The School Safety Advocacy Council (SSAC) is the nation’s recognized leader in school based safety training and services. For decades the staff of the School Safety Advocacy Council has provided school safety consultation, training, and safety services for government organizations and school districts, such as the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Los Angeles Unified School District, Clark County School District, and Wake County Public School System.

School Safety Assessments

A comprehensive assessment of the school climate, procedures, anti-bullying efforts, and physical school structures is critical to providing a safe and effective educational setting. A school safety assessment is the strategic evaluation and facilities audit used to identify emerging and potential school campus security issues.

During the assessment, School Safety Advocacy Council Team Members will meet with key personnel from the school and district to discuss specific threat and vulnerability concerns. Following campus based interviews; team members will conduct an internal/external security/safety assessment as well as assessments of school climate of the campus. The nationally recognized Crime Prevention through Environmental Design Concept (CPTED) will be utilized to assess the security of all building and grounds. During the assessment, key factors will be examined to ascertain their direct impact on the educational mission, student and staff safety, school climate, student bullying, school attendance and overall campus security.

Expert Witness and Litigation Consulting Services

The School Safety Advocacy Council provides school safety and law enforcement consultant services for all related litigation.  We possess the unmatched experience to evaluate all aspects of the merits of your case, and render a professional and unbiased opinion. Our experts will present you with our assessment of the facts based on our experiences, professional training and education. Our team will assist you in determining litigation strengths and limitations as well as identifying issues that require further actions in your discovery process.

Develop or Review School Emergency Response Plans

Our experts will review all safety and security policies and procedures currently in place with the goal to redesign and/or develop more effective methods to execute the districts emergency plans.  We will evaluate all security, emergency action/incident plans, as well as post incident response procedures. Potential deficiencies are identified with recommendations for improvement and compliance. Determinations are made about the presence or absence of critical elements, the scope and limitations of the plan itself, inadequacies and constraints of the plan, the frequency and quality of training, the accessibility and usability of the plan, and the frequency and quality of updates.

School Crisis Tabletop Exercises

Practicing your school based emergency response procedures is crucial to enhancing your emergency preparedness capabilities.  A tabletop exercise will simulate an emergency situation in an informal, stress-free classroom environment. The goal is to initiate discussion of emergency guidelines with a focus on training and familiarization with designated roles, guidelines, and responsibilities.

Full-Scale School Crisis Drill

School based full-scale crisis drills evaluate the operational capability of districts emergency management systems in a highly stressful environment that simulates actual conditions. Full-scale exercises test and evaluate most functions of the emergency response-operational plan, including the mobilization of emergency personnel, equipment and resources.

Professional Placement Services

The School Safety Advocacy Council offers varying levels of professional placement services for school based law enforcement departments, security departments, institutions and or similar management candidates. We can assist in developing or updating job descriptions that include the necessary requirements for qualification in one of these specialized positions. Once your hiring notice is completed we will use our vast connections in the field to advertise your position to qualified applicants.

Using our unmatched knowledge of school safety our team can provide assistance with the screening of applicants to determine their actual qualifications for your specific position.  For advanced positions, using nationally recognized experts, we can conduct oral boards, interviews, and functional exercises to determine a candidates’ capability to function under stressful and crisis situations. We can also arrange and conduct final interviews at your site, with the participation of your designated hiring team.

At the completion of the application process we can conduct background verification, personal interviews, and other selected screening methods leading to the recommendation of a qualified candidate.

Professional School Safety Consulting Services

Is your district or agency prepared to mitigate the variety of safety risks that can impact your schools? With multiple factors influencing a schools readiness for emergencies, there are many areas in which districts are often unprepared to prevent or minimize these events. While the types of threats are often similar across schools and communities, each school and districts culture will require unique solutions to these issues. We have the specialized knowledge to identify the specific areas where you need safety and security improvement which is the key to protecting your schools, students, and staff from threats.

Our goal is to give your district the tools and knowledge needed to make your schools safer. With consultation from our experts, you’ll feel more confident in your ability to prepare for and respond to threats no matter what type of situation arises.

To assist your district, school, agency, or community we can:

• Establish or Assess School Resource Officer (SRO) Program
• Review Law Enforcement Partnership and MOU
• Facilitate Student, Staff, Parent, and Community Focus Groups
• Conduct School Infiltration Tests
• Review District School Safety Policies and Procedures
• Conduct Stakeholder Surveys
• Review or Establish Staff Professional Development Plan
• Develop and Deliver Specialized Online professional Development
• Management Analysis of School Based Law Enforcement or Security and Safety Departments (staffing, policies, procedures etc.)
• Post-Crisis Incident Consultation and Media Management
• Community Engagement Assistance
• RFP Development and Vendor Selection Assistance
• Sporting and Special Events Safety Consultation