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

  Already in 2011, tragedies in Tucson and Omaha have reminded each of us about the consequences of missed opportunities involving red flags and warning signs.  Lives were lost and lives will be changed forever because of these and many other tragic incidents. We are now learning numerous red flags and warning signs existed involving the gunman in each tragedy, which has many people asking why these two tragedies were not prevented and how can we prevent future incidents like these from occurring? Some people are suggesting new gun control laws in Arizona or new laws that do not allow guns within 1000 feet ofRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Uncategorized

  I went on a trip to South Korea of the holidays and had a fabulous time. The trip was great because I had never been to South Korea, so there were many “firsts” for me.  I also love Korean food and had some “really fresh” seafood too! I got to see a lot of South Korea via airplane from Seoul to Jeju Island where I ate a bunch of delicious hallabongs (small orange like citrus fruit grown only in Korea) and rode on my first bullet train from Daejeon back to Seoul….which was very cool and very fast. My top 5 observations about SouthRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Incident Reporting, Legal, Regulatory Compliance, School Safety

  Under a law signed by Governor Patrick in May 2010, all Massachusetts schools had a December 31, 2010 deadline for filing comprehensive bullying prevention and intervention plans. On November 10, only 3 of the 394 school communities had responded.  On December 31, it was reported early in the day that 355 had submitted their plans, but right before the deadline, a flood of plans came in, resulting in 99 percent compliance (only six schools failed to meet the deadline). I believe 99% compliance is an outstanding result, however I do have a few questions: Were the plans submitted comprehensive? Did the schools take theRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Business Continuity, Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management

  Is Measuring Risk Possible? I saw a discussion question recently asking how to measure risk? My first reaction was…do you measure risk?  I say no. Do you measure security?  Do you measure prevention?   I would say no and no. Do you measure cake? Not usually, unless you are paying for cake by the pound, but measuring the cake does not guarantee the cake is any good. Determining if the cake is any good depends on how the cake looks and how the cake tastes.  To make a good cake, you need to measure each of the ingredients for the cake (internal) and you needRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Human Resources, Information Privacy, Information Security, Risk Management

  In a recent Dark Reading article, new research from Trusteer revealed that mobile users are the most likely to fall victim to fake e-mail messages and visit phishing sites. Once they arrive at the fraudulent site they are also three times more likely than users on PCs to provide sensitive login information. Why are mobile users more vulnerable? Availability – smartphones are with their users 24/7 so e-mails are checked more frequently. Phishing attacks generally get their victims during their initial launch, as after a certain time frame sites are taken down, blocked or shut down. Size – the smaller screens of mobile devicesRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, School Safety

  Much of the media spotlight in 2010 was given to bullying, cyberbullying, bullying legislation, bullycides, bullying lawsuits and more.  However, most of the attention was focused on reacting to problems and consequences. In 2011, rather than continuing to discuss how to address bullying once it occurs, reading about young children driven to suicide after countless years of bullying and debating over states implementing anti-bullying laws, perhaps school and community leaders can work together to prevent and mitigate this escalating challenge? In 2011, hopefully schools will be focused on solving bullying related problems, preventing bullying and preventing bullying consequences. The OCR “Dear Colleague” letter inRead More →

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

  In a recent Boston Globe article, several Massachusetts school administrators discussed how they were implementing (or not implementing) the new state requirements for bullying. The new anti-bullying law can potentially expose schools — and individual staffers — to lawsuits by parents or state authorities if incidents of bullying are not handled properly. One of the key requirements is for school leaders to thoroughly investigate all reports of bullying and document actions taken.  One superintendent claimed, “I like to keep the informal stuff in my head.”  But, keeping informal reports and incidents in one faculty member’s head provides no documentation of a student skipping school,Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Uncategorized

  As the end of 2010 approaches, it is a great time to review lessons learned and decide where you need to be to ensure better results in 2011. Lessons learned from WikiLeaks, OCR and NSBA Dear Colleague letters, breaches, lawsuits, fines and numerous other failures clearly reveal how risks, threats, regulations, liabilities, vulnerabilities and obligations are changing.  Are you, your entire organization and your partners prepared for 2011? Status quo is not the way to keep up with change and status quo is clearly taking a serious toll on organizations around the world. Status quo is also expensive and perhaps Albert Einstein said itRead More →

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

  Natasha Alam from True Blood has joined the growing list of celebrities speaking out publicly against bullying.  Celebrities are raising awareness and bringing attention to this escalating challenge. Alam recently filmed an anti-bullying public service announcement (PSA), click here to learn more. Canada recently targeted bullying with their National Bullying Awareness Week and the UK recently promoted the Big March to bring attention to bullying, violence and harassment in schools. Each of these efforts encourages people to speak out about bullying and victimization, and adults are being urged to listen.  These campaigns also mention prevention, the need for awareness and how everyone (students, parents,Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Emergency Management, School Safety, Workplace Violence

  Tips prevent a lot of bad things from happening within organizations, but tips alone are not the answer based on recent lessons learned.  The Christmas Day Bomber attack was prevented and lives saved thanks to tips, but also thanks to the FBI’s proactive efforts in confidentially sharing information with other key players, such as law enforcement and local government. An anonymous tip from Saudi Arabian intelligence helped to locate package bombs that were sent from Yemen.  No doubt these package bombs could have caused a lot of damage and loss of lives, had specialized prevention teams not taken proactive actions to locate and confiscate theRead More →