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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Incident Reporting, Risk Management, School Safety

  If you missed part one of this blog, please click here for teachable moments and bullying laws… Now that you have reviewed Part 1, my other concern with this story involves communities and their taxpayers.  Is the complaint by school administrators and this vote by the Council on Local Mandates putting communities and taxpayers in a more vulnerable situation with even more liabilities and costs? Do these school administrators know what happens when a school does not take appropriate actions by equipping everyone to report incidents, investigating all reports, intervening, preventing a hostile environment and documenting their actions?  Are the Council on Local MandatesRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Incident Reporting, Risk Management, School Safety

  A recent news story involving the NJ Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, the Council on Local Mandates and a school district in Warren County in New Jersey caught my attention.  After reviewing related articles, are New Jersey school administrators missing out on a significant teachable opportunity? http://legalclips.nsba.org/?p=11962&utm_source=NSBA+e-Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=b060639842-Legal+Clips+Newsletter&utm_medium=email The Council on Local Mandates voted 7-2 that the New Jersey state law regarding anti-bullying must be amended because it includes an unfunded mandate for local school districts.  Is this really the message school administrators want to send to their students about doing the right thing?  Are these school leaders saying student safety and anti-bullying issues are notRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Education, School Safety

  A special thanks to Sarah Fudin for the “School Bullying Outbreak” infographic below raising awareness and providing facts about bullying methods, bullying consequences and preventative measures.  Once you have reviewed this educational graphic, please scroll down to see our “Next Steps” for bullying prevention.  Via MAT@USC: Masters in Teaching   Like Sarah points out in her blog, we all believe schools should be a safe place for students where they can learn without fear or apprehension. Yet the “School Bullying Outbreak” infographic reveals bullying problems and alarming personal consequences are creating lots of fear and challenges for students, schools, parents and communities too. AndRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, Incident Reporting, Legal, Risk Management, School Safety

  With the recent passing of football coach, Joe Paterno, Joe he can now rest in peace knowing he touched the lives of many as a coach at Penn State for 62 of his 85 years on this planet. The horrific scandal at Penn State University will no doubt have an effect on the legacy of JoePa (his nickname suggesting his fatherly quality to his players and students too), some will judge JoePa based on what they know and others will judge JoePa based on what they don’t know. For me, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Joe Paterno for his foresightRead More →

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In: Success

Financial institutions and their customers continue to be defrauded by increased incidents of account takeover, ACH and wire fraud incidents that have led to the theft of millions of dollars. These incidents have led to a series of lawsuits between banks and customers, and they were a key reason for the release of the updated FFIEC Authentication Guidance. So, how can institutions meet new requirements and improve their abilities to prevent fraud and detect and respond to suspicious activities? A pioneering institution in Nebraska, Cornhusker Bank, is leading the way with an innovative incident management software platform from Awareity called TIPS. TIPS allows all bankRead More →

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In: Research

Information your school leaders (Board Members, Superintendents, Principals, Student Services, Safety Teams and others) need to know to effectively prevent serious and expensive consequences with lifelong effects on students, families and communities. To request this document, please click here to fill out our Resources request form.Read More →

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In: Success

TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa Public Schools, as an outgrowth of its anti-bullying efforts, is launching a new online tool that will encourage students, teachers, staff and others in the Tulsa community to confidentially report bullying or other potentially harmful incidents. The district plans to go “live” with TIPS (Threat Assessment, Incident Management and Prevention Services) in January 2012, with a link from the TPS website at www.tulsaschools.org. In addition to bullying and cyber-bullying, TIPS also allows for the anonymous reporting of weapons possession, drug/alcohol use, harassment or intimidation, school vandalism, physical assault, threats of violence, suicide risk, abuse or neglect and other incidents. TIPS, aRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, School Safety

  Last week, Secretary Arne Duncan from the Department of Education, along with several other agencies, sponsored the second annual national summit on bullying. Multiple federal government representatives reminded the attendees that bullying remains a priority and that is good…Unfortunately we have heard similar messages at multiple White House Summits and multiple conferences. So based on the advice of Benjamin Franklin who said: Well done is always better than well said. Beginning this week, now is the time to take the next step from “well said” to “well done”.   To help with this transformation, I will identify examples of “well saids” along with potential waysRead More →

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In: Success

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Communications Services Inc. (CSI) are engaged in creating and building the Nebraska Regional Interoperability Network (NRIN). The network is designed to connect the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and dispatch centers across Nebraska’s eight state regions. A project this complex requires continuous coordination and secure information‐sharing between NEMA, the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), CSI, sub‐contractors and key personnel in each of the eight local communication regions. NEMA and CSI chose Awareity’s web‐based MOAT (Managed Ongoing Awareness and Trust) platform to keep all parties informed and ensure ongoing communications and situational awareness. MOAT empowers project administratorsRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Legal, Risk Management, School Safety

  When it comes to anti-bullying efforts, most seem to be in agreement that we need to do something about bullying. It is everyone’s moral obligation to lookout for the safety of students and do the right thing.   However, in New Jersey, there is a debate on new legislation and school requirements. On November 1, 2011, the Executive Director at New Jersey Association of School Administrators, Mr. Richard Bozza, submitted an ‘Opinion’ piece discussing the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights that started by saying, “THERE’S NO question about it.  We need to do something about bullying.” Mr. Bozza’s opinion also stated the unfunded mandateRead More →