PUBLISHER’S CORNER School Violence Awareness WRITTEN BY TONY CORPIN |
TONY@STNONLINE.COM I
can only begin to imagine what the students, parents, teachers and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County Public Schools in Parkland, Florida are experiencing after the fatal shooting that
occurred in mid-February. One student said, “It doesn’t feel real, until I went to my friend’s funeral.” Tis tragedy is a somber reminder of the importance of safety and security when it comes to the well-being of the school children. Tis incident shows how we need to stay constantly vigilant in our roles as professionals to keep kids safe. Are you prepared to deal with a tragedy? Is your transportation team training hard to prevent
one from happening, or at least to proactively respond per incident management procedures if one does occur? Do you have the right equipment and tools available at your disposal? Te Sandy Hook Elementary and Columbine High School shootings came rushing forth in my memory on Feb. 14. Tose tragedies brought the issue of security and safety to the forefront for schools and parents. Te negative effects of bullying and how students are affected by their peers remain a constant issue. Student mental illness and how to address it in schools has again dom- inated our conversations as a result of this most recent fatal incident.
A lot has changed since Sandy Hook and Columbine, and sadly a lot hasn’t. It’s easy to fall back into old habits once the headlines reflect other issues of the day. But keeping up on the latest training is a daily ritual for student transporters that can only make your team better.
Last summer at STN EXPO, we had a dynamic keynote speaker named Dr. Stephen Stroka. He talked about Te “Power of One” during our opening keynote. Audience members were truly inspired by his presenta- tion. His message resonated with me personally as he shared how one person has the power to affect change and inspire others to be great and transformational. Te flip-side is that one person can also negatively impact others, especially by committing heinous and malicious acts like what has become all too common in our school halls and school buses.
74 School Transportation News • MARCH 2018 It takes “Te Power of Many” to stay positive, said Dr.
Stroka. In a recent blog at
stnonline.com, “Hey, Ms. Bus Driver, Am I Safe on this School Bus?,” he shared safety tips in the event that student transporters find them- selves in a tragic situation. He stated that school violence can happen anywhere. A positive community focus is key. Tell your students and staff, he urges, “Together we make this bus ride as safe as it can be.” Tere is no quick fix so let’s learn and take a different perspective. Michael Dorn, who is a school security expert from
Safe Havens International and another previous STN EXPO keynote speaker, specifically discussed crisis situations and how to deal with them. In a recent
stnonline.com article and in a blog post on his website,
safehavensinternational.org, Dorn asks school officials to review their prevention, preparedness, response and recovery procedures.
While no school violence prevention or preparedness
measures are 100 percent effective or foolproof, there are numerous approaches that have helped to avert multiple planned school attacks. Is your department prepared? How does the school transportation play a role in this plan? After these sorts of tragic incidents, the human
response comes into play. Te power of people coming together and supporting one another in the deepest, darkest days can be incredible. I believe the resiliency of the human spirit is second to none. We can’t help to build awareness without you, our
readers and conference attendees. You make a difference as Te Power of Many. Let’s pledge to continue to raise awareness in keeping school children safe and prevent tragedies like these from ever occurring again. Let us find power in the rallying cry #NeverAgain.
Tony Corpin, Publisher
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