Please tell us your thoughts on school safety.
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What does the school division do well in providing for school safety and security?
Interaction with the community via this survey and the forums on the 15th of May 18.
What gaps exist regarding school safety and security that need to be addressed?
- Schools lack sufficient deterrence factors (physical and practical).
- Schools and Police Departments may be over confident that they can handle a determined attacker or that the probability of an attack is so minute, that it does not require constant vigilance, proper resourcing, and exercising; thereby unknowingly instilling complacency.
- Schools and VBPD are too concerned about offending/upsetting parents by presenting an aggressive protection posture as a deterrent measure. Parents would be happier knowing the schools & VBPD are actively preventing and optimally responding to possible active shooters in the schools.
What new resources can be added or what existing resources can be used in different ways to strengthen school safety and security?
Our schools are soft targets but MUST become hardened targets. Both physical infrastructure improvements as well as active countermeasures are critical to harden our schools in order to deter or actively counter threats (whether they are deranged students/individuals or bone-fide terrorists).
First, as we have seen at the Great Mills High School in Maryland, armed and capable School Resource Officers (SROs) are crucial to ensure the safety and security of our children. Consequently, SROs need to be assigned and physically present at all of our schools when students are present; this includes elementary schools. Moreover, I would like to recommend the following specific actions for our schools and SROs (these recommendations would be useful to any SRO division in any police department or school system):
1) Review security procedures with the entire division and schools admin using the Lessons Identified from Florida and Maryland (as well as from other school related shootings).
2) SRO leadership have a heart-to-heart with each SRO to verify none are ROAD (Retired On Active Duty) and all are willing to do whatever it takes to keep students safe at their school. If any are not, immediately transfer the individuals to a position outside of the SRO division (doesn't have to be an adverse transfer...) and recruit officers who can do what the job needs.
3) Increase CAS (Counter Active Shooter) training for the RSOs, to include AR certification and weapons issue/authorization because most SROs are "outgunned" by the current threats. This AR training should include live shoothouse training to reflect the indoor aspects of the schools.
4) Run an annual CAS drill at each school with the teachers and police (without students present in order to keep responder tactics "Close Hold").
5) Practice table-top drills with the students that don't give away SRO/First Responder tactics.
6) Establish a "Guardian Angel" program with those teachers that are willing to be armed during school hours. They need to be extensively trained in the Rules of the Use of Force (RUF), marksmanship, and recertified annually.
7) Ensure First Responder communications systems work INSIDE and outside of the school building(s) and issue all security personnel earpieces for their radios so they can have silent communication between administrators and other security personnel.
8) Ensure each SRO has a lockable office to secure any PII (Personal Identification Information), investigations, communications systems, and weapons during the day.
9) Ensure each SRO has a carbine available when at the schools (they can be carried in discrete, hard cases not to upset the more faint of heart) and make sure their office has a secured, small (2-gun), Long Gun safe to store/secure their AR when they are in the building.
10) Ensure cameras on the exterior of the buildings have a good 360 degree view allowing security to potentially see any threat approaching before entering the building.
11) Ensure doors are properly secured (buzzers, cypher locks, etc.) when students and teachers are inside and policies are effectively understood on how to access secured doors (the single, open-doors in PAMS and Tallwood HS with the teacher/unarmed security seated behind it is only a speed-bump for a determined attacker).
12) Establish and execute a well thought out and written process and policy on how to identify and address/intervene potential threat individuals before they become an active threat (this should involve more than just the police force and school admin - i.e. CPS, etc.). While the COMSTAT system may have a program to assist putting the "Indicators and Warnings" together, I am familiar with some civilian systems that Palantir distributes that, if looked into and procured, may greatly facilitate increasing the chance of identifying potential threats; thereby, allowing the proper authorities to take "appropriate action" (e.g. observe, contact/question, apprehend, etc.). Additionally, these civilian operated systems can legally collect potential indicators that can be provided to authorities for action and avoid privacy law infractions. - No, I am not a sales rep for Palantir....
13) As the first line of defense, train teachers to recognize aberrant behavior indicators in students and properly notify authorities when these indicators reach warning stages.
14) Ensure schools have sufficient, trained counsellors on hand to intervene with students displaying concerning indicators.
15) Teach a "character counts" program that not only teaches courtesy, respect, and manners, but also resiliency in our students so they can be socially successful adolescents and eventually, adults.
16) Create a requirement for parents to obtain character development enabling capabilities if they have children in our public schools. Too many parents are the poor role models that undo any character development that schools are able to instill in the students.
17) In addition to the random searches the schools already conduct, conduct random SRO "Presence Surges" at the schools in order to keep any potential threat "off-balance" as to the level of difficulty attacking a school would pose.
18) Ensure policies and enablers are in place between interagency organizations that allow these disparate organizations to coordinate care and observation of identified, troubled students.
I am well aware that many of these recommendations require additional resources. Some of these resources may be found in grants contained in school safety legislation winding its way through Congress. However, as a tax-payer who is a staunch "small-government" proponent, in to keep our schools and children safe, even I would be willing to have a small tax increase if it were necessary to put these changes into effect quickly.