In this report the author, who is a school safety expert, provides information about school safety in a post-Sandy Hook world. He presents the following: (1) Continuum of Threats and Responses; (2) The role social media plays; (3) Reliable Best Practices; (4) Policy and Funding--Climate and Context; (5) Policy and Funding--Things to Avoid; and (6)…

Kenneth Trump, a school safety expert who consults with districts on how to respond to school safety crises, explains how the new prevalence of threats of violence being delivered over digital and social media creates for administrators a "communication crisis" that unfolds alongside the real or perceived crisis of school safety being…

Educators, school safety experts, and anti-bullying advocates typically agree that bullying is a serious issue. They also agree that anti-bullying strategies should be an integral component of a school's safety plan. However, differences remain in how bullying should be addressed. Those differences have become magnified as bullying has become an…

Tight budgets are no excuse for failing to be proactive with school safety. In fact, school leaders must be especially committed to prevention and security programs during times when economic woes are increasing stress on kids, their families and school staff. Parents will forgive educators if their school's test scores drop. But they are much…

Cell phones were banned from most schools years ago, but after the Columbine High School and 9/11 tragedies, parents started pressuring some school boards and administrators to reverse the bans. On its surface, allowing students to have cell phones under the guise of improved school safety may seem like a "no-brainer" to many board members and…

Student and parent use of cell phones, text messaging and social networking through Facebook and Twitter can quickly become the enemies of a superintendent and principal. Rumors and misinformation about threats and other student safety issues that used to take hours and days to spread now goes viral in seconds. This rapid dissemination of…

When school administrators hear that the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High School attack is approaching, most shake their heads in disbelief. They are amazed that 10 years have passed since this watershed event, which changed the landscape of K-12 school safety. In this article, the author reflects on the lessons learned from the Columbine…

Bullying has captured the news headlines and the attention of legislators, educators, and special interest advocates over the past three years at a greater rate. High-profile teen suicides have raised questions about the role bullying may have played in student deaths. School administrators and safety officials agree that bullying is a serious…