(Released 20 April 2017) Wilmington, DE – The Secure Schools Alliance Research and Education (the Alliance) organization has released the first brief in its new toolkit for K-12 learning institutions and law enforcement – Securing Our Schools – entitled, “Starting the Conversation About School Safety.”
The Alliance partnered with the Police Foundation to develop a series of issue briefs designed to engage communities in preparing for and responding to school safety issues. This first brief discusses school preparedness, threats facing schools and the critical roles that all segments of the community have in securing our schools.
“Recently, our country experienced another act of senseless violence in one of our nation’s K-12 public schools. The shooting in San Bernardino was tragic, and our prayers are with the families and communities affected,” said Robert Boyd, executive director of the Alliance. “North Park Elementary and the San Bernardino police had plans in place and executed them well. All local communities should have critical incident plans in place for school safety events, and all members of the community have a vested interest in protecting our schools.”
Future releases for the Securing Our Schools toolkit will include two more briefs prepared by the Police Foundation: “Partner Roles and Responsibilities for Securing Schools” and “Secure Schools: Part of Healthy Learning Environment.”
“This partnership has produced an important set of resources for schools, families, youth, and communities," said Chief (ret.) Jim Bueermann, President of the Police Foundation. “Being proactive and prepared within any community, especially in school facilities, is very important to healthy communities.”
Recently, the Alliance released an interactive map of state by state school security policies, resources and legislation and a list of security and safety assessments available for use by schools at no cost.
“All of us want to believe that our communities and schools are safe, but evidence shows us that with proper assessments, good planning and appropriate resources, security for our public schools can be radically improved,” said Boyd. “It is time to make K-12 security a priority.”
About the Secure Schools Alliance
The Secure Schools Alliance and Secure Schools Research and Education are taking a leadership role in launching a national conversation about the issue of school safety and advocating a course of action for addressing it. This convening of education, industry, public safety, law enforcement, corporate and community leaders will work together to ensure the security of our nation’s schools through federal and state policy, legislation, research, pilot programs and the promotion of best practices. The goal is to improve the security infrastructure, security technology and life safety systems of all public K-12 schools.
About the Police Foundation
The Police Foundation is a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization that, consistent with its commitment to improve policing, has been on the cutting edge of police innovation for over 40 years. The Police Foundation’s work is informed by available evidence and aims to increase public safety and strengthen communities. The professional staff at the Police Foundation works closely with Law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, victim advocates, and community based organizations in order to develop research, comprehensive reports, policy briefs, model policies, and innovative programs that will continue to support the work of law enforcement personnel as it relates to increasing strong community-police partnerships.
Contact:
Robert Boyd
Email: rboyd@secureschoolsalliance.org
Phone: 302-387-2945
Released by the Secure Schools Alliance.