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A necessary element in school safety is making sure students are safe and feel safe.
Guest Blog Written by: The National Association of School and Campus Police Chiefs (NASCPC)
Check out Part 1 of this series here.
Students today face challenges in school that most adults did not. For example, active shooter drills are something that every child experiences now. These drills are important because the world we live in today has made them necessary. Now add in the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our youth is experiencing lockdowns/restrictions, political uprisings/riots, financial instability… and the list goes on. We must consider how these shifts in cultural safety affect communities and our students.
Below we discuss why this is important and how school leaders can create and maintain a safety culture throughout their schools.
How Does an Unsafe School Keep Students from Learning?
Imagine reading a great book while nestled in your warm soft bed. You have a nice glass of water, good lighting, peace, and quiet. In these circumstances, you can enjoy your book and absorb the words. Now imagine reading that same book in another situation, where someone is staring at you, giving you dirty looks, or even verbally intimidating you. Imagine feeling scared or anxious and trying to focus on your book.
In which scenario would you enjoy your book? In which scenario would you even remember what you read? This is what happens with distracted learning.
When students are distracted with feelings of fear, anxiety, and anger, they can’t embrace the learning experience in a meaningful way. Their minds are distracted because their emotions are distracted. If we can give students an environment of support and feelings of safety, their minds can be open to other opportunities and be focused on growth.
How Can Schools Help Students Feel Safe?
It starts with building a school safety ecosystem, which is a toolbox of various components that considers things like safety and security, response and recovery processes, and what technology or software the school will use to prepare for and streamline emergency response.
Breaking through emotional trauma and mental health weaknesses and developing trust with the student-body are all part of a thorough safety ecosystem. One way to do this is to build a robust safety plan. We do this by establishing a vision and building on current plans by leveraging advisory groups—such as the NASCPC—and working with stakeholders. Advisors and stakeholders can:
- Provide broader perspectives
- Identify loopholes and soft spots
- Help create a stronger plan
- Increase the opportunities for success, buy-in, and ownership
- Enhance feelings of safety (being safe and feeling safe)
When students get the help and support they need, they begin to trust those that led them down that path. Once trust is established, students can refocus their attention on their education in ways that otherwise may not have happened.
How Can I Partner with School Safety Advisors?
To build and maintain a safe school environment, schools must collaborate with safety experts. The NASCPC helps schools understand challenges and needs, providing consultative services that directly impact and improve school safety.
The Raptor School Safety Suite is another valuable component of the ecosystem. Raptor helps schools keep unwanted entrants out, manage volunteers, and confidently respond to any emergency—all in one, user-friendly integrated suite.
