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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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In: Uncategorized

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 →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Uncategorized

  The Prevention Gapidemic and Connecting the Dots Shootings:  Twenty-eight innocent students and staff members were killed in 44 U.S.A. school shootings in the 14 months following the tragedy at Sandy Hook. Stabbings: Multiple stabbings in Canada, China and USA, including 16-year-old student in PA who stabbed 21 students and an adult — leaving four seriously injured.   In a 2013 Student Safety Survey – 37% of students said they were aware of an individual that poses a potential risk to their school.  (scary by itself and even scarier since most school officials don’t know) https://www.awareity.com/public/StudentSafetyReport.asp Bullying & Suicide:  The CDC (Centers for Disease ControlRead More →

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In: Research

I am being bullied. I talked to my school and nothing happened. What can I do? This student guide has been created to help you and your classmates make a real difference with proactive actions… This is not your average bully guide…We will not tell you “kids will be kids” or “bullying is a rite of passage”. To request your guide, click here.Read More →

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

  Earlier this month, an elementary school in Buncombe County, N.C., banned 9-year-old Grayson Bruce from carrying his My Little Pony backpack, saying it triggered bullying. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/03/18/my-little-pony-backpack-banned-school-north-carolina/6565425/ According to the student’s mother, one of the school counselor’s suggestions was to hide it. “If you have something like this you’re asking for trouble.” Think about it…BANNING is actually teaching and reinforcing intolerance, BANNING is not helping youth learn how to be tolerant and inclusive. If a school bans My Little Pony backpacks because it might lead to bullying, what’s next?  Banning students with red hair, banning students who are overweight, banning students in wheel chairs andRead More →

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

  Earlier this month, Awareity released our 2013 Student Safety Report – What Students Know and School Administrators Don’t. To request the full report click here. The findings outlined in the report provide administrators with the validations and evidence they need to justify immediate action. Just think how much safer every school would be if all students were equipped with the right tools to report incidents and concerning behaviors. Just think what a difference it would make if School Officials were equipped with the right tools to collect information, connect all the right dots, investigate, perform threat assessments, intervene, monitor, and proactively prevent reports fromRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Education, Risk Management

  Albert Einstein said: “Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.”    I definitely agree with Albert Einstein on this quote.  When it comes to preventing incidents and tragedies in schools, colleges and organizations of all types, evidence clearly reveals our planet is in need of more geniuses. Are you ready to be a genius? Lots of people and experts have opinions on solving problems and let’s be honest…it is fairly easy to look at a problem and make suggestions that people need to do this or that or add more of this or more of that or do it this way or that. With soRead More →

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

  After a very cold and very early start on Sunday morning with a 3 hour delay due to frozen airplane systems and frozen lines (meaning no hot coffee on a very cold plane!), I finally made it to the 25th annual National Youth At-Risk (NYAR) Conference in Savannah, GA. http://coe.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar/ The NYAR conference started with a very motivating and uplifting keynote from Keith Brown – Mr. I’m Possible.   http://www.keithlbrown.com/ Mr. Brown reminded everyone that we can make a difference – a huge difference for all youth if we do that little bit extra and if we do not let negativity discourage us from doingRead More →