Methodology for Conducting Risk Assessment

A core mission of schools is to create safe and secure environments to promote the achievement of their educational objectives. Schools are complex environments that require balancing safety initiatives with teaching, learning, school operations, and culture. School safety is just one piece of the puzzle, and a school cannot achieve its educational mission without all these elements working in concert. School staff must be made aware of the critical connections that exist between school safety and the social and emotional well-being of their students, fellow staff members, and parents. The School Safety Advocacy Council understands that there is no one-size-fits all approach to school safety and that any safety improvements should not interfere with efforts that schools are taking to maintain a positive and welcoming school climate.

The School Safety Advocacy Council believes the goal of a comprehensive school facility safety assessment is to assist schools create safe and secure learning environment without the need for administrators to be security experts. Our assessments will provide action-oriented guidance to school administration by assisting them in identifying the positive safety initiatives they already have in place as well as the gaps or areas in need of improvement, which exist on their campus. Our assessment will provide the administrations with actionable results and relevant effective options that school staff can use to increase the overall benefits of the school’s safety initiatives.

At the School Safety Advocacy Council, we embrace a systems-based approach to school facility safety assessments, meaning that we ensure all security initiatives campus wide integrate well, and that our efforts incorporate the relevant policies and training programs that sustain the entire system and allow it to work effectively. A systems-based approach encourages schools to conceptualize physical security as a component of the broader school safety system, comprised of prevention, protection and mitigation, and response and recovery. Our assessments provide effective school safety options developed to ensure that your district or school will plan and implement any recommended improvements in a manner that promotes prevention as well as response and recovery strategies.

A school safety assessment from the School Safety Advocacy Council addresses the three main school safety strategies of detection, delay, and response. It encourages schools to think through how their own school safety initiatives contribute to each stagey. Our assessments evaluate safety initiatives that fall into these three strategies as follows:

• Detection – Communicates that a violent threat or incident is occurring or about to occur. (e.g., video surveillance system, School Resource Officer patrols, and/or open-sight designs that allow for natural surveillance)
• Delay – Increase the level of effort, resources, and time necessary for violent threats or incidents to occur. (e.g., fencing, fortified glass, secured single point entry, or automatic lock mechanisms)
• Response – Contributes to overcoming violent threats or incidents or limiting the damage caused by an incident. (e.g., School Resource Officers, school security, communication systems, or incident alert systems)

Our school safety assessments are designed for schools to think holistically about how any safety initiative or equipment, site and building design features, assigned security roles, policies, plans, and professional development programs work together across a school campus to detect, delay, and respond to threats. Our assessments embrace a layered approach to school safety, evaluating school safety initiatives and policies in place at four distinct layers:

• School campus perimeter layer, or outermost boundary.
• School grounds layer, which comprises parking lots, playgrounds, outdoor walkways, athletic facilities, and other features outside of school buildings and within the school perimeter.
• School building perimeter layer, which denotes the outer boundary of a school building as well as satellite structures such as portable units and other detached buildings; and
• School building interior layer, which encompasses the space inside school buildings, such as classrooms, administrative officers, common spaces, hallways, etc.

The Assessment will include comprehensive evaluations of:

• Emergency Plans and Policies
• Lockdown, Evacuation, and Reunification Plans
• Emergency Management Team
• Security Operational Plans
• Relationship with First Responders
• Areas of Threat and Vulnerability
• Security of all Buildings and Grounds
• Staff Readiness
• Training and Preparedness
• Crisis Exercises and Drills
• Prevalence of Bullying, Hazing, and Harassment
• Culture and Climate of Students, Staff and Parents
• Emerging School Safety Threats

Following the completion of the onsite assessments, the SSAC Team will author a customized report for the school assessed. The report will describe specific findings and recommendations in regards to the existing level of security and emergency preparedness and school climate. The report will go in depth into the resiliency and wellness of the schools. In addition, the report will highlight specific security enhancement(s) or target hardening recommendations for the schools. The School Safety Advocacy Council understands the budgetary constraints of school districts and attempts to make all recommendations low cost or no costs whenever possible.

Would you rather establish a sustainable program and conduct your own assessments?

Conducting a School Safety & Vulnerability Assessment Train the Trainer

Course Description:

This course was developed to train teams of school officials, law enforcement and private sector security partners in developing the knowledge and ability to evaluate and identify weaknesses within the school campus and develop assessment reports with recommendations for security improvements. This course has been developed to allow school districts and universities to form highly trained safety assessment teams which will be able to return to their district or university and conduct school vulnerability assessments without the expense of hiring a private consultant and return. These highly trained teams will also be able to return to their school or district and train additional employees on the completing school safety/vulnerability assessments.

This highly interactive and hands on course will include an overview of school campus security measures, School Based Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and school safety and security national best practices. This course is a Must Attend for any staff member(s) responsible for school safety and security, is tasked with conducting safety/vulnerability surveys or full security assessments, developing or reviewing school security policies and procedures, as well as the security or issuing of mobile technology.

Topics Covered:

• Overview of school security/safety national best practices
• Developing a customized assessment tool
• Conducting a school-based safety/vulnerability assessment
• Identifying and defining school safety needs and vulnerabilities
• School/campus specific target hardening initiatives

 Course Materials:

• School safety/vulnerability assessment manual
• Customizable school safety assessment tool
• Customizable PowerPoint Presentation

 Who Should Attend?

This course is designed to take advantage of the team approach to school safety/vulnerability assessments, and we strongly recommend a school, district, or community send a pre-selected team that will be conducting assessments or training to the course. Communities may also send a multi-agency team comprising school administration staff, security staff members, and law enforcement officials.