PUBLISHER'S CORNER
Preventing Tragedy I TONY CORPIN, PUBLISHER
can only begin to imagine what the students, parents, teachers and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut must be experiencing after the mass killing that occurred last month. Tis horrible tragedy is a somber reminder of the importance of safety and security when it comes to the well-being of school children. Tis incident shows how we all must stay constantly vigilant in our roles as professionals to keep kids safe. Are you prepared to deal with a tragedy? Is your transportation team ready to prevent one from happening? Tis month’s edition is chock-full of great editorial that can help you become better
prepared to prevent and manage incidents if and when they occur. For instance, we discuss security planning and preparation with Ram Tactical, a group that helps district all over the country react quickly to security risks and respond effectively. We are discussing the rela- tionship between police departments and the school districts. Other security-related items include school bus yard security, illegal passing video and incident management. Tis recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary brought back memories of the Col- umbine massacre back in April of 1999. Tat tragedy brought the issue of security to the forefront for schools. It was a reminder of the negative effects of bullying and how students are affected by their peers. A lot has changed in 14 years since that tragic incident, and a lot hasn’t. It’s easy to fall
back into old habits, but keeping up on the latest training and implementing the latest security technology can only make you more prepared. Do you have the right security equipment on your vehicles and facilities? Some years ago at the STN EXPO, we had a dynamic keynote speaker named Michael
Dorn who is a security expert from Safe Havens International and a former chief of school police. Dorn specifically discussed crisis situations and how to deal with them. On a recent video blog post on his website,
www.safehavensinternational.org, he explains what causes crisis stress and how it affects crisis response. He explains how a natural, human response to a life or death situation is to flee, but with the proper training lives can be saved when you think first and react second. It sounds simple, but are you prepared with the proper training? Another speaker at the STN EXPO was Chris Dorn, Mike’s son. He demonstrated
how a student could carry and conceal weapons like handguns, shotguns, knifes and other lethal ordinance on their person without even being noticed. Te major lesson to be learned was the identification of certain behaviors or physical cues that could offer indications of a pending threat. We ask a lot of school bus drivers but with the proper training they are the first line of defense to avoid potential incidents. Is this sort of security training in place for your drivers? If so, how often is this information reviewed? After these sorts of tragic incidents, the human response comes into play. Te power of people to come together and support one another in the darkest, dreariest days can be incredible. I believe the resiliency of the human spirit is second to none. Te team at STN Media Group sends it prayers and condolences to the families of Sandy
Hook Elementary. We pledge to continually raise awareness to keep children safe and pre- vent tragedies like these from ever occurring again.
54 School Transportation News January 2013
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