Memo To Staff

Jul 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Stephanie Silk

           

Teachers/Staff

• Leave convenience in the past. Once you prop open a door to the outside to let in fresh air or take the class on a walk, the safety of the school is in your hands.

• You should familiarize yourself with the “Wal-Mart approach.” If you see someone in the hall that you do not recognize, address him or her by asking how you can help — even if you assume they have already been authorized. You can be as much a part of visitor management as the front office is.

• Even though an empty classroom seems to be an empty threat, there is still information left behind while you are at recess or lunch that intruders can steal and use.

• Request training from your school in many areas. You should know how to use a defibrillator and be ready and willing to operate one. You should also be trained in current technology trends. You should know that an iPhone looks like an iPod — but a phone can be a security threat. You should know that there are some ringtones that you will not be able to hear solely based on your age. And you should know how to teach your students that putting personal information on a social networking Web site can be a danger to the school.

• You should also request supervision and line-of-sight training. If you walk 10 students down the hall and turn a corner, did you just lose sight of the 10th student?

• You should also be familiar with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and creating natural surveillance. For example, if your classroom windows face a parking lot, tip the shades up so people outdoors cannot see in.

• Be aware of how easy you have made it to find a child in your classroom for a stranger. Ask yourself, if someone has already bypassed your school's screening mechanism, how will they find that child? The intruder may know the teacher's name from a conversation with the child, artwork may be placed outside the classroom or in the media center with a name on it or photos may be on display in the hallways.

• Schools should not mark parking places with your name. This makes you a target. The intruder may not have been able to access the school — but then he or she will stay at a parking spot waiting for you after hours.

Food Service

• Back doors are as much of a threat as front doors, and some of these doors may be located in the cafeteria. Maintain a screening system similar to the front of the school by keeping these doors locked and only open upon a doorbell system or a peephole.

• Food can present dangers itself — think about what or who has access to it. Contamination is common around self-service bars.

• Position self-service bars near security cameras, and position yourself in order to enhance natural surveillance.

Nurses and Social Workers

• Keep emergency supplies in more than one location.

• Have a list of “inventory skills” or individuals in the building who have emergency skills, such as being bilingual, being certified in CPR, having a CDL license to drive a bus or being trained in conflict resolution. Know where these people are located at all times of the school day.

Students

• You are the largest stakeholder representation in the school. It is up to you to share information. You hear more ear-to-the-ground information than anyone else — in classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, etc. Suggest to your teachers and peers to start an anonymous tip line so that you keep yourself out of any danger. You can blow the whistle on plots.

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