Think outside the box: Doing more with less, Part 2

Dollar Sign on Green BackgroundIn my last blog, I wrote about the massive budget deficits facing most school districts, making it vital that everyone learn to do more with less. Yet, at the same time, we can’t overlook the security needs of our campuses. A few thefts or acts of vandalism can cost more than…

In my last blog, I wrote about the massive budget deficits facing most school districts, making it vital that everyone learn to do more with less. Yet, at the same time, we can’t overlook the security needs of our campuses. A few thefts or acts of vandalism can cost more than the security that may have helped prevent the crimes.

It begins with a security risk assessment. The goal is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the district’s security program. Often times, the weaknesses can be remedied with simple, inexpensive solutions such as landscaping, fencing, or lighting.…Read More

Think outside the box: Find ways to do more with less

money-saving1Is it possible to maintain a strong security posture while spending no more or even less on security equipment and services? It is possible. But it will take careful planning and working with…

Times are tough all around. States across the country have passed budgets for 2010 that are 5.4 percent less than a year earlier. Even with the cuts, deficits are expected to reach nearly $15 billion. Deficits of this size result in cuts in personnel, classes and extra-curricular activities, and the closing of some school properties.

The next round of budgeting will continue to be a major test for local school boards, as they plan to maintain children’s educational opportunities and standards with less money. Finding ways to do more became the motto starting in 2009 and may become even more vital this year.…Read More

Keep after-school events safe

School Resource Officer_2311The start of a new high school football season is a reason to celebrate–but it also is a time for administrators to be on guard against those who find the games an excuse for criminal behavior. And it’s not just football that can lead to security problems on campus. The same can be true for dances, concerts, and other after-school activities. Fortunately, there are some steps that can help control a situation before it gets out of hand…

For many students, faculty, parents, and members of the surrounding community, the start of a new high school football season is a reason to celebrate. But it also is a time for administrators to be on guard against a few people who find the games an excuse for criminal behavior.…Read More

More schools take security seriously

keypadAs we enter a new school year, I’m happy to see several districts spent the summer making investments in keeping their students, faculty and staff safer. One New Mexico district partnered with a new…

As we enter a new school year, I’m happy to see several districts spent the summer making investments in keeping their students, faculty and staff safer.

•    One New Mexico district partnered with a new bus service provider that equips each bus with three surveillance cameras–one facing the students in their seats, another watching as the kids step on board and the last monitoring the road.  District drivers were immediately pleased.…Read More

Train and maintain

OTE_lab_close_0ne of the more confusing stories I’ve read lately comes from East St. Louis, Ill., where burglars have taken more than $1 million in…

One of the more confusing stories I’ve read lately comes from East St. Louis, Ill., where burglars have taken more than $1 million in computers and other expensive electronic equipment from local schools over the past year–yet there have been no records of any requests for prosecution of the crimes.

And there is even disagreement among how many laptop computers have been stolen, with the reports ranging between 52 and 110.…Read More

Copper thieves continue to strike

copper_wireSchools are not immune. I recently wrote about an Oklahoma district hard hit by thieves taking or gutting…

Copper theft continues to escalate across the country. Churches, doctor’s offices, retail businesses, and government facilities are all targets. And schools are not immune. I recently wrote about an Oklahoma district hard hit by thieves taking or gutting air conditioners for the copper inside the units.

As the price of copper hits new highs almost daily, the Fort Worth Independent School District has fallen victim to copper thieves. The district recently had to replace damaged air conditioners on nine campuses at a cost well in excess of $100,000. The self-insured district, like nearly all others in the country, is strapped for cash.…Read More

We owe our students more

bully1Once a student becomes a victim of a school crime, he or she becomes more aware of…

Once a student becomes a victim of a school crime, he or she becomes more aware of other potential criminal activity, becomes a victim of bullies, or is just generally fearful of a future attack.  A recently released survey from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center of Education Statistics included some interesting numbers about theft, gangs, drugs, and bullying on campus.

During the 2006-07 school year, just more than four percent of students ages 12-18 reported being a victim of any crime–theft, violent victimization, or serious violent victimization–at school.…Read More

Great cooperation between school and law enforcement officials

PoliceSchoolSafetyDay-lgSchool and law enforcement officials in Central Florida’s Volusia County are to be commended for their efforts to…

School and law enforcement officials in Central Florida’s Volusia County are to be commended for their efforts to prepare sheriff’s deputies and other first responders for a possible school shooting.

Shortly after the 1999 Columbine massacre, the sheriff’s department began training to preserve life and property with an emphasis on being able to get kids safely away from a school where a shooting incident was in progress.…Read More

Mo. families grieve 2 slain in school buses wreck

Rescue personnel work at the scene of an accident involving two school buses and a tractor-trailer on Aug. 5 near Gray Summit, Mo.
Rescue personnel work at the scene of an accident involving two school buses and a tractor-trailer on Aug. 5 near Gray Summit, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

What was supposed to have been a day of fun for a high school marching band turned into a day of chaos and tragedy, when the two buses taking them to an amusement park slammed into a highway wreck, killing a 15-year-old student and the driver of another vehicle.

The Aug. 5 morning crash near Gray Summit, about 40 miles west of St. Louis, Mo., sent dozens of children from St. James’ John F. Hodge High School to hospitals, where most were treated for minor injuries and released. Two students remained hospitalized that evening.

But Jessica Brinker, a 15-year-old student who was sitting in the back of the first bus to hit the wreck, was killed, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.…Read More

Handcuffs for first graders?

hands-in-handcuffsHow far can a school go in disciplining students? Twenty states have laws permitting…

How far can a school go in disciplining students?

Twenty states have laws permitting corporal punishment in schools and in the most recent statistics from 2005-06, more than 223,000 students were subjected to physical punishment during the school year. But the numbers have been steadily declining since more than 1.5 million students were struck in 1976. Corporal punishment has its detractors, but also many very staunch defenders.…Read More

Schools: Protect yourselves

arrestingHere’s another story that leaves me shaking my head. A Midwestern school district has reported…

Here’s another story that leaves me shaking my head. A Midwestern school district has reported thefts of air-conditioning units at four schools this summer. The damages total more than $80,000. At one school alone, thieves–looking for valuable copper tubing–made off with 13 entire units. Two other schools reported a total of 10 units stolen. Another campus had seven units destroyed as the thieves searched for copper.

One official said the district has insurance, but with a $100,000 deductible. The loss so far is equivalent to the salaries of two teachers, he said. Not many districts can afford this type of loss.…Read More

Don’t ‘pass the trash’

DeniedStampAn investigation in 2008 by the state of Oregon found that 47 schools in the state had made a “pass the trash” deal over the previous five years. “Pass the trash” is a dangerous…

Thorough background checks are one of the best ways to ensure that the administrators, teachers, and staff you hire and volunteers for your campus don’t have potentially dangerous skeletons in their closets.…Read More