PUBLISHER’S CORNER Top of the List: Security Concerns
WRITTEN BY TONY CORPIN
TONY@STNMEDIA.COM
A
mid the daily grind over the past month, student transporters and industry pro- fessionals performed the season’s rite of passage by setting personal, professional and
organizational resolutions for the new year. Of the many issues to address, security certainly was at or near the top of the list.
Tis month’s issue editorially captures many of these topics, preparedness and training for major (or even mundane) incidents as well as the health and safety of your data. Looking at recent headlines and remem- bering old ones help provide constructive learning opportunities. Tree years ago, I was sitting in my office, devastated and outraged by the tragedy that had just played out: Twenty first-graders and six educators were gunned down by a heavily armed gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Fast forward to the latest terrorist acts, the mass killings and gun battles with police in Paris and in San Bernardino, California.
A major lesson we must learn is these horrible acts of violence can happen anywhere and at anytime. Te yellow school bus and schools themselves aren’t immune either. In fact, they are soft targets of opportunity for would-be attackers bent on wreaking the worst kind of havoc – waging war against our children. Ten, as I wrote this article, just miles from my office, Los Angeles Unified School District made an unprec- edented move in canceling all classes at all school sites across the second-largest district in the nation. District administrators and the local police took a bomb threat that reportedly originated from Germany as credible and took the most urgent of actions. All school bus trans- portation was suspended. Te Los Angeles Times quoted Superintendent Ramon Cortines as saying: “We get threats all the time. Tis was a rare threat.” Authorities eventually determined the threat wasn’t
credible, but it served as a stark reminder of the need to remain vigilant. Michael Dorn, security expert at Safe Havens Inter- national, highlighted in a recent blog post the tough call that LAUSD felt forced to make, under public pressure
in a time-sensitive manner. School officials had to con- sider the psychological effects of closing (or not closing) school, the logistics of business operations, the incon- venience of parents and the possibility of encouraging copycat attacks.
Te decision to cancel school in Los Angeles was most
certainly a last resort, since other options are available for responding to this type of threat. Tese options can include an elevated police presence at all campuses, a search of all schools while they are still in session or other measures adapted to the situation. How does technology play a role in school bus securi-
ty? At the 2015 STN EXPO, a general session panel of representatives from local law enforcement, emergency agencies and school districts, in conjunction with the Transportation Security Administration, highlighted the importance of technology during these crises. GPS tracking on buses provides the route and in- tended destination, and advanced communications keep everyone from the driver to dispatch, students to parents connected by providing real-time information as a sce- nario unfolds. Te use of cell phones can alert authorities to danger, while providing the critical information to law enforcement agencies through video and text. Meanwhile, the industry has seen a rapid proliferation of mobile apps that give real-time location of school buses, expected arrival and where and when students get on and off the bus. Will mobile apps that track students provide a new level of safety and security? Be sure to review this month’s Tought Leader column on page 32 by Patrick Gallagher from SafeStop Inc. Meanwhile, Associate Editor Sean Gallagher (no
relation) dives into the topic of how student transporters can keep the connected school bus and all the data that comes from it safe and secure. So what does this all mean for your transportation de-
partment? Stay vigilant, remain responsive, enhance your training and ask questions of your vendors. Being poised and ready for a potential crisis at any time is everyone’s responsibility. l
Tony Corpin, Publisher
58 School Transportation News • JANUARY 2016
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