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We’re at a crucial moment in school safety. 91��Ƭistrators must now find ways to sustain security investments—from new hardware to social workers — made with pandemic relief funds that expired this fall.

The human element, however, outlasts any federal relief program or obsolete hardware, and it’s the most important component of any district’s safety strategy, says Mary Pat Carr, a former assistant principal who is now head of safety and security for Consolidated High School District 230 in Chicago’s outer suburbs.

“Early recognition and mitigation are the best ways to prevent violence in our schools, whether that’s something as small as an altercation, up to a school shooting,” says Carr, whose district is a strong proponent of .

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“Identifying students who are showing concern and mitigating those concerns with staff and the cooperation of families can keep them safe and keep others safe.”

Ken Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services, agrees that doubling down on the human element is essential. “The most effective thing that school officials can do is allocate time for planning, training and communicating about safety, and it’s the thing we find hardest for people to do,” says Trump.

“Research consistently shows the value of what we call ‘shared mental models,’ or, translated into English, ‘being on the same page.’”

Reporting is prevention, not snitching

Carr points out that security cameras and other technology, along with policies like locking doors, are key parts of the safety equation. But prevention is where humans can excel in safeguarding school communities.

91��Ƭistrators must provide year-round training to staff, students and families on spotting signs of students at risk of harming themselves or others.

Carr’s district has training built into the beginning of the school year, at the start of the second semester and throughout the calendar.

“The beginning of the year can be a time when there’s increased anxiety for families and for kids,” she notes. “The training tells them, ‘We’re looking out for you and now you can also look at for each other.’”

District 230 uses digital signs throughout its three high schools and a range of other channels to let students and families know it is a “say something” district. Student leaders are also involved in getting the message out about alerting adults to potential threats.

“We really focus on that part of the training—if something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts, we can always rule anything out,” Carr explains. “We’re creating a culture of reporting, which gives students and staff a way to feel empowered in their own safety.”

Rachel Masi, a clinical psychologist and research consultant for Sandy Hook Promise, encourages administrators to make it clear to that reporting a concern is not the same as snitching or getting a classmate in trouble.

“The No. 1 thing is letting kids know that this about getting your friend or yourself help,” Masi says. “When they know the difference, they’re more willing to raise their hands.”

District leaders and their teams must work to identify all the causes of violence within their buildings and respond appropriately. That could mean ensuring students are well-fed and that a school offers mental health support.

Creating a sense of connectedness among students is another key prevention step.

“Kids don’t feel safe because they walk through metal detectors,” Masi notes. “They feel safe because their homeroom teacher knows who they are, because they have a buddy, because have a coach they can go to.”

What about hardening schools?

The behavior and anxiety-related issues spurred by the pandemic have not gone away. In many cases, they’ve increased, argues Trump, the safety expert.

“We’re seeing schools cutting social workers, intervention specialists and student support services,” he says. “Schools are not going to have the money for social-emotional, mental health supports that ESSER funds provided.”

Leaders should host conversations with community stakeholders, who will come to the table with their own thoughts, perspectives and ideas. Leaders have also been tasked with keeping the peace among parents, who mainly want schools to install the latest security hardware to guarantee students’ safety.

Still, leaders are bolstering their physical security measures. That’s a good thing, but are they prepared for when an incident occurs despite these added safeguards?

“We’ve been telling superintendents and school boards, ‘It’s a fine line to walk,” says Trump. “We understand the need to reassure your community about safety measures you have in place, but at the same time be cautious not to over promise.”

The school community can quickly become compromised in the event of a logistical failure. All it takes is for a student to find a vulnerability in your weapons detection systems. Perhaps all it takes is entry through a side door.

Another question leaders should ask is who is going to be responsible for operating the hardware? Trump says schools should refrain from pulling employees from one end of the building to supervise the weapon screening process at the front door, for example. At that point, you’re simply shifting the area of risk, he warns.

Protecting student data

Leveraging security systems may put student data privacy at risk. Districts are introducing new software that often stores sensitive information that can be breached by cyber criminals, says Ken Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services.

“All of that is drawing more attention not only to ransomware attacks, but also the information that is being given to outside vendors,” explains Trump. “Who owns that information?”

Trump advises administrators to have their vendor contracts reviewed carefully by their school attorney.

“If you look at who staffs most school districts’ IT departments, they are educators and administrators who have moved into these departments,” he adds. “They’re not cybersecurity experts.”

Schools should contract these services and consult cybersecurity experts instead.