K-12 Schools in Urgent Need of State/Federal Mandates for Emergency Management
Yorktown Heights, NY - December 18, 2012: Emergency management expert Larry Eidelman stressed today the need for tough state and federal mandates on how schools prepare and respond to emergencies. “The 800 pound gorilla in the room is that violence is the number one cause of serious injury or death in our nation’s schools yet there are only detailed mandates for fire drills and not lockout, lockdown and other emergency management protocols. Ironically there has ...
Follow up to ammunition discovery in a local District
In response to the discovery, the District promptly engaged the assistance of law enforcement and placed the school in lockdown. Information of the discovery instantaneously leaked to family members and the media prior to the schools official public statements. A virtually unavoidable problem. One of the first things that needs to happen during an incident, is the exchange of critical information with the public. Frequently, significant time is lost or wasted waiting for "the one person" who can ...
Ammunition discovery in a local District
Last week, ammunition was found in the bathroom of a local District here in Westchester. In response, the District promptly engaged the assistance of law enforcement and placed the school in lockdown. Within several hours of the discovery, the school was deemed safe. While classes were able to resume, clearly there is more work to be done in regards to the origin and intent of the ammunition. The incident is also a valuable ...
Just What Schools Need
Having worked with a countless number of school officials over the years, I have heard of the need to share information about K-12 incidents over and over again. I am so excited about the modern mechanism to do so here in our "SafetyNet" blog. Whether you love what I have to say or prefer to go toe-to-toe on the issue, I hope you will become an active participant in this forum. Larry
One Size Does Not Fit All
While boiler plate emergency plan documents may serve as a general resource, they are not a substitute for a customized plan that addresses a district’s specific needs. What works in one community may not work at all in another and may have consequences that endanger life and property. The reason is largely due to a general plans failure to take into account a school districts unique climate, population diversity, geography and surrounding community. Schools within ...
