people, but also be available for therapeutic needs of students and staff.”
In Minnesota, the Governor signed a bill into law “clarifying the authority of school resource officers (SROs).” The bill, Chapter 78, defines school resource officers, requires they receive training, and clarifies the authority they have to restrain students.
In Ohio, officials in Jefferson County are responding to a campus incident involving a weapon discovered in the high school by “implementing a new backpack policy and adding a metal detector, which will have students checked for potential weapons or unwanted products.”
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!
April 16-17, 2024 Duluth Entertainment Convention Center - Harbor Side Convention Center | 350 Harbor Drive | Duluth, MN 55802 Doors will open at 7:00 a.m. daily, with sessions beginning at 8:00 a.m. and running through 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17. Two-Day Attendance: $350.00 per person One-Day Attendance: $250.00 per person
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.
