FIELD EXPERIENCE D: IDENTIFYING SAFETY-RELATED ISSUES

Bernard Williams

EAD-505-0501

October 30, 2019

Scot Beckerman

Effective educational leaders cultivate an inclusive, caring, and supportive school community that promotes the academic success, well-being and safety of each student. Build and maintain a safe, caring, and healthy school environment that meets that the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of each student.

In my observational hours and personal concern based on the results of the safety audit are the building access and identification cards. Staff members present in the building after school hours are not required to sign in and out. There is no policy, system, or practice of ensuring secure entry and exit of the building.

My idea for a feasible solutions to these concerns by having all students, visitors and staff must have ID card or badges visible at all times. The basic access control measures should consist of video surveillance, security guards, and identification badges for students and staff. A good school ID badge can go beyond just identifying students and staff it can also boost safety in the school. Taking proactive steps must be taken to ensure the safety of students and staff because the threats today’s schools face now are too serious. These concerns relate to the school’s vision and mission in securing the student safety needs. Students should be able to move safely without unnecessary restrictions and have a general sense that they are studying in a safe institution.

My principal mentor’s perspective on the problems and solutions is that all students should carry photo ID’s, which can enable access, but also serve as an identifier that they belong to the school community. This prevents against unauthorized entry, however student ID cards are not perfect and can be costly. They can also get lost or stolen and can cause security risks from unknown sources. She also believes that school identification cards serve as a way of confirming that the cardholder, whether it’s a student, teacher or staff member, is allowed to be in the school. A school can use ID cards to implement a number of different policies that enhance security. For students ID require students to present their cards to a security officer or staff member upon arrival. This helps prevent outsiders, like students from neighboring schools or potential troublemakers, from gaining access to school the building. Staff issue ID cards require them to be visible, making it easy to quickly confirm that an adult spotted in the hallway is authorized in a school. For emergencies collecting all cards from students and staff members can help to quickly determine if anyone is missing, allowing for a more efficient response from emergency personnel.