Safe & Secure Schools

Judy Tilton Brunner is an author and consultant having served as an elementary, middle, and high school principal. She is currently Clinical Faculty at Missouri State University in the Department of Reading, Foundations, and Technology and a regular presenter at national and state conferences on the topics of literacy, differentiated instruction, student engagement, classroom management, school safety, and the prevention of bullying behaviors. As consultants, Judy and Dennis K. Lewis work with school districts across the United States on topics related to creating and maintaining safe schools, crisis planning and management, managing aggressive and violent students, and the prevention of bullying behaviors. They have served as expert witnesses in matters of litigation on school violence and bullying and have written numerous articles for national school safety magazines, periodicals and served as guest lecturers for several universities. They are the co-founders of Edu-Safe LLC, a school safety and advisory service, as well as Instructional Solutions Group. Their method of training school staff and crisis management teams for responding to classroom and school emergencies by problem solving events through the use of tabletop exercises has been featured in a variety of national publications. Both are widely respected in the field of school safety. Dennis K. Lewis has over thirty-eight years of experience in working to provide safe schools and communities, including seventeen years as the director of a school police department for a large mid-western school district. He has held numerous offices for the National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers (NASSLEO) and is the past President of that organization. As consultants, Dennis and Judy Brunner work with school districts across the United States on topics related to creating and maintaining safe schools, crisis planning and management, managing aggressive and violent students, and the prevention of bullying behaviors. They have served as expert witnesses in matters of litigation on school violence and bullying and have written numerous articles for national school safety magazines, periodicals and served as guest lecturers for several universities. They are the co-founders of Edu-Safe LLC, a school safety and advisory service, as well as Instructional Solutions Group. Their method of training school staff and crisis management teams for responding to classroom and school emergencies by problem solving events through the use of tabletop exercises has been featured in a variety of national publications. Both are widely respected in the field of school safety.

Foreword by Dr. Gerald Tirozzi Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction 1. Planning Strategy 1: Starting the School Year: A Checklist for Safety and Security Strategy 2: The Principal's Homework: What Does Your Teacher Handbook Say About Safety and Security? Strategy 3: Strategic Supervision: The Foundation for School Safety Strategy 4: A Safety Game Plan for Cocurricular Events Strategy 5: On the Road Again: Discipline Investigations Away From School Strategy 6: Visitor Check-In and Screening Procedures: It's More Than Just Signing the Visitor Log Strategy 7: Ensuring the Safe Evacuation of Students With Physical Disabilities During an Emergency Strategy 8: Invest in a Safety Committee: Creating Strategies You Can Bank On Strategy 9: Speaking of School Safety: Creating a Conversation Within the School Community Strategy 10: Closing Out the School Year 2. Response Strategies Strategy 11: Planning for School Emergencies: Part 1 Strategy 12: Planning for School Emergencies: Part 2 Strategy 13: Assessing Student Threats of Violence: A School's Response to a Growing Problem Strategy 14: De-escalating an Angry Parent: You'll Never Have to Answer for What You Don't Say Strategy 15: Fights at School: Breaking Up Is Hard to Do Strategy 16: Head 'Em Up! Move 'Em Out!: Relocating Students During an Emergency Event Strategy 17: Student Searches: A Practical Application Strategy 18: Managing Electronic Devices: Sending the Right "Signals" to Parents and Students Strategy 19: Full-Court Press: A Media Management Plan 3. Professional Development Strategy 20: Is Your School Up to Speed on Safety? Strategy 21: What Teachers Must Know About Safety Strategy 22: Training Support Staff to Respond Appropriately Strategy 23: Intimidation, Harassment, and Bullying: Fear Factors in the Twenty-First-Century School Strategy 24: Holiday Blues: Responding to Seasonally Despondent Students Strategy 25: Tabletop Exercises: The Ultimate Tool for School Safety Training Strategy 26: There's No "Substitute" for Good Safety 4. Top Ten Strategy 27: School Safety's Top Ten: The Top Ten Things to Remember When Creating a Safe School Environment Resources Bibliography Index

"An indispensable resource for practicing administrators and central office personnel. When it comes to student and staff safety, there are no excuses. The authors have created a handbook that is comprehensive, explicit, and relevant to educational environments." -- Darlene R. Jones, Principal "Brunner and Lewis have done an outstanding job creating a series of commonsense reminders that will guide school leaders in creating and enhancing safety in their school and community." -- Ronald Stephens, Executive Director "A pioneering leap for school safety. It should be in the hands of every school leader." -- Roberto Gonzalez, Jr., Drug Abuse Prevention Coordinator "A definite asset to all administrators involved with safety and crisis response planning and protocols in their districts. The succinct information can be used to effectively train staff, students, and the community to help ensure a safe and secure school." -- Roddie S. Miller, Safety Administrator