No More Excuses: Leadership’s Role in Prioritizing School Safety

This month, the focus is on our ability to respond confidently and what that means. I am going to challenge our school board members, superintendents, and all of our school and district administrators to stop using these two excuses: we don’t have the budget or the time for school safety. As an added bonus, please stop saying, "If it is not mandated, then we don’t have to do it." I expect to offend some of you, and many of you are likely saying, “You have no idea what you are talking about!” If we don’t have the time or the money, how do you expect us to do what is expected of us? If there is no mandate, then we aren’t required to do that. Frankly, I am disappointed in the leadership of our schools every time I hear these excuses. Because that is what they are, nothing but excuses. If you are using these, you are gambling with the safety of those you are legally and morally responsible for.

When we look at the common edict, “School Safety is a shared responsibility,” we must understand what is shared and whose responsibility it is. Most people will agree with me that safety is a shared responsibility. However, do you, as the leadership of our schools, understand exactly what your responsibilities are? It is collectively the responsibility of everyone to do their part to keep our school safe, to prevent harm, to have prepared staff, to train staff to respond to emergencies with confidence, and to recover from the impacts of an emergency. That being said, no one can do their jobs if you, the leadership, don’t do your jobs. And that is to give them the tools they need to succeed.

Leadership begins at the top of an organization, so it’s essential to start by examining the roles and responsibilities of those in leadership positions.

School Board Members: Ultimately, school boards are responsible for the safety of their students and staff. They are governing bodies of the districts and must provide their schools all of the resources necessary to be successful. School boards must understand the safety requirements and mandates set forth by the state and federal governments. However, they must also understand these requirements and mandates only set the MINIMUM requirements and do not set the standard for what is considered to meet our families' safety standards and expectations.

Create a safety committee and get involved in the safety of your district.
Understand what it takes to have compliance AND safety
Understand the status of the safety and security of all your schools
Identify the gaps between the mandates and what is needed
Create plans to fill those gaps (strategic planning)
Budget time and money following your plans to move your schools to a safer status.
Hold everyone accountable for meeting the standards you have set.
While status reports are more efficient and necessary, do not rely on them as your sole source of information. Do your homework.
Become the expert in school safety, lead by example, and create a culture where safety has the appropriate priorities.
Do not accept any excuses for why something can’t be done. Only accept solutions and plans.

Superintendents: As the district's chief executive, you are responsible for ensuring compliance with all mandates set by the school board, including those set by the state and federal agencies.

Actively participate in the district safety committee
Identify and remove barriers to school safety
Hold everyone accountable for achieving the high standards the school board and the district’s safety committee set.
Create plans and budgets that align with the goals, objectives, and strategic plans.
Create processes for improvement and for people to report issues that need to be resolved.

Safety Leadership (Safety Director): The district’s School Safety Director is responsible for implementing the district safety plans. They are also responsible for identifying the gaps, wishes, and needs of the district to advance the safety of the district in all of the schools and departments within the district.

Chair the safety committee.
Create the safety teams necessary to implement the safety plans.
Communicate with the safety committee.
Acts as the liaison between all the district and community stakeholders.
Works closely with the superintendent and school board to ensure accountability and compliance.
Hold your building leaders accountable to the expectations of the school board and superintendent.

Building Leadership: Those who work at the building level are the front lines of our safety and security programs. They are directly responsible for the safety of our schools.

They implement the safety program with fidelity
Identify gaps and solutions
Works directly with the district leadership to navigate obstacles and hold them accountable.
Works with their teams to ensure every staff member and child has an equal opportunity to be successful.

According to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, safety and security are directly above the fundamental survival needs. The need to feel safe and secure is fundamentally more important than the need to realize one’s potential. One must feel safe before one can realize one's potential. If we want our children to reach their potential, we must prioritize their safety and create an environment where they feel safe. We can no longer afford to use excuses as to why we can’t; we must figure out how we can!