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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, Emergency Management, Incident Reporting, Legal, Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management, School Safety

  Virginia Tech was fined the maximum fine allowed under the Clery Act of $55,000 for waiting almost two hours before warning students, faculty and staff of an active shooter on campus. Lessons Learned: Colleges and Universities must develop, implement and follow clearly defined policies and procedures for notifying students and staff in emergency situations.  School Administrators may want to create customizable, organizational and situational specific templates prior to an incident so the warning messages are already defined and the appropriate processes are understood by all appropriate personnel.   Organizations must also have customized emergency and crisis management plans and ensure all individuals (students, faculty, staff,Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, Emergency Management, Incident Reporting, Legal, Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management, School Safety

  The U.S. Department of Education released the Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting providing step-by-step procedures, examples, and references for higher education institutions to follow in meeting campus safety and security requirements. Lessons Learned:  College and University administrators are overwhelmed with responsibilities for HEOA, FERPA, HIPAA, Clery Act, OCR ‘Dear Colleague’ Letters, and much more and therefore guidance from the Federal Government can be helpful.  It is critical for School Administrators to utilize resources and develop comprehensive campus safety programs and create a culture of compliance and preparedness that is ongoing.  Traditional methodologies are clearly not working based on new handbooks, new regulationsRead More →

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

  Lawsuits targeting school districts for allowing students to be bullied by other students are escalating. Lessons Learned: With new guidelines outlined in an OCR “Dear Colleague” Letter and an increase in bullying, harassment, discrimination and school violence, schools need to be aware of the potential risk of lawsuits.  School leaders must ensure all individuals (staff, faculty, parents, students, counselors, etc.) understand their roles and responsibilities for preventing and responding to bullying and how to report incidents of bullying.  Schools must implement comprehensive and ongoing protocols for responding to ALL incidents of bullying and cyber bullying with legal-ready documentation to avoid “deliberate indifference” claims andRead More →

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

The Brazilian whose shooting spree left 12 school children dead was a loner who spent his days surfing the Web, and had been victim of schoolyard bullying and taunts.  His classmates and former teachers said he was routinely bullied at school, rejected and taunted by girls in class, and forced to endure “constant humiliation”. Lessons Learned:  There are several lessons learned from this tragedy.  Number One: Bullying can have a devastating effect on a child and can lead to severe violence.   Number Two: Multiple red flags were given prior to this attack: recent clothing changes, change in mental state, researching weapons online, withdrawing from society,Read More →

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

  Lawsuits targeting school districts for allowing students to be bullied by other students are escalating. Lessons Learned: With new guidelines outlined in an OCR “Dear Colleague” Letter and an increase in bullying, harassment, discrimination and school violence, schools need to be aware of the potential risk of lawsuits.  School leaders must ensure all individuals (staff, faculty, parents, students, counselors, etc.) understand their roles and responsibilities for preventing and responding to bullying and how to report incidents of bullying.  Schools must implement comprehensive and ongoing protocols for responding to ALL incidents of bullying and cyber bullying with legal-ready documentation to avoid “deliberate indifference” claims andRead More →

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

  The parents of a bullied student who committed suicide in 2009 have filed a lawsuit against the Hillsborough School Board claiming school officials failed to take proper steps after learning their daughter showed signs of being suicidal. Lessons Learned:  If a student signs “a formal contract in which she expressly agreed not to commit suicide” at school with a school social worker…does the school have the responsibility to tell the student’s parents about the signed contract? School boards and school leaders need to make sure their policies and procedures define situational awareness – what steps should be taken in different situations – so counselors,Read More →

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

  Brazilian gunman fatally shot 11 children and wounded 18 others at a Rio de Janeiro public school… One person dead and three others hurt in a shooting at Southern Union Community College… Student Planned to Shoot “As Many as He Could”… If you followed the headlines last week, we saw multiple tragedies at schools and colleges around the globe.  However, one high school in Missouri was able to prevent what could have been a potentially devastating attack. An 18 year old student was arrested with conspiring to shoot other students at his school.  There were multiple warning signs identified and fortunately two brave students cameRead More →

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

  Attention Governors, State Education Directors, Superintendents, School Boards, Principals and community leaders: What is Brain Drain?  Most often ‘brain drain’ is defined as ‘the human capital flight’ or the loss of skilled intellectual and technical labor through the movement of such labor to more favorable geographic, economic or professional environments. But a more serious and more damaging ‘brain drain’ is taking place within our schools on a daily basis and the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention last week validates this more serious ‘brain drain’ is taking place. According to The White House Blog: Every day, thousands of kids, teens, and young adults aroundRead More →

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

  Seems like ‘winning’ is a popular word these days thanks to all the TV and radio shows that have jumped on the Mr. Sheen train. But is Mr. Sheen really winning or is he really reaching out for ‘HELP’? With the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention coming up tomorrow, it seems like ‘HELPING’ is a better word of the day.  As White House Blog points out, thousands of kids, teens, and young adults are bullied every day.  And estimates are that nearly one-third of all school-aged children are bullied each year which is upwards of 13 million students.  How are communities and schoolsRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, School Safety

  Pictures are worth a thousand words.  Pictures tell stories.  So what does a picture tell about alarming trends in schools? Financial Funding is Decreasing and the ‘funding cliff is coming’… School Safety obligations and costs are increasing School Safety liabilities and costs are increasing Regulations and Federal Mandates (OCR Dear Colleague Letter) for schools are increasing Compliance costs are increasing Legal Defensibility responsibilities and costs are increasing Behavioral and mental health responsibilities and costs are increasing Bullying and Cyber Bullying related costs are increasing Suicide related costs are increasing   Funding is decreasing for many reasons and funding will continue to be an ongoingRead More →