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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements………………………………………………………..………………4 Objective…………………………...…...............................................................................5 Introduction and Background..............................................................................................6 Safety...................................................................................................................................8 In the Wake of Columbine and Sandy Hook Elementary....................................................9 Implement School Safety Upgrades...................................................................................10 Legislative Attempts at Preventing School Violence........................................................15 Evolving Safety Trends .....................................................................................................21 Recommendations..............................................................................................................25 References..........................................................................................................................28 Appendix............................................................................................................................31
SchoolSafety2013 3
Tracy B. Croom City of Tuscaloosa City Clerk Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alicia M. Faire, M.S.C.J. Department of Youth Services Bailey Hall CAP Counselor I Birmingham, AL Donna Oden Fairman, M.S. Department of Youth Services Case Manager Birmingham, AL Christy Rolling Gibbs DepartmentofLaborSeniorAccountantMontgomery,AL Pamela R. Hill, MAcc, MPA, ACPM Planning and Tax Analysis Officer Tax Policy and Research Division Alabama Department of Revenue Montgomery,AL Mack A. Jones Department of Revenue Internal Audit/Physical Security Montgomery, AL
Barbara Lowe, Revenue Examiner III DepartmentofRevenueIndividual&CorporateTaxDivisionExaminationUnitMontgomery,AL Alisa K. McLeod Alabama Public Library Service Library Consultant/E-Rate Coordinator Montgomery,ALLarry Miles Department of Youth Services Case Manager Montgomery, AL Gerrianne Miller Marketing and Communications Manager Alabama Department of Commerce Montgomery,AL
Deborah L. Shows Alabama State Department of Education Senior Accountant Montgomery, AL
School Safety Team Members
Acknowledgements Special thanks to:
Jim Toney Education Specialist
Alabama State Department of Education
Jennifer Benefield Team Leader/Therapist
Calhoun/Clebourne County Mental Health Center
Lori Brocato, Ed.S.
Principal Orange Beach Elementary School
Officer Joey Brown School Resource Officer
Orange Beach Elementary School
LamarDavisSeniorProjectLead
CenterforGovernment&PublicAffairsVirtualAlabama
AuburnUniversityatMontgomery
Corporal J.M. Douglas Montgomery Police Department
Officer Easterling
Montgomery Police Department
Ann Nabors Supervisor of School Based Program
Calhoun/Clebourne County Mental Health Center
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SchoolSafety2013 6
Introduction and Background
The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut prompted most
Alabama schools to reassess their safety plans that they were to submit the Alabama Department
of Education by July 19, 2013.
While we are still receiving details on what transpired at Sandy Hook, we cannot forget one of
the deadliest school shootings in U.S. History happened at Columbine High School in Littleton
Colorado. According to an article by Jennifer Rosenberg, at About.com called “Guide on the
Columbine Massacre”
On April 20, 1999, in the small, suburban town of Littleton, Colorado, two high-
school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, enacted an all-out assault on
Columbine High School during the middle of the school day. The boys' plan was
to kill hundreds of their peers. With guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs, the
two boys walked the hallways and killed. When the day was done, twelve
students, one teacher, and the two murderers were dead; plus 21 more were
injured. The haunting question remains: why did they do it?
Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were both intelligent, came from homes with two
parents, and had older brothers who were three years their senior. In elementary
school, Klebold and Harris had both played in sports such as baseball and soccer.
Both enjoyed working with computers.
The boys met each other while attending Ken Caryl Middle School in 1993.
Though Klebold had been born and raised in the Denver area, Harris' father had
been in the U.S. Air Force and had moved the family several times before he
retired and moved his family to Littleton, Colorado in July 1993.
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were radically different individuals, with vastly different motives
and opposite mental conditions. Klebold is easier to comprehend, a more familiar type. He was
hotheaded, but depressive and suicidal. He blamed himself for his problems.
SchoolSafety2013 7
Harris is the challenge. He was sweet-faced and well-spoken. Adults, and even some other kids,
described him as "nice." Harris was cold, calculating and homicidal. "Klebold was hurting inside
while Harris wanted to hurt people," according to FBI Supervisory Special Agent Dwayne
Fuselier who led the Columbine investigation. Harris was not merely a troubled kid, the
psychiatrists say, he was a psychopath.
However, Klebold and Harris seemed to spend their time doing normal teenager activities. They
worked together in a local pizza parlor, liked to play Doom (a computer game) in the afternoons
and worried about finding a date to the prom. For all outward appearances, the boys looked like
normal teenagers. Looking back, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris obviously weren't your average
teenagers. According to journals, notes and videos that Klebold and Harris left to be discovered,
Klebold had been thinking of committing suicide as early as 1997, and they both had begun
thinking about a large massacre as early as April 1998, - a full year before the actual event.
(http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-13-columbine-myths_N.htm)
According to John D. Sutter of CNN, “In the wake of the tragic shootings at Columbine High
School, some schools across the country turned themselves into near-fortresses. They installed
metal detectors and security cameras, banned backpacks, required students to carry IDs and
posted police in the hallways -- all in the name of keeping students safe.
Years after those highly publicized shootings at Columbine, in which two young men killed 13
people and themselves, school security has taken another dramatic turn. Sandy Hook Elementary
School was devastated by the mass murders of 20 young children and six adults. This happened
even with security measures in place. Some of the noticeable security measures remain, but
experts say the country is exploring a new way to protect kids from in-school violence:
administrators now want to foster school communities that can protect themselves with or
without the high-tech gear.
“The first and best line of defense is always a well-trained, highly alert staff and student body,"
said Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, an Ohio-based
firm specializing in school security.
SchoolSafety2013 8
Safety
The School Superintendents of Alabama organization recently conducted a school safety survey.
Out of 134 school systems, 101 participated. Many of the superintendents expressed their
concern of an incident happening from within the school, but they were against arming teachers.
Seventy-one percent of the school systems reported that they have law enforcement officers on
campus during the day and 95% of those officers are armed. Ninety percent of those law
enforcement officers, however, are in the high schools only. Ninety-six percent of these systems
can’t lock exterior doors from a central location and 71% can’t monitor these doors from a
central location. Forty-six percent of the state’s teachers can’t lock their classroom doors from
the inside.
In terms of training, the survey showed that 100% of the school systems conduct lockdown
exercises and 34% conduct active shooter exercises. According to the Alabama Criminal Justice
Information Center (ACJIC) an average of six violent offenses occurred daily at Alabama
schools and universities in 2011. (http://acjic.alabama.gov/news/1.pdf )
Law enforcement responded to 2,140 incidents of school violence from kindergarten through
college in 2011. Those included one homicide, 17 rapes, 30 robberies and 248 aggravated
assaults, accounting for 2% of such offenses statewide that year. They also responded to 1,844
incidents of simple assault at schools, 3% of the simple assaults statewide -- aggravated assaults
differ from simple assault in that the attacker intends to cause "severe bodily injury," according
to the ACJIC. Guns and knives were used in just 1% of the attacks. Ninety percent of the
attackers used no weapon of any kind.
In 2012, there were six school shootings in the United States, the largest happened just before
Christmas at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. A 20 year old male went on a
shooting rampage that would leave 27 dead with 20 of those dead being first graders.
While the State of Alabama has taken precautions to help prevent school shooting have we done
all that should be done?
SchoolSafety2013 9
United States School Shootings or Attempts in 2012
School City/State # of People Killed Outcome for Gunman
Walpole Elementary Walpole, New Hampshire 0 Only shot himself;
Hospitalized
Chardon High Chardon, Ohio 3 Convicted and Imprisoned
Perry Hall High Perry Hall, Maryland 0 Convicted and Imprisoned
Normal Community High Normal,Illinois 0 Convicted and Imprisoned
Stillwater Junior High Stillwater, Oklahoma 1 Committed suicide
Sandy Hook Elementary Connecticut 27 Committed suicide
In the Wake of Columbine and Sandy Hook
The new ACJIC report published in January 2013, comes as lawmakers and educators statewide
take a closer look at school safety in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
President Barack Obama has issued 23 executive orders related to gun control. One homicide in
any school is too many, and strict measures need to be in place to prevent it from happening here
in Alabama or any other state in America.
Most schools created emergency crisis plans after the Columbine attack in April of 1999.
Evaluations of school emergency plans nationwide consistently show that while schools have
emergency plans and crisis teams named on paper, many plans are sitting on shelve collecting
dust. Gaps in emergency plans include questionable content in the plans, a lack of training of
school staff on emergency plans and a lack of executing plans in cooperation with public safety
partners.
A written plan that sits on a shelf is only as good as the paper it is written on. School emergency
plans should address preparedness procedures such as lockdowns, evacuations, parent-student
SchoolSafety2013 10
reunification procedures, mobilizing school transportation during the school day, emergency
communications protocols with parents and the media and mobilizing mental health. Securityis
basedonpreventionandtheremustbemeasuresinplacetopreventothershootingssuch
asSandyHookandColumbinefromhappeninginourAlabamaschools.Abriefsampleof
basicschoolsecuritymeasuresincludecost‐freeandlowercostmeasuressuchas,butnot
limitedto,reducingthenumberofopendoors,havingfunctionalcommunicationssystems,
keepingtreesandshrubstrimmedtopromotenaturalvisibility,andestablishing
proceduresforaccuratelyandtimelyreportingofschoolcrimes.Securitymeasurescanbe
builtintothedesignofnewandremodeledschools.Anotherpreventionmeasureistheuse
ofanautomatedsecurityaccesssystemusedinconjunctionwithschoolresourceofficers.
Implement School Safety Upgrades
State and Legislature
In April 2013, Governor Robert Bentley announced the creation of a strategic plan for preventing
and responding to active shooter events at various types of facilities. Secretary of Law
Enforcement for the newly formed Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency Director Spencer
Collier compiled the plan. “We have been working for some time on various methods of
preventing and responding to active shooters, and this formal plan will help us coordinate those
efforts,” Governor Bentley said. “By increasing law enforcement training, educating the public
and preparing response plans, we can take steps now that could help save lives in the future.”
“From the perspective of law enforcement, we are not at a point where we can predict active
shooter incidents, but we can be as trained and prepared as possible should they occur,” Collier
said. “To be able to notify the public regarding how to handle themselves during an active
shooter situation will hopefully save lives.”
Three top priorities are outlined in the formal long-range plan. The plan documents the priorities
below.
SchoolSafety2013 11
Law Enforcement: Continue and expand training for law enforcement in how to respond
to and combat an active shooter event through Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid
Response Training (ALERRT).
1. The purpose of this federally approved program is to train law enforcement officers to
safely and effectively neutralize an active shooter.
2. ALERRT has been approved for the use of United States Department of Homeland
Security (US DHS) grant funds, which is a great cost savings to the State of Alabama.
3. Currently, about 45% of law enforcement officers in the State of Alabama are now
formally trained in combating active shooters. The long-range goal of this plan is to
help ensure every officer receives this training. Also, there are efforts to make
ALERRT training a requirement in the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and
Training Commission.
General Public: Engage the private sector in sharing information, and educate the general
public on how to respond to an active shooter event.
1. Partnering with federal counterparts, The Alabama StateLawEnforcement
Agency is taking part in an active shooter awareness training to emphasize the
importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper local law enforcement
entities. This can be a key prevention measure.
2. A hotline is already available to receive anonymous tips on suspicious persons or
activity. The state is raising awareness of this hotline. The hotline can be reached
at 1-866-229-6220. The hotline connects people with the Alabama Fusion Center,
the state’s intelligence and information sharing operation.
3. Additionally, the AlabamaStateLawEnforcementAgency is currently pursuing
the implementation of a suspicious activity reporting “app” for smart phones.
This would provide the same reporting capability currently available on the
Fusion Center website.
4. A promotional campaign consisting of billboards, digital signage and public
service announcements will be used to continue to increase awareness and
encourage the public to report any suspicious activity.
SchoolSafety2013 12
5. Use the instructional videos “Run, Hide, Fight” and “See Something Say
Something” to instruct members of the public on how they should respond if they
find themselves in the middle of an active shooter situation. AlabamaStateLaw
EnforcementAgency instructors will be available to provide additional
instruction to those who oversee various public facilities such as offices,
government buildings and recreational facilities.
Education Community: Continue work with the Alabama Department of Education,
utilizing the Virtual Alabama system, which makes school safety plans immediately
accessible to first responders.
1. Virtual Alabama provides schools and first responders instant access to school
Safety plans and virtual maps. Crucial information such as evacuation routes,
disaster staging areas, surveillance video feeds accessible by and first responders
by Virtual Alabama System.
2. On March 4 and 5, 2013, Virtual Alabama held its 3rd annual School Safety
Summit in Montgomery, Alabama. Attendance at the event has tripled, going
from roughly 200 participants last year to more than 650 participants this year.
Governor Bentley and experts in all areas of school safety spoke with educators
and first responders on how to improve safety within schools.
Proposed Solution
The outline of the project includes each school having a full time:
School Resource Officer (SRO) on campus –Defined as a career law enforcement
officer, with sworn authority, deployed in community-oriented policing, and assigned by
the employing police department to a local educational agency to work in collaboration
with schools and community based organizations. The role of an SRO.
1. Educate students in crime and illegal drug use prevention and safety;
2. Develop or expand community justice initiatives for students; and
3. Train students in conflict resolution, restorative justice and crime and illegal drug use
awareness.
SchoolSafety2013 13
4. Provide a presence in order to prevent and reduce the risk of violence.
5. Respond to disruptions and safety violations.
Security systems in place with safety plans with practices
Mental Health workers for all schools. We see the implementation of both the SRO and
mental health worker playing a large part by providing a constant extended support group
for the students. Having them play a role in day-to-day activities and student grow
comfortable in having them as a constant face and resource. These individuals building
those bridges will be a benefit to that community. Mental health is promoting that it is not
a bad word but helpful in our childhood and adult years.
LocalCommunities
Local communities across Alabama are taking initiatives to make their schools safer. Gulf Shores
Elementary School implemented “The Challenge Campaign” in addition to lock down drills, new
cameras have been installed, and meetings with safety officials. The school’s Safety Advisory
Team worked with the Secret Service and the Sheriff’s Department to encourage school
employees to inquire in a polite way why visitors are on the campus. This act alone could
prevent more than 99% of potential violent threats. (http://images.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/
AL/BaldwinCounty/GulfShoresElementary/Uploads/Publications/March%20News%202013.pdf)
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting prompted the City of Orange Beach to help
develop and implement new safety features to their only school. The City of Orange Beach
provided funding for two phases of security upgrades to Orange Beach Elementary School
(OBSE). Phase 1 (funding in excess of $75,000) included the acquisition of a panic button
system for which OBES gained national recognition, upgraded security cameras and DVR, an
Orange Beach police officer assigned full-time to the school and monitoring systems for the
cafeteria kitchen and the Sea, Sand, and Stars facility. Phase 2 (projected budget in excess of
$150,000) began June 1, 2013, and will include impact glass installed all entry doors and
cafeteria windows, a security gate at the entrance of Sea, Sand and Stars and the enclosure of a
breezeway that connects the main building to the 5th and 6th grade wing, and the installation of a
monitoring system for the main school entrance. With the installation of the breezeway and
monitoring system for the main entrance, OBES will be able to lock ALL entry doors throughout
SchoolSafety2013 14
the school day. Anticipated date of completion of all phase 2 projects: December 2013. See
appendix A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
In Cleburne County, schools will have several safety upgrades installed during the summer
months of 2013. The school system will install new automatic locking doors, new intercom
systems and some schools will be getting new phone systems, according to Superintendent Claire
Dryden. Dryden estimated that the improvements would cost about $100,000. The move has
caused some changes in the school system’s capital improvement plans. For example, the school
system had planned to renovate the bathrooms at the Cleburne County High School gymnasium.
That project has been put on hold in favor of the security devices. “We just had to be creative in
what we spend our money on and we just had to prioritize,” Dryden said. “The students’ safety is
the number-one concern.” Administrators have been working to revise the safety plans
throughout the system. Dryden is also working with local law enforcement to schedule a live
shooter-training event for staff and faculty for the schools in the system.
The Shelby County School District is developing a safety plan for its facilities. Construction is
getting ready to start on improvements that will secure front entrances at buildings. Randy
Reeves, the district's facilities and maintenance coordinator, said work will happen this summer
at Montevallo's high school and elementary. "A lot of what we're doing, those two schools have
just kind of kicked off our safety and security initiative we're working on. They just happen to be
two of the first schools affected by it" Reeves said. The work at the high school includes front
entrance security improvements while the elementary school will get similar upgrades.
Also in Shelby County, Oak Mountain High School has been above the curve since 2010 when it
was named by the Alabama Attorney General as one of the safest schools in the state. Sixty
security cameras monitor activity in and around the school. Over the last few years, the high
school has upgraded its security plan by adding more lockdown rooms and creating a safety
committee made up of teachers and staff. "Several years ago pre-Columbine and Virginia Tech,
they thought of this as overkill. But when they realized it could happen and it could happen here,
they do take it seriously," said Deputy Jerry Riggins, the school resource officer.
SchoolSafety2013 15
In Tuscaloosa County, school and law enforcement officials have reassessed their school safety
plans in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. Sheriff Ted Sexton met with school
administrators and said he will assign deputies to drop by the system's 19 elementary schools
each day. Tuscaloosa police have met with Tuscaloosa City School administrators and discussed
their safety plans Sextonsaid.“Thishasbroughtanewrealitytothelawenforcement
community—similartowhatColumbinedidin1999.Schoolsecuritywasvirtually
unheardofbeforeColumbine.”Sextonsaid,“Thereisaresourceissue.We'vegotsixschool
deputies,andwe'retryingtodothiswithinourexistingbudget.”Thedepartment's
helicopterpilotwillnowincludeareasaroundelementaryschoolsonhisdailypatrolroute.
Whendeputiesvisittheschoolstheywillbediligentaboutquestioningalladultsona
schoolcampus.
“There's a check-in process that must be followed. They will be challenging folks — parents,
delivery drivers, everyone — who have not gone through the admission process. There are a
number of ways we can intervene when problems arise,” Sexton said. “It would allow for
additional reporting of incidents, so we would have more information when assisting those who
are mentally ill. We'd be able to get people in the system and monitored more quickly. And we'd
know who we are dealing with and know when to get them away from certain situations.”
Legislative Attempts at Preventing School Violence
Alabama
The 2013 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature convened at noon, Tuesday, February 5,
2013. It was anticipated that the Legislature would address many school security concerns after
the fatal December 14, 2012, shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown,
Connecticut. Although numerous bills were presented, our team followed 10 House bills and 9
Senate bills. In all but three cases, these billed failed passage this session. One bill closely
followed by our group was House Bill 404. This bill would allow Franklin County to create a
volunteer security force by arming teachers and staff, provided that (a) wanted to volunteer for
the program and (b) received training under the direction of the local sheriff. Franklin County
School Superintendent Gary Williams expressed in a letter to the bill’s sponsor Rep. Johnny
Mack Marrow (D-Red Bay) that the seven public schools in the rural county are a minimum 20
SchoolSafety2013 16
to 30 minutes away from first responders — if a deranged gunman entered one of the schools, it
would be quite some time before police could arrive on the scene and engage the shooter. This
bill was read for the first time on February 5, 2013, and received final passage on February 26,
2013. After being forwarded to the Governor on March 7, 2013, it was vetoed by Governor
Bentley on April 10, 2013. “While I am confident that the sheriff or chief of police is perfectly
able to supervise the volunteer force, I believe that the Legislature should provide more specific
and more extensive training requirements,” Bentley wrote in his letter.
Rep. Johnny Mack Marrow (D-Red Bay) rejected the governor’s criticism. He pointed out in an
interview with The Alabama Political Reporter that schools do not always have the funding to
hire SROs and that many of his county’s schools already have reserve Franklin County deputy
sheriffs working on school premises (some are teachers, administrators, etc.). “When they go
home they strap on a gun and ride the roads,” as Reserve Deputy Sheriffs, but Alabama law
currently prohibits them from carrying that gun with them to work to protect themselves or the
children. In the end, after the governor vetoed a second version of the bill, the whole ordeal was
put to rest. On May 20, 2013, the State legislature voted to override the governor’s veto and now
the bill will become law without the governor’s signature. HB404 was enacted as Act 2013-268.
House Bill 91: Enacted and delivered to the Governor on May 20, 2013, as Act 2013-329. This law requires the
inclusion of a code red school safety plan in the comprehensive school safety plan to address
events involving acts of violence or the threat of violence; to designate safety, security, severe
weather, fire and code red drills collectively as emergency drills; to provide for the designation
of a code red safety alert level for a school experiencing perceived immediate threats of violence;
to provide for code red schools safety drills at the beginning of each school semester; and to
require emergency drills, in lieu of fire drills, as required by the State Fire Marshal, to be
conducted at least once each month in K-12 educational institutions.
House Bill 105:
Enacted and delivered to the Governor on May 20, 2013, as Act 2013-347 The Charles “Chuck”
Poland, Jr. Act. This law establishes the crime of trespass on a school bus in the first degree.
Section 1. (a) A person commits the crime of trespass on a school bus in the first degree if he or
SchoolSafety2013 17
she is found guilty of doing any of the following: (1) Willfully demolishing, destroying,
defacing, injuring, burning or damaging any public school bus. (2) Entering a public school bus
while the door is open to load or unload students, while at a railroad grade crossing, or after
being forbidden from doing so by the authorized school bus driver in charge of the bus, or upon
demand of a principal of a school to which the bus is assigned or other duly authorized school
system official. (3) As an occupant of a public school bus, refusing to leave the bus on demand
of the authorized school bus driver in charge of the bus, or upon demand of a principal of a
school to which the bus is assigned or other duly authorized school system official. (4) Willfully
stopping, impeding, delaying or detaining any public school bus being operated for public school
purposes. This act does not apply to children under 12.
House Bill 600:
Enacted and delivered to the Governor on May 20, 2013, as Act 2013-425. This law allows
retired law enforcement officers to serve on a part-time basis as school resource officers in the
public schools in Etowah County, and would require part-time school resource officers to be
certified by the Alabama Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commission, but waives
certification and recertification requirements relating to physical qualifications.
Senate Bill 383: Enacted and delivered to the Governor on May 20, 2013, as Act 2013-288. This law authorizes a
local board of education to employ persons as school security personnel or school resource
officers and would allow such persons employed as school security personnel or school resource
officers, with certain qualifications, to carry firearms while on duty. In addition to the bills noted
above, the Legislature adopted two joint resolutions concerning school safety as follows:
HJR205: Delivered to the Governor on May 7, 2013, as Act 2013-185. House joint resolution - supporting
the formations of a school safety stakeholder group and encouraging this group to hold regular
meetings. HJR205 reads as follows: Whereas, Homeland Security Director Spencer Collier
recently held a meeting with 17 other federal, state and local agencies and groups that are
SchoolSafety2013 18
directly involved with or have an interest in school safety; now therefore, be it resolved by the
Legislature of Alabama, both houses thereof concurring, That we support Director Collier's
initiative to bring all stakeholder groups in the education, law enforcement, and emergency
management communities around the same table to discuss school safety issues in Alabama's
schools, and encourage Director Collier to continue holding regular meetings with these groups.
Be it further resolved, That we request that legislative leadership or their representatives be given
the opportunity to participate in future meetings so the Legislature can stay abreast of the latest
information on this very important topic.
HJR226: Delivered to the Governor on May 7, 2013, as Act 2013-186. House joint resolution- supporting
and encouraging the furtherance of agreements between the Alabama Department of Education
and the Alabama Department of Mental Health to improve support services offered at each
school designed detect and treat mental and emotional disorders for Alabama Students. HJR
reads as follows: Be it resolved by the Legislature of Alabama, both houses thereof concurring,
That we support and encourage the furtherance of agreements between the Alabama Department
of Mental Health and the Alabama State Department of Education that would increase support
services offered at each school in terms of early detection and treatment of psychological and
emotional disorders. Resolved further, That we recommend that the Department of Education
work in unison with the various family resource centers to provide additional support that will
assist school districts in developing and implementing strategies that can be used to improve the
social and emotional well-being of students. Resolved further, that we recommend that the
Department of Education create continuing education programs for teachers, that will allow them
to stay informed of techniques and strategies designed to recognize signs of potential emotional
and psychological problems in students.
What Other States Doing?
Tennessee
The Tennessee Teachers Union does not want teachers armed in schools and opposes legislation
being considered by the state legislature. On May 1, 2013, the governor signed into law HB 6,
the School Security Act of 2013, which allows K-12 school personnel to possess a firearm on
SchoolSafety2013 19
school property if the person has a handgun carry permit, is authorized by the school
superintendent, has had 40 hours of basic school policing training and uses frangible bullets.
Florida
Florida State Officials consider using retired cops to provide school safety schools while saving
money. Hiring retired officers to patrol the city's schools would save taxpayers at least $870,000
a year, or $79,000 per job. Cities would not pay the retired officers health insurance, pensions or
salaries during the summer so they would save 2/3 of the costs. One of the schools switched to
using retired officers in October 2011, and saved more than 1 million. (www.stnoline.com)
Connecticut Redding Connecticut approved $322,619.71 for school security costs to add two police officers,
including a school resource officer for Redding Elementary School and John Read Middle
School to finish out the school year. This money would be used to pay for the salaries of the
SRO’s. The board also approved $135,000 in building security upgrades. All of this was
requested after the Sandy Hook incident. The school resource officer would likely be reinstated
for the next school year. (http://Weston.dailyvoice.com/schools/redding-approves-more-300000-
school-security)
SB1160 was passed with the strictest assault weapons ban laws in the nation, as well as a ban on
selling magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds. HB 5390 would create a matching
grant program that would reimburse municipalities 80 % of the cost of using law enforcement
personnel as SROs. HB 6306 would enable school officials and school boards to establish
protocols that allow school personnel to carry weapons on school grounds. (www.stnoline.com)
Georgia
SB 101 would allow an individual authorized in writing by a school official to carry a weapon on
campus and in school vehicles after receiving training.
SchoolSafety2013 20
Virginia
Legislature is considering legislation that would require school divisions and law enforcement
agencies to work together to put a uniformed, full-time school resource officer in every school.
In Virginia, most high schools and middle schools have SRO’s but most of the elementary
schools do not have SROs. Governor McDonnell signed a half-dozen bills recommended by the
School and Campus Safety Task Force, and they will take effect July 1, 2013. Key bills for K-12
public schools are HB 1582, which will allow security officers hired by schools to carry firearms
on both public and private school grounds, and measures related to establishing threat assessment
teams (HB 2344) and mandating specific training, such as lockdown drills (HB 2346) and critical
incident response training programs (HB 2345).
Mississippi
Lt. Governor is asking lawmakers to okay $7.5 million to create a grant program to increase the
number of law enforcement officers in public schools across the state. The governor approved a
bill (SB 2659) and signed a new law to allow districts to arm school personnel as well as to add
SROs. In early April 2013, the state passed a bill that would establish a $5.5-million fund to help
schools hire armed officers and, for those unable to meet the grant requirements, to arm teachers
and faculty.
Texas
SB 509 would allow voters to set up local taxing districts to pay for armed guards or other
security measures. New bills would allow the school employees and board members to carry
firearms to school sites and school events/meetings: HB 223, HB 1298, HB 1896, HB 2535
(security officers). HB 1009 would create a new type of law enforcement officer, school
marshals, to be hired specifically to act as necessary to prevent or stop incidents that threaten
serious injuries or deaths of students, faculty or school visitors.
Louisiana
HB 6 would exempt off-duty police officers from legal penalties for carrying firearms onto
school grounds or at school events, and HB 79 would require each public school principal to
develop a school safety plan in conjunction with law enforcement, while also requiring
SchoolSafety2013 21
classroom doors to be fitted with appropriate locks and remain locked during instructional
periods.
Evolving Safety Trends
The 1999 Columbine school shooting changed the way society looked at children and at schools.
Violence was no longer just an after-school, inner-city activity. It could happen anywhere. The
2012 Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting revealed weaknesses in security developed for the
safety of our children.
The trend is reflected in security funding, some of which comes from federal grants. Allocations
for the United States Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools program were cut
by a third between 1999 and 2008, to about $294.8 million last year. A program that has put
about 6,300 police officers in public schools since Columbine was scrapped by the U.S.
Department of Justice after 2005, according to Corey Ray, a spokesman for the department. Ray
said he's hopeful President Obama's stimulus package will put more police officers in schools.
They act as law enforcement officers as well as counselors and mentors to students, he said.
Meanwhile, money for a school counseling grant program has increased since Columbine, with
$52 million set aside for this Fy2013, compared to $20 million in 2000, the first year the
program was funded, according to budget numbers compiled for CNN by the U. S. Department
of Education. So while there's more money available for counseling, there's still been a steady
decline in federal spending for other aspects of school security.
Trump, a security consultant in Ohio, said schools have lost their focus on security since
Columbine. But he added that many effective security programs cost little or no money - only the
time it takes to train teachers and students how to spot potential problems and how to react if a
shooting were to occur. While metal detectors may not be the best tools to prevent school
shootings, they still can be useful in some crime-ridden school districts and, along with security
cameras, should not be abandoned entirely. Some evidence suggests strong school communities -
- where kids feel like they can come forward with problems -- can prevent violent crime. After
Columbine, many states and school districts made quick moves to increase school security,
experts say. This was a "kneejerk" reaction to the tragic, but rare, event; and a decade later,
SchoolSafety2013 22
policies are settling into a middle ground. After Columbine, some states started requiring schools
to prepare for school shootings with lockdown drills, much in the way they prepare for fires or
other disasters. Several experts say the tragedy brought awareness to the issue of school security,
which on the whole has been positive. However, that attention has been waning in the past few
years.
Five years before the Columbine tragedy, the law: Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement
Act, was passed. Commonly referred to as the "Assault Weapons Ban," this bill banned the
manufacture, possession and importation of new semiautomatic assault weapons and large-
capacity ammunition feeding devices (or magazines) for civilian use. Criteria for semiautomatic
assault weapons that fall under the ban are provided as well as a list of 19 specific firearms.
Prohibits juveniles from possessing or selling handguns and directs the attorney general to
evaluate proposed and existing state juvenile gun laws.
On April 20, 2013, in an article by Aviva Shen, titled, “What We’ve Learned In The 14 Years
Since The Columbine Shooting”, then-President Bill Clinton demanded action to prevent future
shootings. The U. S. Senate narrowly passed an amendment to require background checks on all
private dealer sales at gun shows, prompting Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to declare victory
over the gun lobby: “It will never be the same again. The vise lock that the NRA has had on the
Senate and the House is broken.”
Today 14 years and 31 mass shootings later, Americans are constantly braced for another attack.
Like the weapons used in the Columbine shooting, 80% of crime guns are still purchased without
a background check through private dealers. Even so, new legislation similar to the post-
Columbine background check amendment (which failed in the House at the time) could not even
muster the filibuster-proof 60 votes to pass the Senate. And the National Rifle Association’s
“vise lock” on lawmakers has only tightened in the past decade.
In response to the national horror after Columbine, the NRA claimed they were open to stricter
gun regulation, admitting in an ad campaign, “It’s reasonable to provide for instant background
checks at gun shows, just like gun stores and pawn shops.” But the organization soon mobilized
SchoolSafety2013 23
a massive lobbying effort to kill background checks behind the scenes. The NRA spent $1.5
million in just the two months leading up to the vote, the bulk of which went to mailings that
warned of dire consequences if background checks passed, the bill failed.
Only a few token laws, those supported by the NRA, passed. One allows cops to arrest people
who buy guns for criminals and children; another re-authorizes a state background check
program. Most of the other proposals were shot down. Among other things, these laws required
background checks at gun shows, safe storage of guns at home and an increase in the age for
buying a handgun from 18 to 21.
While every effective gun regulation introduced in response to Columbine failed to become law,
the shooting did transform another area of policy: school security. Schools dramatically beefed
up their use of security cameras, metal detectors and guards after the Columbine shooting, even
though a Secret Service report conducted a few years after the shooting found that these
measures were “unlikely to be helpful” in preventing violence. Indeed, more school security
guards have done little to combat violence, but student arrests for minor infractions shot up with
the increased presence of these guards after Columbine.
The gun lobby may once again stall the push for federal gun reform revived by the Newtown
shooting. However, Coloradans who remember the horror of Columbine and, more vividly, the
Aurora Theater shooting last year, have finally prevailed. Thirteen years after the defeat of their
last effort at gun reform, the state has approved one of the most progressive gun violence
prevention packages in the country, including universal background checks, a ban on high
capacity magazines and a ban on gun purchases by people convicted of domestic violence. The
site of two of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history could now serve as a blueprint as the
rest of the country finds its way to make meaningful gun reform a reality.
Recommendations
Mental Health in Schools
Mental health is as important as physical health to children’s quality of life and directly impacts
their learning and development. Children cannot learn effectively if they are struggling with a
SchoolSafety2013 24
mental health problem, such as depression, or feel overwhelmed by academic, social or family
pressures. It is important to recognize that mental health is not simply the absence of mental
illness; it also means having the skills necessary to cope with life’s challenges. Students,
families, schools and society at large benefit when schools meet the needs of the whole child by
fostering social-emotional skills and identifying and preventing mental health problems early.
Mental health has come to the forefront of these mysteries associated with school safety and how
to deter the violence that is occurring in the school setting. What this section will depict is the
necessity for mental health resources within schools and illustrates the importance of this
resource in helping address the issue of school safety. In 2010, 74.2 million children 17 and
under in the United States were in the school systems. Of the population of 9-17 year olds, an
estimated 21% experienced the signs and symptoms a DSM-IV (mental disorder) during the
course of the year, 11% experienced significant impairment, and 5% experience extreme
functional impairment. On average one-fourth of the children in need of mental health services
got the help they needed.
It was found that minorities have less access to mental health services and are less likely to
receive the needed care. The disparities also showed that minorities in treatment often received
poorer quality of mental health care and that they are also underrepresented in mental health
research, mental health is an intricate part of preventing and deterring issues in the school
setting. Research demonstrates that students who receive social-emotional support and
prevention services achieve better academically in school. It suggests that the role of schools
may function as the de facto mental health system for children and adolescents. Only 16% of all
children receive any mental health services. Of those receiving care, 70-80% receive that care in
a school setting. Eighty-three percent of schools reported providing case management for
students with behavioral or social problems. Nearly half of all schools contract or make
arrangements with a community-based organization to provide mental health or social services to
students.
About 60% of the nation’s 1,500 school based mental health centers have mental health
professionals on staff. With support from primary care providers, nearly 80% of the centers
provide crisis intervention services. School leaders who recognize the relationship between
SchoolSafety2013 25
student success, good schooling/instruction and comprehensive school health programs that
include attention to students’ mental health will more effectively improve student and school
outcomes. A recent longitudinal study provided strong empirical evidence that interventions that
strengthen students’ social, emotional and decision-making skills also positively impact their
academic achievement, both in terms of higher standardized test scores and better grades
(Fleming et al., 2005). Training for school personnel to identify mental health issues can also be
beneficial in our student’s growth increasing communications in our schools and our community.
As we look at cost for these professional the cost could be covered by the individual’s health
insurance.
Security in Schools
An automated security system can be used for the timed access through doors into certain areas.
It also can be used to lock down the school during a crisis or active shooter situations and isolate
an intruder / shooter to a certain area, making it easier for law enforcement to capture the
individual. Security cameras may also be used as part of the automated system allowing SROs,
faculty, and law enforcement to view specified areas and to see exactly what is happening inside
and outside the school areas.
The automated security system and the SROs are the best prevention methods to used to properly
protect the schools, however funding the system will bring some challenges to the State of
Alabama as how to pay for the access system. Alabama will require federal funding to assist
with funding for this type of system. The automated security system can be tailored to find the
schools needs based on the location and the size of the school. Listed below are some examples
of the costs associated with installing an automated security system; Johnson Controls Inc.
provides controlled access for most of Alabama’s government buildings and these costs are
based on historical data for their costs to install the system.
1. Controlled door access: (Card readers) By controlling door access you can have doors
opened and locked at a specified time. Access during locked hours will require card key
access or designated security personnel, staff member, or faculty member can release the
door by pushing a door release button. Costs: Each door with controlled access will cost
SchoolSafety2013 26
around $2,500.00 -$3,000.00 each depending on its location and the hardware needed for
the door.
2. Cameras: Cameras will allow video surveillance on doors and other points of entry
using the cameras and the door access controls staff members can focus in on areas if an
intruder is seen and can lock down the areas needed to control the intruders movements
in the building and not allow the intruder or an active shooter to just roam the entire
building. Camera costs vary depending if a black and white camera is used, a color
camera, or if it is a High Definition camera. Costs: The average cost is about $2,000-
$2,500.00 for a standard color camera.
3. Video Monitors: Used in conjunction with cameras to view each camera location
throughout the building. Costs: $300.00-$500.00 depending on the type; High Definition,
color, etc.
4. Panic Buttons: Panic buttons can be used to notify law enforce immediately of a
problem area, the button is wired into the security system and also to the police. Once the
button is pushed it will send an alarm directly to the police informing them of the
building and the room where the emergency is located. Cost: Panic Buttons are
inexpensive and very effective $200.00-$400.00 each depending how much wire is
needed to install them.
As you can see the costs for an automated system can get quite expensive but it is necessary to
save the lives of our children. This should be a nationwide project and there is legislation being
drafted to solve some of the many problems associated with school safety.
SROs: School Resource Officers will be placed in each school these are armed well
trained law enforcement officers that can be on site to handle any school emergency.
Governor Bentley, Speaking before the Virtual Alabama School Safety Summit at the
Renaissance Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, in Montgomery Alabama. Bentley
said he wanted to expand training for confrontation of active shooters to all law
enforcement personnel in the state. “Those personnel, he said, should be the only ones
tasked with protecting schools”
SchoolSafety2013 27
Recommendations: (1) Place an SRO in each school in the State and install some type of
automated access control system in each school. Recommend that the Federal and State
government push for legislation for each school to adopt this system and provide funds to assist
States to purchase and hire RSOs and or armed security guards in each school.
School Safety Plans: (2) Each school will write and have posted a school safety plan (July 2013
on Virtual Alabama) that requires the school to have regular monitored drills that include school
staff, emergency personnel, such as fire fighters, paramedics, and local / state police / SWAT
teams. Schools that are not in compliance will be penalized for non-compliance.
Involve Local Education Agency (LEA) to enforce compliance: (3) The term local education
agency means a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a
State to either provide administrative control or direction of, or perform a service function for
public schools serving individuals ages 0 - 21 in a state, city, county, township, school district or
other political subdivision including a combination of school districts or counties recognized in a
State as an administrative agency for its public schools.
Funding: (4) Recommend federal funding, State funding, increases in state taxes, IE; property
taxes, sales tax, use tax, business tax, and license tax to fund the implementation of the security
system and the hiring of RSOs and armed security guards. Safety in our schools within the state
of Alabama is a number one priority and everything possible should be done to protect our
children. Legislation should be passed and funding made available to make sure all of the
schools in the state are protected. Funding could be recovered through health insurance claims
for mental health services. Legislature could earmark funds for these services. Local
communities could increase local taxes in their communities. And local organizations could
sponsor all or part of these security solutions.
These recommendations will also create collaboration with our schools, mental health
community, law enforcement, city, county and state. By networking together the mental health
workers, SROs and schools, we are providing our community a perspective of issues that need to
be focused on in our communities. This will also provide our state with a broad perspective and
understanding of issues occurring in the State of Alabama.
SchoolSafety2013 28
References
Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L (2006). The current status of mental health in schools: A policy and
practice brief. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA School Mental Health Project.
Burns BJ, Costello EJ, Angold A, Tweed D et al. Children’s Mental Health Service Use Across
Service Sectors, Health Affairs, Vol 14, No 3, 1995: 149-159.
Brenner ND, Martindale J, Weist MD. Mental Health and Social Services: Results from the
School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000. J of Sch Health, Vol 7, No 7.
Fleming, C. B., Haggerty, K. P., Brown, E. C., Catalano, R. F., Harachi, T. W., Mazza, J. J., &
Gruman, D. H. (2005). Do social and behavioral characteristics targeted by preventive
interventions predict standardized test scores and grades? Journal of School Health, 75, 342-349.
Foster, S., Rollefson, M., Doksum, T., Noonan, D., Robinson, G., Teich, J. (2005). School
mental health services in the United States, 2002-2003. DHHS Pub. No (SMA) 05-4068.
Rockville, MD: Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental health Services
Administration.
National Assembly on School-Based Health Care. Creating access to Care for Children and
Youth: SBHC Census 1998-1999. June 2000.
Rones, M., & Hoagwood, K. (2000). School-based mental health services: A research review.
Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 3, 223-241.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. Columbine Massacre, www.infoplease.com/spot/guntime1.html. Accessed
on August 2, 2013.
Shen, Avia. Thinkprogess.org/politics/2013/04120/1896857. What We've Learned in the 14
Years Since the Columbine Shooting. Accessed on April 20, 2013
SchoolSafety2013 29
Slade, E. P. (2002). Effects of school-based mental health programs on mental health service use
by adolescents at school and in the community. Mental Health Service Research, 4, 151-166.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2005b) Project ACHIEVE.
SAMHSA Model Program -
www.modelprograms.samhsa.gov/templatecf.cfm?page=model&pkProgramID=31
Sutter, John D. Columbine Massacre Changed School.Security-CNN.com,
www.CNN.com/2009/Living04/20/Columbine.School.Safety. Accessed on August 2, 2013.
Teachers College, Columbia University. (2005, October). The social cost of inadequate
education. Symposium conducted at Columbia University, New York.
Toppo, Greg. 10 years later, the real story behind Columbine.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-13-columbine-myths_N.htm. Accessed on
August 2, 2013.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1999). Mental health: A report of the surgeon
general. Executive summary. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health. Accessed on
August 2, 2013.
US DHHS. Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. America’s Children: Key
National indicators of Well-Being, 2011. http://www.childstats.gov/pdf/ac2011.pdf.
Accessed on February 28, 2012.
SchoolSafety2013 30
Alabama Resource Websites
Government Websites
Alabama Attorney General’s Office - www.ago.alabama.gov
Alabama State Department of Education - www.alsde.edu
National Center for Juvenile Justice - www.ncjj.org
Professional Organizations
The Alabama Association of School Resource Officers http://www.taasro.org/
National Association of School Resource Officers - www.nasro.org
Other Links of Interest
Mendez Foundation - www.mendezfoundation.org
Search Institute - www.search-institute.org
Institute for Intergovernmental Research - www.iir.com
Lt. Randy Sutton - www.truebluestories.com
Lt. Randy Sutton - www.policingwithhonor.com
Covering Your A.S.S. (Active Shooter Situation) - Power Point File
Alabama Center for Law and Civic Education (Play by the Rules) - www.aclce.orgAlabama
Criminal Justice Information Center - http://acjic.alabama.gov
SchoolSafety2013 31
ThehighlightedareaswereimplementedasaresultoftheSandyHookshooting.Theotheritemswereinplacepriortotheshooting.
CrisisManagementPreparation/Training
Crisismanagementisnotadisciplinetobelearned–onemustbetrainedinhowtorespondtoanemergencysituation.OrangeBeachElementarySchooltakesprideinpromotingaproactivesafeschoolenvironment.Asamatteroffact,OBESisconfidentwehavetakenaleadingroleinbecomingthesafestschoolinAlabama,aswellasacrossthenation.Measureswehavetakentoprepareforapotentialcrisisinclude:
OrangeBeachElementarySchool’sCrisisManagementPlanisacomprehensiveplanthatisupdatedatthebeginningofeachschoolyear(August)andisapprovedbytheBaldwinCountyBoardofEducation.
Monthlyfiredrills,quarterlysevereweatherdrills,andtwointruderdrills(onepersemester)areconductedatourschool.Uponthecompletionofthedrills,staffmeetingsareheldtodebriefanddetermineanyareasoffocusforimprovement.
Theprincipalimplementedaschoolsafetyteamtoassistinareasofmanagingcrisisandreducingrisksandliability.
TheentireOBESstaffparticipatesinroundtablediscussionswithlocallawenforcement,includingSWAT,firedepartment,andotherfirstresponderstoprepareforrealemergencysituations.
TheschoolcollaborateswiththeBaldwinCountyBoardofEducationSafetyAdvisoryCommitteetoevaluateourcrisisplan.
Theschoolstaff,aswellasparents,havebeentrainingandactivelyparticipateintheBaldwinCounty“ChallengeCampaign”.TheChallengeCampaigninvolvesstaffaskingthefollowingquestionsuponencounteringapersononthecampuswhomayormaynotbeproperlycredentialedorappearoutofplace(challengingthevisitor):(1)WHOareyou?(2)WHEREareyougoing?(3)WHATareyougoingtodothere?
Allclassroomshaveevacuationroutespostedinaconspicuousplaceintheclassroom.
Allclassroomshavered“EmergencyFolder”intheirclassrooms.Includedintheemergencyfolderareevacuationmapsandemergencyprocedures.
OBEShasacompletedsafetyplantobeuploadedtotheVirtualAlabamaSchoolSafetySystem.WearecurrentlyawaitingapprovalfromtheBaldwinCountyBoardofEducationtoproceedinuploadingtheplan.(Adigitalcopyoftheschool,includinganaerialview,andkeystaffmembersisincludedinthissubmission.)
Appendix A
SchoolSafety2013 32
ThehighlighteditemswereimplementedasaresultoftheSandyHookshooting.Theotheritemswerealreadyinplacepriortotheshooting.
LawEnforcement/LocalEmergencyOfficialsCollaboration
AtOrangeBeachElementarySchool,weworkcloselywiththelocalandcountylawenforcementagencies/emergencyresponseteamsinplanningforasafeschoolenvironmentbythefollowing:
TheCityofOrangeBeachprovidedfundingfortwophasesofsecurityupgradestoOrangeBeachElementarySchool.Phase1(fundinginexcessof$75,000)includedtheacquisitionofpanicbuttonsystem(forwhichOBESgainednationalrecognition‐seedocumentationsection),upgradedsecuritycamerasandDVR,anOrangeBeachpoliceofficerassignedfull‐timetotheschool,andmonitoringsystemsforthecafeteriakitchenandtheSea,Sand,andStarsfacility.Phase2(projectedbudgetinexcessof$150,00)beganJune1andwillincludeimpactglassinstalledallentrydoorsandcafeteriawindows,asecuritygateattheentranceofSea,Sand,andStars,andtheenclosureofabreezewaythatconnectsthemainbuildingtothe5th/6thgradewing,andtheinstallationofmonitoringsystemforthemainschoolentrance.Withtheinstallationofthebreezewayandmonitoringsystemforthemainentrance,OBESwillbeabletolockALLentrydoorsthroughouttheschoolday.Anticipateddateofcompletionofallphase2projects:December2013
TheFireMarshallofOrangeBeachispresentonourcampuseachmorningduringstudentdrop‐offtoassistinmonitoringstudentactivityandvisitors.
Theschoolcollaborateswiththelocalfiredepartmentintheplanningandexecutionofmonthlyfiredrills.TheOBFireMarshallandfiredepartmentarepresentandassistwitheachmonthlydrill.
SWATTeamtrainings/exercisesareheldoncampusduringthesummerandonceduringtheschoolyear(afterhours)tofamiliarizetheteamwiththelayoutoftheschoolfacility.
TheOBPoliceChief,AssistantChief,andSWATTeamleadersconductstaffin‐serviceonintruderawarenessandsafetyprocedures.Theyalsodebriefstaffafteremergencypreparednessdrills.
TheOBPoliceDepartmentassignedareserveofficertoassistintimesofhightraffic/visitorsoncampus.
TheCityofOrangeBeachhasdesignatedbuildings(approvedbytheBaldwinCountyEMA)as“shelters‐in‐place”intheeventofaschoolevacuation.
Appendix B
SchoolSafety2013 33
ThehighlighteditemswereimplementedaftertheSandyHookshooting.Theotheritemswerealreadyinplacepriortotheshooting.
Law‐relatedEducation/DrugAbuse,BullyingandCyber‐BullyingPrevention
OrangeBeachElementarySchooltakesaproactivestanceinaddressingbullying,cyber‐bullying,socialnetworking,anddrugusethroughtheimplementationofthefollowingactivities:
RedRibbonWeek‐RRWistosupportdrugfreeschoolsthrougheducationandinformeddecisionincommunitiesthroughoutthecountry.AtOrangeBeachElementary,weobserveRRWbyparticipatingavarietyofactivitiesincludingaparade(theOrangeBeachFireDepartmentleadstheparadethroughthecommunityinavintagefiretruckinwhichaselectedgraderidesduringtheparade),aRedRibbonCarnivalsetupwithgameswithdrugfreemessages,andaserviceproject(PenniesforPuppies‐studentscollectanddonatechangetocontributetothepurchaseandmaintenanceoftheBaldwinCountyK‐9unit).OurstudentsalsoparticipateintheRedRibbonWeekEssayContestwithaspecifictopiceachyear.Thisyear,anOBES5thgradestudentplacedthirdoverallintheentirecountycompetition.Thisisthesecondcounty‐widewinnerfromOBESinthepastthreeyears.
TheMobileDrugBusfor5thgraders:Onceayear,themobiledrugbusvisitsourcampuswithaprogramspecificallydesignedtoteach5thgradestudentsaboutthedangersofusingdrugs.
Cyber‐bullying‐In2012,OrangeBeachElementarySchoolimplementeda1:1Macbookinitiativeforstudentsingrades4‐6.TheguidancecounselorandSROcollaboratedtoformacyber‐bullyingprogram.Theymeetwiththe4th‐6thgradestudentsmonthlytodiscusscyber‐bullyingissues.Socialnetworks“dosanddon’ts”arealsoincorporatedintothiscurriculum.
OfficerBrownimplementedthe“KidsTooGoodforDrugs”programforstudentsin3rdand5thgrades.For6thgradestudents,OfficerBrowndesignedandimplementedadrugawarenessprograminwhichhediscussedthelegalaspectofdrugpossessionandconsequences.IngradesK‐2,heincorporatedactivitieson“StrangerDanger”,bicyclesafety,andmakinggoodandbadchoices.
Theguidancecounselorimplementedandcoordinatesapositivebehaviorsysteminwhichstudentsareawarded“Gotchas”forindividualpositivebehaviorsand“Moolas”areawardedtoclassesrecognizedas“bully‐freezones”.GotchasandMoolasareredeemedmonthlyforextrarecess,lunchwiththeprincipal,andothermotivationawards.
OutwardBoundprogram‐Thisprogramtargets13year‐oldsinBaldwinCountywhoareexperiencingemotionalissues,familyissues,behaviorissuesand/orself‐esteemissues.
Appendix C
SchoolSafety2013 34
AllthingslistedonthispagecameaboutbecauseoftheSandyHookElementary
SchoolResourceOfficer/Technology
OrangeBeachElementarySchoolwasabletomakehugestridesinprovidingasafeschoolenvironmentthroughtheacquisitionofafull‐timeSRO(anOrangeBeachpoliceofficerwith18yearsexperience)inJanuary2013.HehasanearnedMaster’sDegreeinCriminalJusticeAdministrationandholdsnumerouslawenforcementcertifications.DuringhistenureatOBES,OfficerJoeyBrownhasparticipatedinBasicandAdvancedSchoolResourceOfficertraining.Throughthesetrainings,hehasearnedanationalcertification(NASRO).HeisalsoamemberofTheAlabamaAssociationofSchoolResourceOfficers(TAASRO).Hehasbeeninstrumentalindeveloping/coordinatingthefollowinginnovativesecuritymeasures:
Designed/implementedclassroomlessonswithallgradelevelsonsafetytopics Educatenewstaffmembersonthecrisismanagementplan/updatingschoolsafetypoliciesand
procedures Conducthourlyfootpatrolsoftheschoolcampus Collaboratewithschooladministrationonlandscapingprojectsandschoolfacilityupgradesto
ensurebuildingandgroundimprovementswillnotbeinconflictwiththesafetyofstudentsandstaff
OrangeBeachElementarySchoolhasimplementedcuttingedgetechnologiesinregardstosafety.ThefollowingtechnologiesweremadepossiblethroughfundingprovidedbytheCityofOrangeBeach:
PanicButtonSystem‐Allstaffmemberswearapanicbutton(similartoalifealertbuttonusedbyelderlyorinfirmedpersons).Thesebuttonsareactivatedintheeventofanintruderoracrisissituationoncampus.
Twovideomonitoringsystems(onefortheSea,Sand,andStarsfacilityandoneforthecafeteriakitchen)thatallowsstafftoviewandverballycommunicatewithindividualswishingtogainaccesstotheseareas.
Repairofinoperablesecuritycameras/additionof12newsecuritycameras UpgradedDVRrecorderforsecuritysystem
Othersafetytechnologiesimplemented:
KeepntrackSchoolSafetySoftware‐utilizedtotrackvisitorsandvolunteermanagement/performcriminalbackgroundandsexoffenderchecksandwillprintidentificationbadgesexclusiveforeachindividualvisitor.(fundedprovidedbyOrangeBeachElementaryPTO)
TalkAboutIt‐Textingprogramforsixthgradestudentstoanonymouslycommunicatewithschooladministrationregardingtopicssuchassuicide,drugs,bullying,etc.(OrangeBeachisontracktobetheonlyelementaryschoolinBaldwinCountytopilotthisprogrambeginninginthefallof2013.)
Appendix D
SchoolSafety2013 35
TheseitemswereinplacepriortotheSandyHookshooting.
MentoringInitiatives/CommunityParticipation
OrangeBeachElementarySchoolparticipatesinnumerousschool‐student‐communityoutreachprograms.Theseinclude:
PeerHelpers‐“Littlepeoplelearninghowtobebighelpers”‐Peerhelpersarespeciallytrainedstudentswhoserveasmentors,mediators,andfriendstofellowstudentsbywelcomingandbefriendingnewstudents,assistwithcharactereducation,andparticipateincommunityserviceprojects.Peerhelpersaretrainedtoconfidentiallylistentofellowstudentswhoarestrugglingwithsocialoracademicissuesandtoseekadultassistanceforthemasneeded.Providingpeerhelpersinelementaryschoolmayhelppreventfutureissuessuchasbullyinginmiddleschoolanddropoutsinhighschool.
RollercoasterGroup‐Thissmallgrouporganizationisforstudentsofchangingfamilies(divorce,single‐parenthouseholds,etc.)Theymeetweeklywiththeschoolcounselorfor30‐minutesessions.
ProjectReboundGriefGroup‐Thisgroupisforstudentswhohaveaparentwhohaspassedaway.Theymeetweeklywiththeschoolcounselorfor30‐minutesessions.
ShiningStarProgram‐Thisisaprogramestablishedtopromotepositiveinteractionbetweenlocallawenforcementandchildrenbetweentheagesof8‐13.Thepurposeistobuildlifeskills,instillconfidence,anddevelopself‐esteem.ActivitiesincludedrugawarenesswithK‐9demonstrations,crimesceneinvestigations,boater’ssafetywithsimulators,firesafety,obstaclecourses,guestspeakers,andafamilyfunday.TheOrangeBeachElementarySchoolSROcoordinatesthisprogram.
YellowRibbonSuicideAwarenessandPreventionWeek‐asweareanelementaryschool,weprimarilyfocusontreatingoneanotherwithkindnessandbeingtolerantandcaringtowardothers.
FireSafetyWeek‐TheOrangeBeachFireMarshallandmembersoftheOrangeBeachFireDepartmentconductfiresafetyactivitiesandbringfiretruckstocampusforstudentstoexplore.
CoastGuardAuxiliarySafeBoatingClass‐Eachspring,theCoastGuardpresentsasafeboatingclasstoallfirstandsecondgradestudents.
KidsNightOut‐ThisactivityissponsoredbytheOrangeBeachFireDepartmentisheldduringtheweekpriortothestartofeachnewschoolyearforstudentsinOrangeBeachandoursistercityGulfShores.Itprovideswateractivitiesandanopportunityforstudentstoengageinfun,teambuildingactivitieswiththeirpeers.Thefiremenprepareamealforthechildrenorfamilyatnocost.
Appendix E
SchoolSafety2013 36
OrangeBeachgainednationalrecognitionasaresultoftheinitiativesimplementedaftertheSandyHookshooting.
SupplementalDocumentation
OrangeBeachElementarySchoolgainednationalrecognitionwhenweacquiredandimplementedpanicbuttonsforourstaff.Includedinthissectionarenewsarticlesfrommanystates,evenasfarawayasHawaii.OBESwasalsomentionedintheUSATodaynewspaper.Afterreadingaboutourschool,arepresentativefromSandyHookElementaryphonedMrs.Brocato,theOBESprincipal,tofindoutmoreinformationregardingthepanicbuttonsystem.
Ourschoolwasalsofeaturedinanationalonlinemagazine,TheJournal.Acopyofthearticleisincludedinthissection.
BelowarelinkstovideonewsbroadcastsinwhichOrangeBeachElementarySchoolwasfeaturedregardingsecurityupgrades.
LinkstonewsbroadcastsfeaturingOrangeBeachElementarySecurityMeasures
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk3n8dNpKWU
http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/1805/3931305?title=broadcast_local_2
http://permianbasin360.com/fulltext‐weather/?nxd_id=250112
http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/2539/3936643?title=meevee_local
http://article.wn.com/view/2013/02/10/Panic_buttons_a_safety_measures_at_Ala_school_i/#/video
InrecognitionforhissupportanddedicationtoOrangeBeachElementarySchool,OrangeBeachMayor,TonyKennon,waspresentedthe2012‐2013StudentServiceAward.Thepressreleaseisincludedinthissection.
Appendix F
SchoolSafety2013 37
May30,2013
ToWhomItMayConcern:
ThisletterisinsupportofOrangeBeachElementarySchool’sapplicationfortheAttorneyGeneral’sAlabamaSafeSchoolsInitiativeAwardofExcellence.Forthepast7months,IhavehadtheopportunitytoworkcloselywithMrs.LoriBrocato,principal,inreviewingandupdatingtheschoolsafetyplan.Additionally,ourlocalcitygovernmentprovidedfundingforsecurityupgradestothefacilityandPrincipalBrocatoandIhavecollaboratedoneachfacetofareasoffocus.
Theschooladministrationregularlycoordinatessafetydrillsinwhichthelocalpolicedepartment,firedepartment,andotheremergencyagenciesareactivelyinvolved.Aftereachdrill,PrincipalBrocatoandleadersofthefirstresponseteamsdebriefanddiscussmethodstoimplementforimprovement.Firstresponderteamleadersalsoaddressfacultyandstafftoprovideon‐goingtraining.Inadditiontomonthlysafetydrills,thesouthBaldwinSWATteamconductsactiveshooter/intruderdrillsontheschoolcampusduringthesummermonths.ThistrainingfamiliarizesmembersoftheSWATteamonthelayoutofthecampus.
Asaveteranlawenforcementofficer,IapplaudtheeffortsofOrangeBeachElementarySchoolfortheireffortsincreatingasafeenvironmentforthechildrenofourcommunity.ItiswithouthesitationthatIrecommendOrangeBeachElementarySchoolfortheAttorneyGeneral’sAlabamaSafeSchoolsInitiativeAwardofExcellence.
Respectfully,
WilliamWilkins
OrangeBeachChiefofPolice
Appendix G
NEWS RELEASE January 9, 2012 For More Information, Contact: Lynn M. Childs, Public Information Manager (334) 517.2415
Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center releases School Violence in Alabama statistical report (Montgomery, Ala.) – The Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) released a special report today entitled School Violence in Alabama 2011. This report includes the state’s official statistical analysis of violence offenses reported to the state Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, by Alabama law enforcement agencies for the calendar year of 2011, where the premise code for the offense was reported as a school. Including offense data reported by law enforcement agencies including public and private schools (K‐12, post‐secondary, and colleges and universities), the School Violence in Alabama 2011 report found that: � School violence was indicated in 2% of all reported violent offenses and 3% of all reported simple assaults in Alabama in 2011. � Of the reported offenses of school violence in 2011, 11% were cleared by the arrest of a juvenile, six % by the arrest of an adult, and 27 % by exceptional clearance (lack of prosecution). 56% of the offenses were not cleared. � 53% of the victims of the reported school violence in Alabama during 2011 were female. � 49% of all these school violence victims were acquainted with their offender, and 31% of the victims reported injuries. � Juveniles made up 57% of the school violence victims, representing the largest number of school violence victims in the robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault categories. Of the juveniles, 42% were ages 13‐17. � Hands, fists or feet were the weapon used in 90% of the school violence offenses. Page 1 of 1 201 S. Union Street, Suite 300 Montgomery, Alabama 36130 334.517.2400 www.acjic.alabama.gov
Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center News Release (continued) � Although 43% of school violence offenses occurred at an elementary or secondary school, only 15% of the victims were of elementary school age, while 42% of the victims were of middle‐school or high‐school student age, which includes the age range of 13‐17 years. � 22 % of school violence offenses reported in Alabama during 2011 occurred at a college or university, with 16% of the victims being of college age (18‐24). A total of 19 colleges and universities in Alabama submitted 2011 crime statistics for the uniform crime report. For a full list of reporting law enforcement agencies, please see Crime in Alabama 2011 online at www.acjic.alabama.gov School Violence in Alabama 2011 is a special report utilizing uniform crime reporting data submitted by approximately 350 Alabama law enforcement agencies. The report utilized data reviewed for the 2011 Crime in Alabama publication, which features a compilation of incident, offense and arrest data reported by county, municipal, university and state law enforcement agencies throughout Alabama for the previous calendar year. The report also includes an overview of certain Part II crimes, as well as
Appendix H
SchoolSafety2013 39
statistics regarding arrests and recovered property. “We always caution citizens or the media against drawing conclusions by making direct comparisons between statistics submitted by cities or individual agencies, as there are unique conditions that affect each law enforcement jurisdiction,” said Maury Mitchell, ACJIC director. “Valid assessments are only possible with careful study and analysis of the conditions that affect each law enforcement jurisdiction.” Alabama’s Uniform Crime Reporting program is administered by ACJIC Statistical Analysis Center to provide uniform crime statistics to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The special School Violence in Alabama 2011 report was prepared by the ACJIC, the state agency responsible for gathering and providing critical information for Alabama’s law enforcement and the criminal justice community. Leading the nation in the development of ground‐breaking technology, ACJIC connects local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) administered by the FBI and also provides access to law enforcement in all 50 states and internationally via Nlets, the International Justice and Public Safety Network. The full School Violence in Alabama 2011 and Crime in Alabama 2011 reports can be obtained and reviewed online at http://www.acjic.alabama.gov/crime.cfm. Page 2 of 2 201 S. Union Street, Suite 300 Montgomery, Alabama 36130 334.517.2400 www.acjic.alabama.gov
