School Safety: Twelve Free Actions A Principal May Take to Ensure a Safe School

Written By: Dr. Michael Milstead |@DrMilstead |@ToPrincipal |@CoachJeffery

On Wednesday, April 21, 1999 I arrived to my job as Associate Principal of Missouri City Middle School about an hour or so earlier than my normal 7 a.m. time. By then most of the facts surrounding the Columbine school shooting from the previous day had been released and Americans had gained some insight into this horrific tragedy. My principal was attending a conference out of the city during that time and I was left in charge. He and I spoke on the night of the shooting and like most people were in total shock and disbelief that something like this could happen in our country. At the conclusion of our conversation he directed me take five actions at the school the following day. They were to conduct a faculty meeting before school to talk to staff about the shooting and construct a plan of action for addressing student’s concern about the incident, review our schools safety drills with faculty, come on the public address system and have a moment of silence for the victims of Columbine and their families and remind students of our school’s safety precautions, be available to answer all parent concerns about their child’s safety at school, and finally to be visible throughout the school during the day. Most of our students came to school stunned, however the day went very smooth without any incident.

It has been almost 20 years since the Columbine tragedy, but its occurrence had a profound impact on how I viewed school safety as a building principal. The most important thing that it taught me is to always place student safety as a priority. In fact school safety should be at the center of cultivating a campus’ culture.

In wake of the most recent school shooting in Sante’ Fe, Texas, (which is only an hour or so drive from my home) I reflect on the actions that I have taken over the years to insure my students and staff safety. I have been and elementary, junior high and high school principal and implemented these procedures in each of my campuses. After Columbine the Secret Service concluded in a report that schools were placing too much hope on physical security and more attention should be placed on pre-attack behaviors of students. So here are Twelve Free Actions that a principal may take in order to secure his/her school:

1. Each school day at approximately the same time come on the PA system and assure students that they are safe at school. Let them know that the adults in the school are protecting them from any harm. Remind them of all safety measures in the school and encourage them to tell an adult if they see anything that may cause injury or harm to them or anyone in the school.
2. Constantly remind staff to take a few moments out of their instructional period to talk with students about safety weekly.
3. Be visible throughout the school and occasionally peeking into classrooms giving the students the thumbs up that all is well.
4. Build relationships with students by holding brief conversations with them as they transition through the school. Students often hear about threats before they happen and will feel safe in telling an adult they can trust.
5. Insure daily that all classroom and doors around the school are locked. This check should be conducted by school administrators and security. Make sure that staff and students observe this being done so they may mimic the behavior. Remind students not to open school doors to allow anyone in that they do not know.
6. Communicate to parents often via email, newsletter, and phone blast to talk with their child as often as possible about school safety and reporting anything they see that may appear to be suspicious.
7. During each student transition period as a non- negotiable require teachers standing outside of their classroom doors and monitor traffic in their areas. Encourage them to report anything that looks unusual to an administrator.
8. Form a school safety committee and include parents and students. Review safety procedures monthly and encourage innovative a creative approaches to safety in your school.
9. Conduct safety drills throughout the year and share feedback with staff and students immediately after drills are completed. Keep a diary of each of the drills.
10. Establish a Crime Stoppers hotline for students, staff to call and leave tips regarding a possible incident.
11. Do random backpack checks either as students enter school or in their classroom. This can be quick and non-threatening.
12. Establish protocol for all visitors entering the building. You may want them all to come through one entrance. Make sure that all visitors can be identified with a name tag.

These 12 actions by no means are all exhaustive nor will they totally alleviate the possibility of incidents occurring in school. What they will do however is establish a sense of urgency and commitment for the safety of members of the school. When the adults in the school prioritize safety then students feel that they are of valued and cared about. This in turn builds stronger bonds and relationships between student and teachers. Student performance is enhanced when they feel safe and can trust their teachers.