District Administration - April 2009 - (Page 30)

Lessons Learned months following the Columbine incident, providing new laws and funding streams for school safety. Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, most legislators jumped to ter prepared for emergencies today than they were prior to the Columbine attack in 1999. But glaring gaps in prevention, security, and preparedness remain. • Emergency plans with questionable content. Many school plans reviewed by school safety consultants have questionable content. Schools typically know, for example, that parents and the media will add the greatest pressure in a school emergency response. Yet parent-student reunification and media management are often two underdeveloped areas in many crisis plans. • Exclusion of support staff in training and planning. School support staff tend to be grossly undertrained and underutilized in school emergency planning. Food service employees, office support staff, day and evening custodians, and school bus drivers are often not included in faculty meetings, on crisis teams, and in drills and exercises. Yet these support staff groups can play critical roles in a school emergency. • Decreased funding for school violence prevention, security, and emergency planning. Federal and state legislators rode the “school safety bandwagon” in the Many school plans reviewed by school safety consultants have questionable content. the “homeland security bandwagon.” Unfortunately, they have never come back to school safety and, in fact, have actually repeatedly cut funds for school violence prevention, security, and preparedness. Combined with complacency, denial and school-community politics, these and other gaps remain as obstacles for improving school crisis preparedness and can leave a school vulnerable. Future Directions Schools in general are more secure and betHow quickly and effectively those gaps will be closed rests with the most valuable resource we have for school safety: our people. Future school safety progress lies in the hands of educators, students, parents, first responders and others who work in schools and/or with students. DA Kenneth S. Trump, M.P.A., is the president of National School Safety and Security Services (www.schoolsecurity.org), a Cleveland-based national school security and emergency preparedness consulting firm. Fresh Solutions for Your School Lunch Program Whether your school cafeteria is self-operated or run by a foodservice contractor, the SUBWAY® School Lunch Program provides the flexibility to choose the program that is best for you. By offering SUBWAY® sandwiches in your school cafeteria, you’ll be offering a trusted brand name that is both well known and liked by your students and staff. For more information: Partner WITH SUBWAY® in YOUR CAFETERIA ! SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc. ©2009 Doctor’s Associates Inc. Contact Chuck deNicolo 1.800.888.4848 x1732 Or e-mail denicolo_c@subway.com www.subway.com 30 April 2009 District Administration http://www.schoolsecurity.org http://www.subway.com http://www.subway.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2009

District Administration - April 2009
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Assessment
Conversations
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Education’s Shot in the Arm
Lessons Learned from Columbine’s 10th Anniversary
An Interview with Columbine’s Superintendent, Cynthia Stevenson
Keeping Track of Technology
Classroom Technology Integration
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Professional Opinion
Research Center
New Products
Product Focus
Online Edge

District Administration - April 2009