Safeguarding the 279 Schools of Bergen County

On Thursday, March 21, 2013 I continued my committment to safeguarding the 279 schools of Bergen County, New Jersey at the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association's monthly meeting. It has been my privilege to serve this dedicated law enforcement association as the crime prevention/school safety chairperson for 10 consecutive years.

During today's remarks, I stressed the criticality of understanding essential U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education teachings on school safety and made key documents available for all. Attendees included police chiefs from throughout Bergen County, the Bergen County Education Association, associates, affiliates and guests from the U.S. Secret Service, DEA and the NYPD.

It has been my privilege to collaborate with law enforcement and school officials on numerous school, district and county initiatives in Bergen County. These have included board certified security vulnerability assessments, student/staff presentations, character education programs, professional development training and major events such as:

Transforming Our Schools: The Heart and Brick of School Security

On Wednesday, October 22, 2008, the Bergen County Education Association hosted a dinner presentation – Transforming Our Schools: The Heart and Brick of School Security – for 300 attendees at The Marriott in Teaneck as a follow up to the initiative that kicked off September 16, 2008.

As the keynote speaker for the event I addressed attendees including teachers, counselors, crisis management team members and administrators from throughout Bergen County as well as security personnel and law enforcement officials from the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association, Bergen County Sheriff's Office, the FBI, New Jersey Association School Resource Officers, and numerous police departments. The presence of educators, law enforcement and emergency personnel together at this event is a testament to the unity of effort among Bergen County, federal, state and local agencies.

The keynote focused on the current crisis of character in American society as well as ongoing school violence and safety issues.

PRESENTATION AGENDA

• Why Are We Here?
  • Creating an Effective Learning Environment
    
  • Compliance vs. Commitment
    
  • Transforming Power of a Teacher
• Culture of Gratification
  • Crisis of Leadership
    
  • Culture of Violence
    
  • Shattered Communities
    
  • Filling the Void
• New Jersey School Safety Review
  • School Administrator Procedures:
    Responding to Critical Incidents–
    Model School Security Policies
    October 2007
    
  • School Safety and Security Manual:
    Best Practices Guidelines
    December 2006
• Unity of Effort
  
• USDOE / FBI / Secret Service Document Review
  
• Reawakening the Heart of America
  • Progress and Priorities
    
  • Ingredients for Transformation
    
  • The Altruism Factor
• Character: the Heart of the Matter
  
• Call To Action
  
• Tribute to American Military
  
• Conclusion

Complimenting the presentation, all attendees received a library of school safety and character education documents as provided by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Secret Service including:

• Early Warning Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools
  
• Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Safe Schools and Communities
  
• Helping Your Child Become a Responsible Citizen
  
• The Final Report And Findings Of The Safe School Initiative: Implications For The Prevention Of School Attacks In The United States
  
• Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide To Managing Threatening Situations And To Creating Safe School Climates
  
• Character Education: Our Shared Responsibility

All attendees also received copies of my new book Listen To Their Cries through the generosity of the Bergen County Education Association.

The BCEA, under the leadership of President Joe Coppola, deserves recognition for its dedication to school safety and character education. This dedication will continue with forthcoming training on topics including crisis management, violence prevention, character education and strategies for working with youth.

READ MORE

Bergen County Education Association	Click here to visit site
New Jersey Education Association	Click here to visit site
New Jersey Association of School Resource Officers	Click here to visit site
NJDOE School Security	Click here to visit site
Bergen County Prosecutor's Office	Click here to visit site
Bergen County Sheriff's Office	Click here to visit site
Bergen County Police Chiefs Association	Click here to visit site
BCEA: Providing Leadership to Develop a County-Wide Safe School Model Part I	Click here to visit site