Violence in schools-having a plan
Indiana Insurance, a member of the Liberty Mutual Group and an insurer of public and private schools throughout the Midwest, hosted a free, day-long seminar this fall to help Ohio school officials develop better school safety plans.
Recognizing that violence is a pressing concern in schools today, Indiana Insurance invited Michael Dorn, a leading expert in school violence prevention, to deliver a series of presentations at The Fawcett Center on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Dorn is the founder of Safe Havens International, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping schools worldwide internalize school safety expertise. Dorn has extensive experience, including training high-ranking Israeli police officials, and has also recently lectured at the Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City.
Knives, guns, more
Dorn began his seminar presentation by demonstrating how easy it is to conceal weapons. Without saying a word, from his shirt and slacks he pulled out small knives, then a long blade, next two rifles, a sword and a long-handled axe. Finally he produced a hand grenade. The audience of approximately 200 educators and law enforcement agents from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana gasped with surprise, stunned at what Dorn concealed and was able to produce in a matter of minutes.
“As far back as 1927, when more than 40 students and staff were murdered at a Bath, Mich., elementary school, there have been far too many acts of violence in American schools. We are again seeing the very real consequences of school violence with recent deadly events occurring in schools across our country,” Dorn said. “While no school can be 100 percent safe, our techniques have been successfully applied worldwide to avert dozens of planned school shootings and bombings.”
Polling by Safe Havens International of educators and law enforcement officials in all 50 states indicates that fewer than 10 percent of school systems have any safety plans in accordance with best practice models. A safety plan would include tactics for the most violent scenarios.
Dorn detailed the comprehensive school safety-planning model used by more than 8,000 public and private schools throughout the nation. He addressed realistic anti-terrorism measures, emergency preparedness, weapons in schools, school hazard and vulnerability assessments, crisis planning, the consequences of school bullying and access control measures.
But Indiana Insurance, sponsor of the event, cautioned that overall school safety is the goal too.
“Schools need safety plans not just for the violent, unexpected intruders, but for more common hazards,” said Steve Munro, loss control manager for Indiana Insurance. “More students die from heart attacks than from gunmen or hostage situations — still a rare occurrence.”
Monru, who annually visits 800 schools in Indiana and six other states, said that although the Amish school shooting, Columbine and other horrific school tragedies make the headlines, more kids are injured, and many seriously, on the school playground, in the bleachers of their school sports arenas and from school access areas that are not secured.
Safety Advantage Network
Indiana Insur-ance developed a Safety Advantage Network Program that helps schools deal with safety issues such as natural disasters, fires and on-site hazards. At this seminar attendees were given information from Safe Havens International and as well as from other members of the Safety Advantage Network created by Indiana Insurance to provide policyholders access to specialists around the country in specific areas including: school violence prevention; sexual abuse prevention; employment screening best practices; and online safety training, among others topics. Some network members are:
Safe Havens International is a non-profit school safety center that provides training and resources. Staff analysts are dedicated to helping schools internalize school safety expertise through the development of quality, customized crisis plans tailored to a school’s or organization’s specific needs.
Childhelp’s Good Touch-Bad Touch program is nationally recognized as a premier abuse prevention program. Designed for pre-school and kindergarten through sixth grade students, educators are trained to teach this curriculum, which gives children non-threatening and practical information and skills they need to prevent sexual abuse and bullying.
Safe Hiring Solutions is a full service employment screening firm that specializes in pre-employment background checks and employee drug screening, among other services.Safe Hiring Solutions’ Web-based InstaScreen system enables schools and other clients to order and retrieve comprehensive reports 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Covering all possibilities
Indiana Insurance has been providing loss control services for schools for more than a 100 years and has its own detailed program, which includes identification of potential loss exposure in playground and playground equipment, science laboratories and chemical storage, vocational and technical areas, athletic facilities and equipment, challenge courses, climbing walls, etc., and kitchen and food service.
“As a leading insurer of schools we are committed to providing information to improve the safety of schools. Through seminars like this one, and through the creation of our Safety Advantage Network, we can get meaningful and actionable information into our policyholders’ hands and the community at large,” said Michael D. Connell, Indiana Insurance president and chief executive officer.
The presence of school resource officers in schools is also a critical element to an effective school safety plan, according to Delhi Police Corporal Joe Middendorf, president of the Ohio School Resource Officers Association.
“School resource officers are not just a first line of defense against school violence. The work they do as counselors to troubled students can steer them back on track and away from dangerous and reactive choices, potentially defusing what might eventually evolve into a life-threatening situation on school grounds,” said Corporal Middendorf.