As America begins a new school year, security and safety are once again paramount.
Now, the security issues including violence prevention are
compounded by safety issues due to COVID-19.
During the last twelve years, my Reawakening the Nation
articles for The Chief of Police has addressed issues including leadership and public
safety.
These efforts have been to protect educational communities
by integrating best practices with the preventive pedagogy.
As schools open, we must remain vigilant to ensure they are
not only secure but safe havens. This is
the foundation to character development and academic excellence in America.
Safeguarding
Educational Communities from the COVID-19
To highlight the explosive gravity of protecting students, a
report from WDSU New Orleans deserves attention.
The station reported on Aug. 6, 2021 that more than 3,000
Louisiana children tested positive for COVID-19 in just four days.
Governor John Bel of Louisiana stated that more than 6,000
children in the state now have COVID-19.
He also stressed this is why children should wear masks when they return
to school.
An Abundance of
Caution
Although there are differing viewpoints with the hot-button
issue of safeguarding our schools from COVID-19, my opinion is built on the
philosophy of an abundance of caution.
These recommendations of one medical professional, Ashish K.
Jha, M.D., MPH, Dean of the Brown School of Public Heath, Professor of Health Services,
Policy, and Practice clearly supports the abundance of caution principle.
Dr. Jha, a globally recognized expert on pandemic
preparedness and response, detailed these in a Twitter thread on Aug. 8, 2021:
·
“My kids' schools open in a month Have been talking to school leaders (unions,
superintendents) across the US about how to keep schools safe. We have 5 tools.
And if we use some combination of them, we can get all kids back to school
safely, full-time. So what are they?
·
“1. Vaccines
Serious about safe in-person education?
Mandate vaccines for all adults in schools (with standard exceptions) there
is increasing consensus on this And consider mandates for kids over 12 This would protect kids who can't get the shot
2/7
·
“2. Ventilate
SARS-CoV2 spreads through the air Congress gave Billions of $ to upgrade schools. Schools have had a year to do it Upgrades largely cheap (in-room portable air
filters, opening windows) Any school
that hasn't improved ventilation needs a change in leadership 3/7
·
“3. Masks
This is unnecessarily controversial
People – can we please stop fighting about this?
Masking helps Cloth masks help a little Higher quality masks (KF94, etc.) should be
considered in high transmission areas They
are cheap and widely available 4/7
·
“4. Testing
We now have so much testing
capability and capacity Once a week
pooled testing is cheap and easy Lots
of alternatives including cheap rapid antigen tests We have plenty and schools have plenty of
money No excuse not to do testing 5/7
·
“5. Distancing
As delta surges, avoid super crowded assembly halls, indoor concerts,
etc Lunchrooms can be managed with a
little distancing, open windows or being outside This will be critical over
next month or so as delta peaks and begins to climb down 6/7
·
“So that’s the list
1.
Vaccinate
2.
Ventilate
3.
Masks
4.
Tests
5. And
avoid indoor crowding Each adds
protection None alone enough in high
transmission areas You don’t have to do them all But
more you do, the more you keep folks safe
And ensure safe in-person learning
End” 7/7
(Note
Well: Twitter communication is microblogging, restricted to short tweets and making a quick
point, so although Dr. Jha has over 200 published research papers, the style of
making Tweets is grammatically imperfect.)
It should be
noted that by taking these measures we are mitigating the possibility of
outbreaks. Nevertheless, the virus is
dangerous and there are no guarantees – additional measures will be required if
the virus accelerates.
School Security,
Violence Prevention, Character, Academics
Here is a summary from a brief summary of my works
addressing the other issues critical to American schools.
America School Violence Demands Moral Courage
The comments of Paige Curry, a Santa Fe student, during a
television interview memorialize a heart-wrenching commentary on our school
violence pandemic.
Shortly after being escorted safely out of Santa Fe High
School, she told reporters that she struggled to overcome her fear by staying
calm.
Responding to the 22nd school shooting in 2018, Paige stated
“It’s been happening everywhere, I’ve always kind of felt that eventually it
would happen here, too.”
Wake-up America, it’s time for moral courage, ethical
leadership, and the reawakening of the nation.
Mass Attacks in Public Spaces Demand America’s Vigilance
The report from the United States Secret Service titled “The
Final Report And Findings Of The Safe School Initiative: Implications For
Prevention Of School Attacks In The United States” is a timeless classic.
The document deserves to be studied in its entirety, but it
highlights 10 key findings, which are as follows:
•
Incidents
of targeted violence at school rarely were sudden, impulsive acts.
•
Prior
to most incidents, other people knew about the attacker’s idea and/or plan to
attack.
•
Most
attackers did not threaten their targets directly prior to advancing the
attack.
•
There
is no accurate or useful “profile” of students who engaged in targeted school
violence.
•
Most
attackers engaged in some behavior prior to the incident that caused others
concern or indicated a need for help.
•
Most
attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures.
Moreover, many had considered or attempted suicide.
•
Many
attackers felt bullied, persecuted, or injured by others prior to the attack.
•
Most
attackers had access to and had used weapons prior to the attack.
•
In
many cases, other students were involved in some capacity.
•
Despite
prompt law enforcement responses, most shooting incidents were stopped by means
other than law enforcement intervention.
Five Preliminary Tips for Improving American School Security
Schools must provide the leadership to instill a culture of
character.
Developing students with hearts of character built on the
pillars of honesty, respect, civility, and patriotism must be paramount
throughout America’s educational communities.
Character is critical for transforming America and ending
its culture of violence. Character education must be consistent, exemplified,
and rewarded in our schools.
American School Violence Requires a Response of Courage, Commitment,
and Community
The school resource officer (SRO) is a priceless component
of violence prevention and character education for our schools. This community
policing initiative affords the opportunity not only for violence prevention
and education but also promotes a positive rapport between law enforcement and
students.
Schools should do everything possible to have an SRO program
and law enforcement should be fully committed with the most qualified, trained,
certified, and dedicated professionals available.
Carnage of Innocents in America Demands Moral Courage
As the Columbine tragedy fades from the list of America’s most
deadly mass shootings, tragedies not only continue, but have become more
deadly.
Some of the deadliest mass shootings in the nation have
occurred in the last five years, and we continue to witness America’s flag
lowered to half-staff.
America, “the land of the free and home of the brave” must
not allow these mass shootings to define us. We must also refuse to allow
apathy, mediocrity or indifference to rule our times.
America must never accept an attempt to banish these
tragedies to back page news.
School Bullying: A Matter of Life and Death
Educators must familiarize themselves with the preventive
system – not the repressive system – of education which includes the following:
•
Educators
are admired in their dedication to the youth entrusted to their care
•
Educators
are respected as individuals with character
•
Character
is the edifice of the preventive system
•
Vigilance
is exercised to prevent inappropriate behavior
•
Improvements
in behavior are motivated because students know the educator cares about them
and is approachable and available when needed
•
Speedy
measured intervention in response to warning signs takes place due to vigilance
and awareness
•
Educators
earn the admiration of youth
•
Discipline
can be as effective as an expression of disappointment or a reproachful look
because there is loyalty from the young people to the educator who cares for
them
America’s Schools: Security, Character, Academics
The guide “Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe
Schools” by the U. S. Department of Education is an essential document that law
enforcement and the educational community should be familiar with.
This classic document includes intervention for student
warning signs including the following:
•
Social
withdrawal
•
Excessive
feelings of isolation and being alone
•
Being
a victim of violence
•
Feelings
of being picked on and persecuted
•
Low
school interest/poor academic performance
•
Uncontrolled
anger
•
Patterns
of impulsive and chronic hitting, intimidating, and bullying
•
Expression
of violence in writings
•
History
of discipline problems
•
Past
history of violent aggressive behavior
•
Drug
and alcohol use
•
Affiliation
with gangs
•
Intolerance
for differences and prejudicial attitudes
•
Inappropriate
access to, possession of, and use of firearms
•
Serious
threats of violence
Final Reflections
As schools open throughout America for another school year,
we must be fully dedicated to safety especially related to COVID-19, as well as
security principles, character education, and academic excellence.
We must reflect visionary leadership. We must also inspire character through
personal example, and reward academic excellence. Then, we will be on the path to reawakening
the nation.
About the Author
Vincent J. Bove, CPP, founder of Reawakening America LLC, is
a national speaker and author with over 300 published works. Bove is recipient of the FBI Director's
Community Leadership Award and former confident of the New York Yankees. He is a partner with Global Security
Resolutions LLC and served as spokesperson for a coalition of Virginia Tech
tragedy victim’s families. His most recent books are Reawakening America and
Listen To Their Cries.
For more information see www.vincentbove.com or
twitter@vincentjbove
PHOTOS
1. This article was released as the cover story for The Chief of Police, Fall 2021 and distributed hard copy to police chiefs and law enforcement executives nationwide. It was Bove's 16th cover story for the magazine.
2. (SRO) with students (Public Domain, Credit
Aurora City, Colorado.
3. The Chief of Police cover, Spring 2018 | Volume
XXXIII | Number 1.
4. The Chief of Police cover, Fall 2018 | Volume
XXXIII | Number 3
5. Bergenfield High School evacuation drill
conducted for security vulnerability assessment, Nov. 9, 2009. (Vincent J.
Bove)
6. Student wearing mask at school (Public Domain,
Credit CDC)
Labels: Campus Security, Education, Parenting, School Resource Officer, School Violence, Youth
