So often, we receive calls from school safety professionals who many times are expressing a lot of frustration. They are aware that there are issues in their schools. They know that they need help. They just can't quite pinpoint how to identify all the gaps and then put them all together operationally.
This is the mission of the NASCPC.
The NASCPC works to identify the gaps. This is a comprehensive approach to school safety that includes multiple layers such as:
Identifying mental health gaps and the need for student and employee resources.
Identifying communication gaps between the community/parents and the school.
Identifying communication gaps between the students and the school.
Identifying communication gaps between the school and the resources that help (mental health providers, police, lawmakers, school boards, etc).
Identifying communication gaps between the school and the community.
Identifying patterns of behavior to stop an issue before it escalates.
Monitoring social cues and communications to stop an issue before it escalates.
Monitoring of items brought onto campus.
Restricting campus access in a useful and meaningful way.
Intervention processes for mental health and violence predictors.
Connecting the behavior of communities to the eventual spillover into schools.
Risk assessments to identify issues.
Risk assessments to identify gaps in response.
Identifying protocols for response and training.
Identifying training opportunities.
Identifying technology implementation opportunities.
Creating and implementing school response protocols both proactively (before an attack) and reactively (post-attack).
Creating and implementing reunification plans should a tragedy strike a school.
All of the above, and more, can be addressed in schools. Most schools have at least SOME of the pieces of the puzzle in place. Many times, the issue isn't about HAVING strategies, but it's more about IMPLEMENTING and pulling the strategies together successfully into a cohesive whole.
An act of violence is the "X" factor in a school. The goal is to work to the left of "X" to stop an act of violence before it begins. This is the proactive portion of school safety. In addition, there is reactive planning that is necessary to have in place should an incident happen. This is the work required to the right of "X".
Schools cannot ONLY work in one direction. Schools must first try to PREVENT violence (left of "X) and simultaneously plan to react in the most useful way in the event violence does happen (right of "X").
The NASCPC works with schools in this holistic way to implement an all-inclusive approach to school safety. We look at all aspects of safety as interwoven elements of one broader, synergistic entity. We offer schools the resources to:
Identify the gaps
Close the gaps
Mitigate risk
Respond to incidents
We help schools in an operational way to develop the entirety of the school's safety ecosystem.
There is no need for a school to navigate these waters alone as we offer resources to identify, plan, and implement the most successful strategies for school safety. Our experience in this arena allows us to deliver streamlined and cost-effective plans for schools. This saves administrators a lot of time and aggravation and assures the community that their schools are the safest they can be.
Members, if you have a question about your school safety ecosystem, please contact us today.
Schools, if you are interested in working with the NASCPC to evaluate and develop your school safety plan, please connect with us today for a free consultation.