A long time ago, Katherine and I advocated parent groups to help schools be the safe learning environments they're supposed to be. Our efforts never gained much traction despite our best efforts.
Several reasons for this come to mind.
Lack of knowledge on what emergency management is, much less entails, was one of those reasons.
Another reason was apathy. It seems like this kind of effort is almost cyclical. A graphic I made helps illustrate this point:
Another reason was no one appeared to know where to start. Parents are key stakeholders in their children's safety while at school. Problem is, few of them know what emergency management is, what their role in it might be, or how overwhelming the process can sometimes be, especially without adequate training in that process.
That's pretty much where everything broke down.
Today, we still have school districts kind of floundering as they face active shooter drill requirements by law. They also have little, to no, knowledge on how to design, develop, and conduct lockdown drills that actually do no harm to those they're intended to protect.
Frustrating? You bet! Why? Because now there's an ongoing and growing call to arm teachers and/or school staff instead of looking at the bigger school safety picture.
So, I got thinking there has to be a better way because school safety is so much more than active shooter drills and lockdowns.
Voila! FEMA, by it's very organizational structure, could serve as a model for how to better address this issue. There's the Federal level emergency management organization (FEMA). There are state level emergency management organizations in every state. There are county level emergency management organizations in every state. There are even city level emergency management organizations albeit mostly in 'larger' communities. County and/or city emergency management organizations are the 'boots on the ground' that actually engage in designing, developing, and implementing their jurisdictions' emergency management programs.
My point is, that's a model for educational organizations, as well. There's already a Department of Education at the Federal level that has resources available to help provide for school safety. There are similar state level organizations. There are similar county level organizations. Jefferson County Schools in Colorado (home of Columbine High School) is an example of this. Their Emergency Response Crisis Management Manual is comprehensive, complete, and follows what, in the emergency management community, are called 'best practices' currently available.
Thing is, though, many schools aren't at this level, yet. I'd be willing to wager most school staff in Jefferson County, Colorado aren't even at that level either. If any of them can tell me they are familiar with all the things detailed in the Manual they would be required to do if an actual incident played out, I'll eat my words.
So, what's missing here? In emergency management circles, the local emergency management director at county and/or city levels directs emergency management activities including all five Mission Areas and Core Capabilities. The same preparedness mission areas of emergency management also apply to school safety:
But, in schools, who actually does all this stuff? Finding the answer to this question can be a bit of a challenge. The FEMA hierarchy includes 'boots on the ground' at local levels that actually design, develop, and implement local emergency preparedness missions. Schools, however, lack that last, most vital tier. And, that's where teachers can fill a vital role. Teachers could become paid part time 'emergency management specialists' in an extra-curricular capacity, like coaches, in their individual schools. That's what's been missing here.
Simple. Straightforward. Cost-effective. All that's needed is for school districts to find it within their budgets to allocate for, and create, these positions.
Arming teachers with weapons is fraught with risks that far too many do not take into consideration. For me, personally, arming teachers is a non-starter. There are better alternatives. Creating 'emergency management specialist' positions to be filled by teachers willing to acquire appropriate training and certification is arguably one of the best alternatives available in my humble opinion. Also, training is free and accessible online from multiple sources including FEMA (Multihazard Emergency Planning for Schools Site Index), schoolsafety.gov, and Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center.
Where there's a will, there's always a way.
My two cents.
* Comments on this blog are moderated.
Seems like a straight forward common sense approach, easily manageable and would work from the inside out instead of from the top to the bottom. Teachers and parents are major stakeholders in any emergency within the walls and on the grounds of their where their children and students attend!
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