K12 Schools Must Fill Need For Digital Media Skills
There is a new urgency to teach digital media literacy as a study finds students are taking online information for granted
Whether your school buildings are decades old with doors that need locks, or your high-tech surveillance cameras capture every image in hallways, one of the best defenses against a violent threat is practicing emergency and lockdown drills, according to safety and security experts.
In some buildings, classroom doors lack locks and exterior doors are old. Other buildings have public announcement systems that don't work well throughout a school building or that lack speakers in restrooms. Still others have classrooms without telephones or main offices that are not centrally located, allowing visitors to enter without being detected, according to Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, which provides safety consulting to districts. Fortified facilities and equipment play a big role in security, Trump says, but being alert and informed is most important. "The first and best line of defense is a well-trained, highly alert and informed staff and student body," Trump says. "We overrely on physical security and we forget the human element."
Aside from having emergency response plans, every district should practice emergency drill scenarios, even if it isn't mandated statewide, to ensure students and staff s are kept as safe as possible during potentially violent scenarios. Aside from the typical, age-old fire drill and tornado drill in tornado-prone states, more state legislatures are mandating lockdown drills. For example, Indiana and Oklahoma just this year mandated two lockdown drills per year in districts, among a total of 18 states that mandate some type of emergency drill, according to the Education Commission of the States, which collects such statistics.
When announcing emergencies over PA systems, honesty is the best policy, Trump says. To use code language, like "a red Ferrari is parked outside," to alert staff that someone brought a gun to school is only confusing and doesn't get the point across. Simply state that the school is in lockdown, Trump adds.
However, Scott Poland, prevention division director for the American Association of Suicidology and a District Administration columnist, is quick to point out that drills can frighten students. Dramatic scenarios, which may involve police running through hallways while students are present, are unnecessary, he says. "I get concerned when police and administrators get too dramatic," Poland says. "I'm not a big believer in SWAT teams running through the school or firing off blank gunshots."
"This is for their own safety. They know they live in a violent world." -James Warfel, director of student services, South Brunswick (N.J.) Public Schools
Drills are helpful when they ensure teachers and staff members communicate well with one another and take measures to keep track of and account for every student in the building. Drills are also about ensuring students obey the nearest adult's direction without question, Poland says. "The main point [of a drill] is to have it be a learning experience," he says. "It does not have to scare anyone."
Poland suggests that after an emergency drill, students and staff should be able to discuss and decompress from the event. Psychological counselors should also visit classrooms to help students or staff members who might have relived a prior, unrelated trauma during the drill.
Federal Grants
Under the No Child Left Behind law, school districts must document how they keep their schools safe and drug free in order to get federal funding. Th e U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools recently announced new federal grant awards, totaling $24 million, to help school districts develop, enhance and fortify their emergency plans. The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) grant program provides funds for local districts to improve and strengthen such plans. Funds may be used to conduct drills and exercises as well as buy emergency supplies and equipment and train school personnel and students in emergency response procedures.
While many schools claim they have emergency plans, which are mandated by the federal government, a few districts go the extra mile to prepare for any possible scenario, Trump says. Here are examples of districts that are most prepared.
