Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Tuesday's shooting at a Florida school board meeting illustrates the need for school boards and superintendents to include security and crisis planning measures at school administration buildings and support sites.

"Security is often neglected for school district central office buildings, board meetings, and other administrative sites," says Kenneth Trump, national school safety expert who conducts security assessments and emergency planning consultations for K-12 school districts.

Trump says well-intended board members, superintendents, and central office administrators often focus on school buildings but fail to assess and implement security measures, crisis plans, and crisis teams at administration and other school support sites.

Workplace violence considerations and the ever-increasing political nature of school board meetings often draws a presence and attention to school administration offices and the individuals housed in these offices. It is not uncommon for highly-charged meetings and emotional issues to result in escalated undesirable and threatening behavior, according to Trump.

Tips for improving school administration and board meeting security and crisis planning are available at Trump's web site at www.schoolsecurity.org/resources/school_office_safety.html

Kenneth S. Trump, M.P.A., is the President of National School Safety and Security Services, a Cleveland-based national firm specializing in school security and emergency preparedness training and consulting. Ken served as a school safety officer, investigator, and youth gang unit supervisor for the Cleveland City Schools' safety division, and as a suburban Cleveland school security director and assistant gang task force director.He has authored two books and over 60 articles on school security and crisis issues. As one of the leading U.S. school safety experts, Ken has 25 years experience in the school safety profession and has worked with school and public safety officials from all 50 states. He is one of the most widely quoted school safety experts, appearing on all national news networks and cable TV and in top market newspapers. Ken is a four-time invited Congressional witness testifying on school safety and emergency preparedness issues.

For more background, see www.schoolsecurity.org/school-safety-experts/trump.html.

Trump also blogs at www.schoolsecurityblog.com