SAFE School

School shootings and violence have dominated the media and instilled fear in the
hearts of the American public. Parents and children alike are concerned for their
safety when going to school. Until recently, the threat was mostly realized towards
public schools. The takeover of the Amish school opened the eyes of the private
school community and their administrators around the country. Private schools were
no longer safe simply because of their religious affiliation or status. SAFE believes
that all schools, public and private, should receive a professional site security
assessment every three years. New methods of deterring security breaches and
securing facilities are learned each year and systems and policies warrant periodic
review and consideration.

It is a sad state of affairs when corporations ensure the physical safety of their
employees through the implementation of proper security measures, but the
employees children are exposed to harm and danger. Popular opinion touts that
children are the hope of tomorrow and that they represent the future. However, this
true statement is eroded when examining how far workplace security has come in
comparison to school security. The children of America are worth the effort. They are
worth the expense. The return may or may not be found in monetary form, but the
return on investment for providing a secure environment for children to learn basic life
skills will return tremendous dividends for this nation in the future. A price tag cannot
be put on the life of one child that is saved through the smarter construction of
buildings, enhanced security processes, or modern technology.

The majority of schools were constructed with very little thought given to the physical
securing of the premises. After all, it is a learning facility, not a confined prison. For
the most part, schools were built to facilitate the learning process and allow for ease
of student traffic flow before, during, and after classes. The result is large hallways
with unlocked doors. School administrators are professionals at educating people.
They are not security experts. Many individuals have a level of common sense and
could identify areas of opportunity in which schools can improve. The importance of
having a professional facility or site security assessment (SSA) completed on a
regular basis is necessary to ensure staff and student safety. When conducting a
SSA, the building is reviewed along with the surrounding areas. For example,
questions such as, “How close is the nearest interstate or main road? How close is
the nearest half-way house, jail, and prison? How close is the nearest hospital?
What are the response times and capabilities for fire, police, and rescue workers?”
must be asked and answered. Surrounding crime statistics need to be documented,
floor plans examined, evacuation plans practiced, crisis management plans outlined,
and attendance-challenged and disciplined students identified.

SAFE has found that schools are better equipped to handle potential security
breaches by understanding their points of vulnerability. Corporations in the United
States spend billions of dollars annually ensuring the safety of employees in the
workplace. We believe that our children, tomorrow’s future, deserve the same level of
physical security. We are responsible for creating a safe and secure environment
that enhances the learning experience.

SAFE, Security Assessments for Educators, conducts on-site security
assessments that evaluate the community (demographic variables), criminal
data, floor plans, all buildings and grounds, evacuation plans, law enforcement
response times and capacity, crisis notification systems, and crisis
communication protocol. SAFE provides each school with up to ten,
professionally-bound reports containing the assessment. The SAFE
assessment will contain strategic security recommendations that will improve or
enhance the security of the school campus based upon the evaluation.

Each SAFE school will receive a SAFE Certificate of School Security included in
each report along with a SAFE School membership plaque demonstrating their
proactive commitment to maximizing the security of their staff and student body.
Please look for the SAFE School membership plaque and require that the school
you trust to protect your child is SAFE!

Staff and Student Protection - No other reasons necessary.

		Liability - SAFE site security assessments are the first step to
		addressing your school's safety and security both physically and procedurally. In the event of a crisis, obtaining an independent, professional site security assessment can be interpreted as due diligence (evidence) of a strong concern and emphasis around the top priority of protecting staff and students alike.

		Public Relations - Being a SAFE-certified school is a solid marketing
		strategy. If you had a choice of sending your child to School A or School B, all else being equal, you would probably choose the school that makes the safety of your child a TOP priority.

There are multiple advantages to becoming a SAFE-certified school. The first
thing the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education
recommends for schools in relation to school security is to get a site
assessment. Schools must pro-actively address the security of the staff and
student body. When it comes to school safety and security, one size does not fit
all. A general checklist will not get the job done.

SAFE will make strategic recommendations that provide clarity in exactly what
security measures can be enhanced or improved. SAFE does not have or
provide any of the services it may recommend. We are not trying to conduct an
assessment to sell our product. Assessments performed by SAFE are
non-biased evaluations. Being a SAFE school is not a luxury, it is a necessity.
There are three main reasons you should become a SAFE school today!