The role of School Resource Officers (SROs) has become more prevalent in recent years. According to a 2023 study, last year, there were 346 school shooting incidents across the country. With the rise of school shootings and intruder incidents, it is essential to understand the role of SROs and how they can enhance school security. 

SROs are sworn law enforcement officers responsible for school safety and crime prevention. A local police department, sheriff’s agency, or school system typically employs SROs who work closely with school administrators to create a safer environment. Below are three ways SROs enhance a school’s safety and security.

Law Enforcement Presence and Deterrence

According to a 2018 report, the number of school resource officers has exploded. In 2013, about 30 percent of schools had one, compared to 1 percent in 1975. One of the primary functions of school resource officers is to provide a visible law enforcement presence on school campuses. SROs may make rounds during classroom changes, drop off and pickup, and large events so they are seen and readily available. 

This presence deters potential threats such as intruders or individuals intending harm to students or faculty. Knowing that trained law enforcement officers are on-site can dissuade individuals from engaging in criminal activities on school grounds.

Building Positive Relationships

SROs often work closely with students, teachers, and administrators to build positive relationships within the school community. SROs may be available to talk in person with students during assemblies, career days, and sporting events. By interacting with students in non-threatening and approachable ways, SROs can establish trust and rapport. 

“Let students know that you are there not only to protect them but also to help them in any way you can,” stated Jerry Aponte, Chief Training Officer at Active Defender and an SRO for 12 years. “Two high school students told me they became Law Enforcement Officers after graduation because of my positive relationship with them.”

This trust can encourage students to report safety concerns or suspicious behavior to the SRO, fostering a safer school environment. Additionally, SROs can provide mentorship, guidance, and support to students, helping to address underlying issues that may contribute to safety concerns.

Training and Emergency Preparedness

SROs typically receive specialized training in school safety and crisis intervention techniques. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASR) provides several training courses from Basic SRO to School Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED.) 

SROs can collaborate with school staff to develop and implement emergency response plans, conduct safety drills, and provide training sessions for students and faculty on active shooter scenarios, conflict resolution, and substance abuse prevention. By equipping school communities with the knowledge and skills to respond effectively to emergencies, SROs help enhance overall safety and security within schools.

Who is Active Defender?

Active Defender’s School Safety Platform revolutionizes emergency alerting and communication and provides the most comprehensive situational awareness available during a crisis. With Active Defender, ALL staff can immediately know WHAT the threat is, WHERE it is, understand WHAT TO DO, and REPORT their STATUS on a custom, dynamic campus map on their mobile device.

To learn more, visit Active Defender or take the first step in enhancing your school’s safety today by booking an interactive demo!

Active Defender proudly announces its exclusive sponsorship of two premier school safety conferences this summer. The first is the highly anticipated North Carolina Christian School Association (NCCSA) Summer Administrators’ School Safety Conference, followed by the esteemed North Texas School Safety Conference. We are thrilled to support these important events dedicated to enhancing school safety protocols and promoting a secure learning environment for all students and staff.

North Texas School Safety Conference

Active Defender is sponsoring and presenting at the North Texas School Safety Conference at Southwest Christian School in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 4, 2024. The conference is expected to draw 120+ private and public school administrators from the North Texas area to learn about the latest innovations in school safety and how to ensure the safety and security of their students, staff, and campuses. The planned speakers come from extensive backgrounds in security, including law enforcement, the FBI, the Secret Service, and the military, and session topics will include:

• Student Mental Health Support/Behavioral Analysis of Individuals in Crisis
• De-escalation Training for School Personnel 
• The “Must-Haves” of Emergency Response/Crisis Management Planning
• Effective Security: Promoting a Culture of Safety
• Active Defender: Comprehensive Situational Awareness in a Crisis

NCCSA Summer Administrators’ School Safety Conference

Active Defender is sponsoring and presenting at the NCCSA Summer Administrators’ School Safety Conference at Hilltop Christian School in Fuquay Varina, NC, July 22-23, 2024. The conference is expected to draw 75+ private school administrators from NCCSA and non-member schools. Planned speakers come from extensive safety and security backgrounds, including school security, Secret Service, and the military. Session topics will include:

• Student Behavioral Analysis/Prevention (Part I and Part II)
• Threat Assessment (Part I and Part II)
• Reducing Risk with Strategic Planning
• Three Essential School Table-Top Safety Exercises
• Active Defender: Comprehensive Situational Awareness in a Crisis
• Expert Panel Discussion

Who is Active Defender?

Active Defender’s School Safety Platform revolutionizes emergency alerting and communication and provides the most comprehensive situational awareness available during a crisis. With Active Defender, ALL staff can immediately know WHAT the threat is, WHERE it is, understand WHAT TO DO, and REPORT their STATUS on a custom, dynamic campus map on their mobile device.

To learn more, visit Active Defender or take the first step in enhancing your school’s safety today by booking an interactive demo!

Prom is an occasion that many young adults look forward to every year. While prom-goers are encouraged to have a fun evening, it is even more critical that they are safe. According to a 2016 survey from the American Automobile Association (AAA) Teen Survey, 31% of teenagers admit to having used drugs or alcohol on prom night. 

While preventing or predicting every safety situation on prom night is impossible, the more thoroughly your prom safety plan is, the better prepared you and your staff will be when faced with an incident. 

Establish Clear Safety Guidelines

Ensure students know safety guidelines, including rules regarding alcohol consumption, designated drivers, and appropriate behavior. Prom Safety Guidelines should be shared with students, parents/guardians, and staff a few weeks before prom. Below is an example of prom safety guidelines. 

Prom Safety Guidelines

• Zero Tolerance for Underage Drinking: Alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited. Students found possessing or consuming alcohol will face immediate consequences, including removal from the event.
• Arrive and Leave in Groups: Students should arrive and leave prom in groups to enhance safety. Encourage students to look out for one another and avoid leaving anyone behind.
• Respectful Behavior: Prom is a formal event; students should always behave appropriately. Respect fellow attendees, venue staff, and property to ensure a positive experience for everyone.
• Safe Transportation: Students are to use designated drivers or arrange transportation with trusted adults.

Provide Transportation Options

With more than 70% of teens having consumed at least one alcoholic beverage by the time they reach age 18, according to the American Addiction Centers 2022 study, schools must address the issue of driving under the influence, particularly on prom night.

According to a 2022 AAA Teen Survey, 82% of surveyed teens say their friends are more likely to drive impaired than call an adult for help. To prevent drunk-driving incidents, encourage students to use designated drivers, arrange for a trusted guardian or transportation service to pick up, or, if your budget allows, you can also arrange transportation, like buses, to and from the event. 

Increase Security Presence

To increase security measures at the prom venue, schools can enlist the support of professional security personnel and ensure that all staff are trained to handle emergencies efficiently and effectively. While your venue may already have security measures in place, it’s crucial to implement additional precautions to ensure a safe prom environment for all attendees.

Before the event, arrange for trained security personnel to be present throughout the prom. Seek out individuals with experience in prom safety protocols and who have previously worked in settings similar to your chosen venue. Investing in experienced and well-prepared security personnel can significantly enhance the overall safety and security of the prom experience.

Implement Check-in/Check-out Procedures

Ensure the venue has security checkpoints for attendees as they enter the event. These checkpoints should be equipped with thorough procedures, including bag checks, to identify and confiscate prohibited items, preventing them from entering the prom premises.

Before the event, it’s essential to communicate clearly and effectively with attendees about the prohibited items to avoid any confusion or unintentional violations. By providing clear guidelines and instructions beforehand, attendees can ensure compliance with security protocols and contribute to maintaining a safe and secure environment throughout the prom festivities.

Offer Emergency Support

Ensuring a safe prom entails hiring a proficient team comprising experienced medical personnel in addition to trained security staff. Medical personnel can be present at the event or establish a fully equipped first aid station to promptly address any medical emergencies that may arise during the prom.

Once all safety measures are outlined, effective communication of safety protocols to both staff members and student attendees becomes paramount. To prevent misunderstandings, disseminate these directives through various channels such as newsletters, school announcements, and school-wide emails, providing comprehensive details of each safety requirement.

Furthermore, it’s essential to underscore the consequences of failing to comply with these safety measures. By clearly articulating the penalties associated with non-compliance, individuals are more likely to take safety protocols seriously and adhere to them diligently throughout the event.

Who is Active Defender?

Active Defender’s School Safety Platform revolutionizes emergency alerting and communication and provides the most comprehensive situational awareness available during a crisis. With Active Defender, ALL staff can immediately know WHAT the threat is, WHERE it is, understand WHAT TO DO, and REPORT their STATUS on a custom, dynamic campus map on their mobile device.

To learn more, visit Active Defender or take the first step in enhancing your school’s safety today by booking an interactive demo!

In the wave of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it can be challenging to know what information is factual and what is fiction. Misinformation is false, inaccurate, or misleading content, even if it is spread unintentionally. According to a recent survey, Only 61 percent of participants could tell the difference between AI-generated people and real ones. 

Spotting a fake image or AI-generated text message can be difficult without the proper knowledge and, in some cases, frightening to students and educators. Earlier this month, at a middle school in Beverly Hills, school administrators were alerted to images of students’ faces that were superimposed onto AI-generated bodies. In cases similar to the Beverly Hills incident, how do you spot misinformation to safeguard students? 

Develop Media Literacy Skills

Media literacy skills can improve students’ and educators’ ability to identify misinformation. Educators can develop and enhance their media literacy skills by equipping themselves with the tools to recognize misinformation and stay updated on common misinformation tactics, fact-checking resources, and techniques for evaluating sources.

The SIFT Method

One method of identifying misinformation created by research scientist Mike Caufield is SIFT. SIFT has four steps: Stop, Investigate the Source, Find Better Coverage, and Trace the Original Context.

• Stop: Ask yourself whether you know the source of the information and the reputation of the claim.
• Investigate the Source: Identifying where media comes from before reading will help you decide if it is worth your time and, if it is, better understand its significance and trustworthiness.
• Find Better Coverage: Use the best source on this topic, or, just as importantly, scan multiple sources and see what the expert consensus is.
• Trace the Original Context: Trace the claim, quote, or media back to the source so that you can see it in its original context and feel confident that the version you saw was accurately presented.

Common Misinformation Tactics

Understanding common misinformation tactics can help develop media literacy and improve an educator’s ability to safeguard students. Below is a list of common misinformation tactics. 

• Websites like FakeWhats and IFakeTextMessage allow users to create fake text message conversations. Users can change the battery percentage, carrier, and text color, among other things.
• Several websites, like generated.photos.com and this-person-does-not-exist.com, allow users to create AI-generated fake photos of people by combining different images on the web.
• Software like Later.com enables users to schedule social media posts and comments months in advance and make them look like they are coming from somewhere else. (For example, I can schedule a post to look like I’m in Tyler, Texas, when I’m in New York City.)

Encourage Source Verification

Another avenue to identify misinformation is to verify the source of the media. Media sources can be verified in several ways, such as using reputable news outlets, locating peer-reviewed articles, Google or Bing searches, and credible research sources. 

Tools to Recognize Misinformation

While understanding misinformation tactics is essential, knowing how to recognize them is critical. Below is a list of helpful tools for identifying misinformation.

• Websites like Tineye and FaceCheckID can help distinguish fact from fiction when identifying whether an image is AI-generated. When an image is uploaded to Tineye, it searches the web for similar images, if applicable. 
• Websites like F-secure can be helpful if you are presented with a text message and need to determine if it is fake.

Promote Critical Thinking

Educators can foster an environment that encourages questioning, discussion, and independent research to combat the spread of misinformation. Students, educators, and administrators are susceptible to misinformation, and no one is immune to its effects. Regardless of background or education, anyone can fall victim to false or misleading information. 

That is why it is essential to teach and encourage students to analyze information critically, consider multiple perspectives, and evaluate the credibility of sources. This will benefit students and empower educators to be on the lookout for signs of misinformation.

While AI continuously evolves, the tips for identifying and fighting misinformation will always apply. Educators and administrators can continue to develop their media literacy skills, encourage staff and students to verify the media source, and promote critical thinking when analyzing the subject.

Who is Active Defender?

Active Defender’s School Safety Platform revolutionizes emergency alerting and communication and provides the most comprehensive situational awareness available during a crisis. With Active Defender, ALL staff can immediately know WHAT the threat is, WHERE it is, understand WHAT TO DO, and Report their STATUS on a custom, dynamic campus map on their mobile device.

To learn more, visit Active Defender or take the first step in enhancing your school’s safety today by booking an interactive demo!

Recently, concerns over school safety have skyrocketed, with parents expressing heightened fears for their children’s well-being. Gallup’s latest survey reveals alarming statistics, indicating that 44% of adults fear for their children’s physical safety at school, marking a significant increase since 2019. This surge in anxiety comes on the heels of several devastating mass shootings across the country, further exacerbating parental worries.

The rise in safety concerns is not unfounded. Tragic incidents (such as the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers lost their lives) have left communities reeling.

In response to these alarming trends, schools must take proactive measures to ensure the safety and well-being of students. Here are three responses that can help address school safety concerns:

Enhanced Security Measures:

• Implement robust security protocols, including increased surveillance, access control systems, and metal detectors, to deter potential threats and enhance situational awareness.
• Conduct regular safety drills and training sessions to educate students and staff on emergency response procedures and ensure they are prepared to respond effectively in crises.
• Collaborate with local law enforcement agencies to conduct security assessments and develop comprehensive emergency response plans tailored to each school’s needs.

Active Defender’s School Safety Platform provides comprehensive situational awareness during a crisis to help reduce the chaos. Features include, but are not limited to;

• Real-time alerting and communication;
• customized, live, dynamic campus mapping, allowing every staff member to know what and where the threat is;
• live status reporting indicating if staff is okay or needs assistance; 
• student accountability feature, allowing administrators to account for every student in the first 5 minutes of a crisis and
• integration capabilities with local police departments and 911 centers to show first responders where the threat is located.

To learn more about what Active Defender can do to enhance your school’s safety and security measures, visit Active-Defender.com.

Mental Health Support Services:

• Allocate resources to expand mental health support services within schools, including hiring additional counselors and psychologists to provide students with emotional support and coping strategies.
• Establish peer support programs and student-led initiatives that promote mental wellness and create a supportive school environment where students feel comfortable seeking help when needed.
• Partner with community organizations and mental health professionals to offer workshops and educational sessions for parents to recognize signs of distress in children and access appropriate resources.

Strengthened Community Engagement and Prevention Efforts:

• Foster open communication and collaboration between schools, families, and community members to create a support network for promoting safety and well-being.
• Implement proactive prevention programs, such as anti-bullying campaigns, conflict resolution training, and substance abuse prevention initiatives, to address underlying issues and reduce the risk of violence.
• Organize community forums, town hall meetings, and safety summits to facilitate discussions on school safety concerns, share best practices, and develop community-driven solutions to address the root causes of violence.

By implementing these proactive responses, schools, and communities can work together to create safer environments for students, alleviate parental concerns, and foster a culture of resilience and support in the face of ongoing safety challenges. Together, we can prioritize the safety and well-being of our children and ensure that every student feels secure and protected at school.

We are thrilled to share the exciting news that the Recovery Support feature has now been integrated into the Active Defender’s School Safety Platform, marking a significant enhancement to our platform! Having a reunification plan is crucial for schools in the event of a campus emergency necessitating the evacuation and reunification of students with their parents at an alternate location.

Such a plan ensures the safety and well-being of students by providing a structured and organized process for reunification, minimizing confusion and distress for all during a crisis. An appropriate plan enables schools to efficiently:

• Account for all students and their well-being.
• Establish clear communication channels with parents and relevant authorities to keep stakeholders informed, reducing stress and promoting calm.
• Establish clear communication channels with school staff supporting reunification.
• Verify parent/guardian identities.
• Facilitate smooth and orderly reunions with parents/guardians.
• Document successful student/parent reunifications.

The effects of not having a plan for reunification or an ineffective one, are detrimental to the well-being of students and parents, often resulting in long wait times, confusion, and increased stress. Such instances can imply a lack of preparedness and may quickly cast a negative public image on the school and district.

The addition of the Recovery Support feature provides a comprehensive solution for simplifying the complex procedures associated with overseeing, communicating, reporting, and ensuring accountability during crucial moments of student reunification.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of how this innovative feature operates:

Initiating Recovery:

In the unfortunate event of a crisis necessitating the relocation of students, the Recovery Support feature empowers schools to respond promptly and efficiently in reuniting students with their parents or guardians.

Step 1: Initiating Recovery Requests

A designated staff member receives a student’s first and last name from a parent or guardian. This information is input into the Recovery Support feature, initiating the process by tapping the “student lookup” option.

Upon initiating the process, one of four status options will be displayed on the screen, providing crucial insights into the student’s current situation:

• Presumed Waiting: Indicates that the student is presumed to be in a secure location.
• Status Uncertain: Denotes the student’s status is currently uncertain.
• Guardian Identified: Confirms that the parent or guardian has been identified as authorized for student pickup.
• UNIFIED COMPLETE: The student and parent or guardian have been successfully reunited.

Step 2: Verification and Further Instructions

If the status indicates ‘Presumed Waiting,’ the staff member can enter the parent or guardian’s first and last name, along with their relationship to the student, to verify their authorization for pickup.

In cases where the status reflects ‘Status Uncertain,’ the staff member guides the approved parent or guardian to a designated holding area, where they can be provided with support as they await further instructions and updates.

Step 3: Reunification and Confirmation

Once the parent or guardian is confirmed for pickup, they are reunited with the student under the supervision of a staff member. 

A crucial step in this process involves capturing a photograph of the reunification moment, which serves as visual documentation. Subsequently, the staff member confirms the status as ‘UNIFIED COMPLETE,’ marking the successful conclusion of the recovery process.

For those interested in experiencing a firsthand demonstration of the Recovery Support feature, we invite you to contact us at japonte@active-defender.com or call 910-683-0090 to schedule a brief virtual demonstration.

With the Recovery Support feature, Active Defender continues its commitment to providing robust tools and solutions for ensuring the safety and well-being of students during critical incidents.