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Next Generation Challenges are Not Going Away… Click here to download Awareity’s Next Generation Survival Guide for Superintendents, School Board Members and Educators to learn how you can take action today! Every day more children’s lives are ruined and lost. Sweeping and pervasive media coverage of bullying, cyber bullying, suicides, sexual violence, human trafficking, gangs, stabbings, shootings and other violence in schools and colleges provide a constant reminder of the need for solutions. After nearly every school related incident, lawsuit or tragedy, post-incident reports are released to explain what happened, what went wrong and suggestions on how to prevent the incident or tragedy from happeningRead More →

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The school shooter in DeKalb County, GA allegedly gained entry to the heavily secured school by “piggy-backing”, following someone with controlled access through the door. Does your school have a policy to prevent this potential risk? Do you tell your employees not to hold the door open for others? How are visitors managed on a day to day basis? Most schools try to steer visitors to one controlled entry point, the “front door”. Reconfiguring school entrances to direct all traffic here is good. However, many schools may then develop tunnel vision and only focus on the security of that front entrance. It is important toRead More →

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How safe do students really feel at school? Southwestern Wisconsin School District (SWSD) asked their students that very question last May and are now taking action to proactively ensure a safe environment for all students and staff. SWSD recently selected Awareity’s TIPS platform as part of a school-wide prevention effort. At the end of last school year, SWSD students in Grades 7-12 participated in a school climate survey. The results revealed 55% of the respondents had been bullied or had witnessed someone being bullied at school. 22% of the respondents felt uncomfortable reporting these acts to school officials for fear of retaliation. The survey alsoRead More →

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As the new school year begins and already we see tragic stories of bullying, suicide and violence emerge throughout school systems and communities; Nodaway Valley Community School District in Iowa is focusing on prevention. Nodaway Valley CSD is implementing Awareity’s proven and multi-award-winning TIPS (Threat assessment, Incident management & Prevention Services) prevention platform to help improve school communications, raise awareness and improve student safety. TIPS is an innovative solution equipping students, teachers, staff, parents and community members to anonymously report bullying, cyber bullying, weapons, abuse, vandalism, suicide risks and other concerning behaviors. It is impossible for a school to prevent something they don’t know about.Read More →

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Awareity is excited to announce that The Handbook for School Safety and Security, written by Lawrence J. Fennelly and Marianna A. Perry has been released! Awareity’s President, Rick Shaw, authored and contributed Chapter 7: Prevention and Student Safety for K-12, providing an overview of how K-12 schools can better focus on PREVENTION efforts and strategies, rather than the last resort of REACTING to an incident or tragedy at their school. School security is one of the most pressing public concerns today. Yet in most schools, there is little security expertise or detailed knowledge about how to implement and manage a security program. The Handbook forRead More →

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Beginning Sept. 3, UNL’s website will provide a link to a new reporting service. TIPS, an online reporting system that can be accessed via a new permanent link in the footer of the UNL.edu home page, expands the methods by which any member of the university community can share matters they feel need to be elevated or addressed. Reports can be made anonymously and confidentially about matters ranging from discrimination or inappropriate behavior to acts of kindness. Upon submission, the TIPS reports go to Awareity, an outside firm, to protect anonymity and confidentiality. They are then forwarded to a team of UNL administrators assigned toRead More →

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The Fairfax County Government recently launched Awareity’s TIPS prevention platform as part of their ongoing workplace violence prevention and safety efforts. Safety officers within Fairfax County are required to report all security incidents, including alcohol/drugs, arson, bombs, burglary, disorderly conduct, extortion, fraud, property damage, suspicious activity, theft, threats and assaults, weapons violations and workplace violence. Prior to implementing the TIPS platform, officers would complete paper forms with all details of the initial report. These reports would then be filed with the central office. It was extremely difficult to keep track of what actions had been taken on a report, ensure appropriate follow-up was taking placeRead More →

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Rick recently sat down with Homer Public School’s Secondary Principal Randy Pirner to learn more about their school safety efforts and use of TIPS. As a small rural school in Nebraska, we are definitely impressed with Homer’s leadership and their innovative efforts to keep their students safe! Below is a quick excerpt. Click here to listen to full interview. Why did your school see the need for a proactive prevention program like TIPS? Principal Pirner: We found that we had an issue with bullying; not a significant number, but we had a total disconnect from the younger child having an issue with bullying to theRead More →

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The 2013 Student Safety Report helps explain why so many incidents and tragedies in schools are not prevented. Students see and hear about things most school administrators don’t. Students are talking about concerning behaviors (hurting others, self-harm/cutting themselves, suicidal ideations, bringing weapons to school, drugs/alcohol and other risks) among themselves, but unfortunately this information is not being shared with the right people. Click here to request your copy of the report “Students want help and students want to help other students, but too many gaps and silos exist” said Rick Shaw, CEO of Awareity. “This survey provides important insights into why so many students andRead More →