Merced, California
Approximately 20 school bus drivers in the Los Banos Unified School District were trained by law enforcement on how to respond to a gunman attacking their bus. The training was done by the Mercer County Sheriff's Department. The training was reportedly designed to give the bus drivers "hands-on, practical skills for dealing with a gunman on a bus."
"We go over mentality of active shooters. We give statistics of past
incidents, the do's and the don'ts. We give strategies for survival and
basically we go over scenarios," said a department spokesman.
The Transportation Director said, "We're not in a classroom, we're in a bus, I think it all applies. The
same thing that could happen in the classroom could happen on a bus."
The spokesperson added, "Eventually, our goal is for all districts to have a template and the
know-how to preserve life in dealing with active shooters."
Yesterday I blogged about the furor over a driver who witnessed a beating on his bus. Yesterday's blog, and today's story exemplify the problem facing education today. Educators.
I have been an educator for 25 years, and I have the utmost respect for for my fellow educators for the dedication, professionalism, and caring they show everyday. However, as a former Infantry Drill Sergeant and Infantry platoon leader, they are not the most tactically proficient people. The same mindset that allows them to develop rapport with their students and care deeply enough to spend long hours teaching and grading papers is at odds with the mindset needed to face interpersonal violence and function.
In Staying Alive, a book I co-authored with Mike Dorn and Sonayia Shepherd, we talk about how to develop that mindset. We talk about the importance of training, including scenario training. However, it has to be realistic. Active Shooter incidents are very rare. Active Shooter incidents on school buses are even more rare. The various techniques for remaining calm under stress are critical, as is the setting in which these techniques are taught.
In this type of setting the people who are being taught, with no tactical background, will remember the skills learned in the context of an Active Shooter. Thus a similar but markedly different scenario, such as a student holding a gun to his own head, will most likely spark a tactical response not suited to the scenario. Such a reaction may spark a more violent reaction than intended, or wanted.
Active Shooter training sounds 'sexy', but is a very small subset of school violence. As a precursor to further training, training like this can be great. As a way to train people to react in all crises, it's not so good.
School Safety Shield
Non en Meus Vigilo!
Showing posts with label educators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label educators. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Decision-making in times of stress
Today I was interviewed by the Christian Science Monitor about tornado preparedness. Apart from the cool part that it's the largest national news outlet I've ever spoken to, it has some good information that parents of school children, educators, and people at large should know about tornadoes and schools.
It is easy to look back and sharpshoot a person's decisions with 20/20 hindsight, but it's quite another thing when nature's fury is barrelling down toward you, and you have to make decisions that can affect hundreds of lives, all while battling severe stress, fear, and striving to not give in to your body's overwhelming urge to flee.
I would like to say I hope I never have to be in that situation, but I have. In 2002 I was an assistant principal at Clinton Young Elementary, in MSD Perry Twp., when an EF3 tornado hit the roof of Southport Middle School. This building was right behind ours, about 100 yards away, and the track of the tornado came within 50 yards of my school. It tore portions of the roof off of our school, letting rain water cascade into the halls, and terrorizing the students and staff sheltering there.
My heart rate was really high most of the day, and I didn't get home until after 11pm. The shakes lasted for over half an hour. Making a decision in that environment is very difficult, and it makes one prone to error. We want to review what happened, make improvements, and implement the changes, but please keep in mind the environment in which those decisions are made, and make the critiques compassionately.
There, but for the Grace of God, we may go.
It is easy to look back and sharpshoot a person's decisions with 20/20 hindsight, but it's quite another thing when nature's fury is barrelling down toward you, and you have to make decisions that can affect hundreds of lives, all while battling severe stress, fear, and striving to not give in to your body's overwhelming urge to flee.
I would like to say I hope I never have to be in that situation, but I have. In 2002 I was an assistant principal at Clinton Young Elementary, in MSD Perry Twp., when an EF3 tornado hit the roof of Southport Middle School. This building was right behind ours, about 100 yards away, and the track of the tornado came within 50 yards of my school. It tore portions of the roof off of our school, letting rain water cascade into the halls, and terrorizing the students and staff sheltering there.
My heart rate was really high most of the day, and I didn't get home until after 11pm. The shakes lasted for over half an hour. Making a decision in that environment is very difficult, and it makes one prone to error. We want to review what happened, make improvements, and implement the changes, but please keep in mind the environment in which those decisions are made, and make the critiques compassionately.
There, but for the Grace of God, we may go.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
School Safety in the News 2-5-13
Balto. Co. Council approves $3.7 million school safety plan
Baltimore Sun
St. Vrain school safety: First of three community meetings is Tuesday night
Longmont Daily Times-Call
Chester County summit puts focus on school safety
The Mercury
Topeka Director Of School Safety Up For National Award
WIBW
Officials lead school safety roundtable for area educators
Youngstown Vindicator
School Safety on the Forefront: Feb. 5 Forum Open to Public
Patch.com
School safety is topic of community forum
The Tribune-Democrat
Point Boro School Safety Forum Wed. Night
Patch.com
DeSoto school board members focus on safety issues
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Baltimore Sun
St. Vrain school safety: First of three community meetings is Tuesday night
Longmont Daily Times-Call
Chester County summit puts focus on school safety
The Mercury
Topeka Director Of School Safety Up For National Award
WIBW
Officials lead school safety roundtable for area educators
Youngstown Vindicator
School Safety on the Forefront: Feb. 5 Forum Open to Public
Patch.com
School safety is topic of community forum
The Tribune-Democrat
Point Boro School Safety Forum Wed. Night
Patch.com
DeSoto school board members focus on safety issues
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
School Safety in the News 1-30-13
Monday, October 15, 2012
Internet Safety, Free and Easy
The FBI has a program called Safe Online Surfing that provides a free resource for parents, students, and educators in online safety.
From its website:
"FBI-SOS is available through a newly revamped website at https://sos.fbi.gov. The site features six grade-specific “islands”—for third- through eighth-grade students—highlighting various aspects of cyber security through games, videos, and other interactive features. Each island has either seven or eight areas to explore—with a specific cyber safety lesson—and its own central character and visual theme. For example, fourth grade features Ice Island, complete with falling snow and penguins."
The program was developed in conjunction with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, with input from educators. The program looks to be a fun way to teach children how to be safe online.
"For teachers and schools, FBI-SOS provides virtually everything they need to teach good cyber citizenship:
FBI-SOS and the Child ID App, With the vast number of predators out there, this is a good thing.
Safe Havens, International
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Our Forum On
From its website:
"FBI-SOS is available through a newly revamped website at https://sos.fbi.gov. The site features six grade-specific “islands”—for third- through eighth-grade students—highlighting various aspects of cyber security through games, videos, and other interactive features. Each island has either seven or eight areas to explore—with a specific cyber safety lesson—and its own central character and visual theme. For example, fourth grade features Ice Island, complete with falling snow and penguins."
The program was developed in conjunction with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, with input from educators. The program looks to be a fun way to teach children how to be safe online.
"For teachers and schools, FBI-SOS provides virtually everything they need to teach good cyber citizenship:
- A free, ready-made curriculum that meets state and federal Internet safety mandates (see sidebar for topics covered);
- Age-appropriate content for each of the six grade levels;
- A printable teacher’s guide that spells out how teachers can sign up their classes and use the site; and
- Detailed rules and instructions for students."
FBI-SOS and the Child ID App, With the vast number of predators out there, this is a good thing.
Safe Havens, International
Our Forum On
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Meeting on School Safety Held after Gun Fires in Stockton Classroom
Stockton, CA
Parents and educators met to discuss school safety after a gun was fired in a Stockton classroom.
(Video at link)
Parents and educators met to discuss school safety after a gun was fired in a Stockton classroom.
(Video at link)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
The Dark, Nasty World of the Child Predator
Mike Dorn sent me an email about this story, about a former St. Louis teacher who was arrested after admitting he had raped students years ago. He mistakenly thought the statute of limitations had expired.
Whoops.
This story is an example of why I have such a passion for what I do. I was raised to believe that it was wrong for the strong to prey on the weak. I was also raised to believe that if I were strong, I should protect the weak. Yet day after day, I see stories of adults who prey on children.
Shame. On. You. Perverts.
If you believe, as I do, that bullying is wrong, then how much MORE wrong is it for an adult to bully a child? When you add in the dimension of the adult being an educator, the betrayal of trust adds a whole order of magnitude of pain to the situation.
If I were to coax a cute, cuddly bunny to my hand with a carrot, and then smashed the bunny in the head, how would you feel? That is what child predators do. They lure the innocent into their clutches, and then smash them. Not only do they create the immediate pain of the assault itself, but they leave a permanent footprint on that child's mind, a lasting poison that never quite goes away, and can often lead to more issues later in life.
Yet, this happens daily, often in silence. People don't want to talk about it, don't want to think about it, and thus don't want to do anything about it. It is a dark, nasty underside of our culture that needs to be stamped out.
Who will stand between the wolves and the sheep?
The Sheepdog.
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Our Forum On
Whoops.
This story is an example of why I have such a passion for what I do. I was raised to believe that it was wrong for the strong to prey on the weak. I was also raised to believe that if I were strong, I should protect the weak. Yet day after day, I see stories of adults who prey on children.
Shame. On. You. Perverts.
If you believe, as I do, that bullying is wrong, then how much MORE wrong is it for an adult to bully a child? When you add in the dimension of the adult being an educator, the betrayal of trust adds a whole order of magnitude of pain to the situation.
If I were to coax a cute, cuddly bunny to my hand with a carrot, and then smashed the bunny in the head, how would you feel? That is what child predators do. They lure the innocent into their clutches, and then smash them. Not only do they create the immediate pain of the assault itself, but they leave a permanent footprint on that child's mind, a lasting poison that never quite goes away, and can often lead to more issues later in life.
Yet, this happens daily, often in silence. People don't want to talk about it, don't want to think about it, and thus don't want to do anything about it. It is a dark, nasty underside of our culture that needs to be stamped out.
Who will stand between the wolves and the sheep?
The Sheepdog.
Our Forum On
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