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Negative headlines, embarrassing lawsuits, reputational damage, expensive fines, violence, cyber-attacks, suicides, tragedies, etc. – are most of these incidents preventable? YES! Fact: Hundreds of post-event reports have revealed over and over again that prevention was/is possible. Fact: Preventing incidents and tragedies delivers better results than reacting to incidents and tragedies. AND preventing incidents and tragedies means less damage to you, your organization’s reputation, your bottom line and much less drama for everyone involved. 2014 provided numerous examples of preventable incidents that were not prevented and three undeniable lessons: Organizations cannot prevent incidents if the right people are not aware of indicators/warning signs. Prevention is possibleRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

Suppose some great man were to hand you an exquisite, beautifully built machine equipped with many self-repairing features. Suppose he explained to you that with reasonable care and proper handling, this machine would automatically, after about eighteen years of warming up, begin to deliver money from a slot, each week, in gradually increasing amounts for the next forty to sixty years. That the total amount delivered by this machine would not be less than two hundred thousand dollars. He might go on to say that if you really learned how to run and care for the machine like an expert, you might increase its outputRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

An article by Guy Bliesner and Brian Armes was brought to my attention…and in full disclosure I know both Guy and Brian, and I think they do great work with school security assessments and more. Their article was called: There Is No Such Thing as Plausible Deniability in School Safety http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/article/there_is_no_such_thing_as_plausible_deniability_in_school_safety1 Their article explained a “commonly held and deeply disturbing issue of concern” involving campus and district administrators: “If we do an assessment, we will be at a greater risk liability”. The article goes on to point out how the legal doctrine of in loco parentis assigns responsibility to educators for student safety and securityRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

The news and sports headlines for the last several weeks have focused a lot of attention on NFL running back Ray Rice and his involvement in a domestic violence incident, as well as Adrian Peterson and his involvement in child abuse. The headlines were followed by an explosion of public outrage targeted at NFL leadership and Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings leadership. The public felt these leaders failed to make morally right decisions initially, then when caught, offered lame excuses and cover ups for their failed leadership, and also failed to mention their concerns for the victims. As social media outrage and public backlash grew,Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

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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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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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: *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 →