Is you staff prepared?

On Sundays I recently started volunteering at church to help with security.  We have radios located throughout the facility, cameras that provide great coverage throughout the building, an EOP in a binder, a volunteer assigned to watch the camera monitors and a volunteer who walks the premises.  Things in place, boxes checked, but there has been little training provided and procedures communicated, especially in preparedness and response.  Something I plan on providing.

Last fall I was at a campus when a staff member from the education agency came in to do “required” door checks.  When he walked through the front office, he handed a secretary a set of questions that she was expected to provide answers to.  She came over to me, told me that she was new and could not answer any of the questions.  I took time to go over each question with her and what her role / responsibilities were as they related to each question.

At the beginning of each school year there is an expectation that all school staff is trained in the safety and security processes and procedures.  Understanding their individual roles and responsibilities are imperative, especially in the area of response.  As a campus administrator or the person responsible for safety and security, do you feel comfortable that each staff member knows what their response should be in the event of an emergency?  Test drive the training they should have received by asking staff members “what is your role and responsibility in the event of ….?”.  The response(s) should be automatic in their knowledge of their role.  Do the same with substitute staff?  This is the time of the year where corrective action and additional training should occur if you don’t feel comfortable with responses.  Remember that each campus should have an evacuation drill within the first 2 weeks of the school year.  There is much to take care of at the beginning of each school year, but nothing is more important than the safety of our students and staff.  Praying for a great 24-25 school year.