Competency 13
Safety and Security
a. Demonstrate the ability to develop and implement policies and procedures for safety and security
b. Ability to formulate safety and security plans to implement security procedures established by law, law enforcement assistance, and communication with the public and evacuation procedures
c. Demonstrate the ability to identify areas of vulnerability associate with school busses, building and grounds and formulate a plan to take corrective actions
d. Demonstrate an understanding of procedural predictabilities and plan variants where possible
e. Demonstrate the ability to develop plans that connect every student with a school adult, eliminate bullying and profiling and implement recommended threat assessment procedures
Blue Bus.pub (141 kB)
Bus Duty Summer Springboard.xlsx (9,6 kB)
Safety and Security
As an administrator our primary responsibility is ensuring the safety and security of all students. In order to do this effectively there are many angles to be considered. I have learned that most procedures require complex thinking and problem solving skills, but we must also be aware of the potential and unpredictable situations that could affect the safety of our students. As the administrative intern of Summer Springboard in Independent School District 15, I was able to get firsthand experience with many situations involving the safety of students.
In preparation for my administrative position I devised several transportation procedures. Initially, I created a master bus list to ensure teachers and students would be aware of specific end of the day transportation arrangements. After the bus list was created my focus shifted to the supervision of students entering and exiting the building. The first step was determining where the buses and the parent pick-up/drop-off locations would be and to assign supervision duties to the adults in the building. The end of the day can be mass chaos with all students heading to one of two places, often traveling in different directions. Especially when considering the gap in ages in a K-8 program I was very cognizant of the potential problematic areas. A seemingly simple procedure was actually very purposeful and took a lot of forethought.
End of the Day Procedures:
- Teachers first separated their students into groups in the classrooms. There were four bus groups, and a parent pick-up group.
- Students were then dropped off in specific locations according to their means of transportation. Bus signs were laminated and placed strategically in the hallway to mark the assigned areas.
- All classes walked around the building in a clockwise fashion to prevent a stampede of sorts. Classroom assignments were made so that the youngest students had the shortest path to walk to get to their rooms in the morning, but were the last to walk to the assigned bus locations because they were the smallest and slowest. The purpose was to have older students already in place when the younger students were coming around. The bus lines would then leave shortly after the youngest children arrived. This minimized the contact time between the older and younger students preventing any potential safety issues involved with the age gap. It also eliminated any injuries that might occur if older students were walking at a much quicker pace behind the younger students.
- As dismissal time approached I would pick up the students of the teacher assigned to the parent pick up station and walked them around the building. We checked to ensure all rooms were empty while helping direct and guide the other students/teachers.
- Once the rooms were empty I would use my walkie-talkie to radio ahead to the lead bus person. We would then walk the students out together. I remained in the back to ensure everyone got out safely and in case there were any issues that needed to be addressed.
- Once students were on their designated buses I would then use my walkie-talkie to communicate with the teacher in charge of parent pick-up and together we would determine if the remaining students were indeed supposed to be in the pick-up area.
- We sent the buses on their routes.
- After the students left for the day I remained in the office until the bus routes were complete. This allowed me to deal with problems associated with students getting on the wrong bus, parents not arriving to pick up their child(ren), and to answer parent phone calls if buses were running late.
Other typical safety concerns, such as fire, threat, or severe weather were considered and plans were articulated to teachers. In case of a substitute, maps were placed in each room to alert them of safety plans. All teachers were also given keys which were to remain in a specific place in their room in preparation of a possible lock down. Rooms were unlocked and relocked each day by our custodial staff. This helped guarantee that the keys remained in the room for substitutes.
Custodial issues and health issues are always a concern in a school setting. As parents would come to the office to pick-up their child records were checked before students were called down to leave. In preparation for the summer program the nurses at each district site put together a report listing students who have impending health issues. To be sure I could properly relay the concerns to the teachers I met with the nurse assigned to our site and we discussed necessary procedures. Afterward I was able to visit with each teacher on an individual basis to relay any medical concerns and necessary procedures for individual students. For example, a time was scheduled for a student to visit the nurse each day to have insulin administered.
I envision the use of this competency in every decision I make, not only as a future administrator, but as an adult who works with children. The safety and security of students is always the primary objective and my experience as an intern has allowed me to gain hands on practice and a better understanding of how much thought must go into each and every policy and procedure.
The artifacts I have chosen to represent my competency in Safety and Security include: a copy of one of the bus signs I used to mark assigned busing areas during Summer Springboard, and a bus duty/supervision schedule.