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Twenty-eight innocent students and staff members were killed in 44 different U.S. school shootings in the 14 months following the tragedy at Sandy Hook. Many schools have implemented school resource officer or security officer programs to help protect students and staff, but faced with limited resources, leading schools are also turning to automated software solutions like Awareity’s TIPS (Threat assessment, Incident management and Prevention Services), a web-based risk and prevention platform. These software solutions offer tools that empower students to anonymously share information, and allow SROs and school administrators to identify potential threats, investigate concerns thoroughly, and ensure their school environment is as safe asRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Success

Another great interview!   This time Rick speaks with Scott Schumacher, Principal of St. Peters Lutheran School in Columbus, Indiana.  Scott is a true leader who is dedicated to building trust and forming strong relationships with his students and staff in order to keep his school safe. Below is a quick excerpt from the interview.  To listen to the full conversation and learn some valuable insights from Scott click here!   Why did your school see a need for an anonymous incident reporting system? Over the years, we know that our school like every school has had some instances where students have bullied others.  We areRead More →

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

Rick recently sat down with Ankeny Community School’s Safety and Security Manager, Chad Bentzinger, to learn more about their school safety efforts and use of TIPS.  We are definitely impressed with Ankeny’s leadership and their dedication to keeping their students safe! Below is a quick excerpt from the interview.  Click here to listen to the rest of Chad’s experiences.   Why did you see a need for the TIPS prevention platform? For us it was a two-pronged approach.  Understanding the districts in our area have had to deal with students who have committed suicide and the post effects, we looked at what we can doRead More →

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There were at least 60 incident reports prior to the April 16, 2007, shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, but the school had no central repository to collect that data, such as a dedicated database where all of these various types of information could be stored and analyzed, he said. “They just didn’t have a way of collecting and connecting the dots,” Mr. Shaw said. “What if all of the Virginia Tech incident reports were routed to a threat assessment team?” For full article: http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20140608/NEWS06/306089983#Read More →

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In: Success

Stories of violence, weapons, abuse, self‐harm and bullying are being reported in school systems nationwide. A small rural school in Oklahoma is taking a proactive stance by establishing a school‐wide prevention program. Turpin School recently selected Awareity’s TIPS platform to help keep their students safe. TIPS, an award‐winning web‐based software tool, empowers students (and parents, staff, teachers, and community members) to anonymously report Bullying, Cyber Bullying, Drugs/Alcohol, Weapons, Vandalism, Suspected Abuse, Threats of Violence and Bus Incidents. When a report is submitted via the TIPS REPORT INCIDENT button on the Turpin School web site, all team members (principals and superintendent) are instantly notified and canRead More →

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

  Frogs, Excuses and Budgets   Most everyone has heard of the Boiling Frog Syndrome…. When a frog is dropped in boiling water it will jump out…but when a frog is placed in cold water that is gradually heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be ‘cooked to death’. The same is true for Schools and Colleges (and other organizations too) failing to recognize the impact of a gradual rise in risks, threats, incidents, headlines, settlements and tragedies. As student safety incidents and tragedies become more common in the headlines, several common excuses from School Officials and College Officials indicate many may notRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, School Safety

  Questions Reveal Answers   IF old school advice and hundreds and hundreds of stop bullying programs/curriculums were the solution – why would the CDC cite bullying and suicide as a significant public health problem? http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying-suicide-translation-final-a.pdf   IF old school advice and stop bullying programs/curriculums were the solution, why would a 2013 Student Survey of nearly 4,500 students in schools across 19 states reveal that 85% of students witness/experience bullying in their schools? https://www.awareity.com/public/StudentSafetyReport.asp   IF millions and millions of dollars spent on security products was the solution – shouldn’t campus and community violence prevention be millions of times better? Do school/college leaders believe theyRead More →

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Rick Shaw, President and CEO of Awareity, has been selected as the risk management session chair at the upcoming Annual Pan‐Pacific Conference in Sakai City, Osaka, Japan, June 2‐5, 2014. This year’s conference theme is “Designing the Shared Future through Co‐Creation”. Now in its 31st year, the Pan‐Pacific Business Association provides a forum for scholars, executives, and government officials from Pacific‐Rim countries to discuss important issues relating to a better quality of life in this region. Management scholars and practioners will assess the adaptability of various new management innovations to their own business environments. Shaw will join 3 other experts in a special session onRead More →