May 7

Written by: Bret Rachlin
5/7/2009 3:53 PM

The New Jersey Senate Education Committee released a bill this week that “aims to improve readiness at public and private schools by requiring one monthly fire drill and one monthly security drill (Source: PolitickerNJ.com, May 4, 2009, Scalera & Lampitt Bill to Require School Security Improvements Released by Senate Panel).” The legislation Assembly members sponsored the bill since many New Jersey schools do not practice their security plans because there is no law that requires them to do so.

The bill directs several organizations, including the Director of the Office of Homeland Security, to create and disseminate curriculum to train school employees on how to conduct themselves during emergency situations, such as bomb threats and active shooter situations.

“No matter how much we hope the worst will never happen, we need to be prepared. This is information that could one day save lives,” explained Pamela Lampitt (D-Camden, NJ).

The Senate Education Committee should be commended for sponsoring this school safety bill. While schools need to practice their security management programs regularly just like they practice fire safety, many schools still think that unthinkable security incidents won’t happen at their schools. Hopefully, this bill will help those schools take school security seriously.

Overall, schools must practice and evaluate their security practices on an ongoing basis, so they can make the necessary modifications to ensure they are providing the safest possible learning environment. Each school year brings new students to the schools, and the communities around schools are constantly changing. Conducting security assessments, at least on a yearly basis, help schools identify areas of risk, so that they can take the necessary steps to mitigate those risks. Often, security updates can be made with very little money spent, so there is no excuse for schools not to enhance their security programs.

Does your school conduct one monthly security drill?

Tags: