Welcome to #BmoreEdchat this evening! Please intro yourself with your name, role, location, and one celebration! Thanks for being here and thank you @BaltoESOL for moderating!
Hey everybody! Justin, 4th grade teacher from @BaltCitySchools here this evening! So excited to learn with @BaltoESOL tonight! Celebration is 6 year anniversary with @kait013087 today!
Kaitlyn here! 2nd grade teacher from Baltimore City! Celebrating our 6 year anniversary with this stud (not school related but still a celebration!) @justincholbrook#BmoreEdchat
A1: School is safe for all...physically, socially, emotionally, etc. staff and students know they are supported and aren’t afraid to be themselves. #BmoreEdchat
A1 School safety to me is about all stakeholders working together to ensure that #EveryChild has the supports in place to create a safe learning environment, this means having strategies in place in the event an emergency happens & everyone is prepared #BmoreEdchat
A1: All students and staff feeling safe; there are logical and well thought out and practiced procedures in place. What kids and staff worry about is talked about and proactive measures are put in to place. #BmoreEdchat
A1 School safety to me is about all stakeholders working together to ensure that #EveryChild has the supports in place to create a safe learning environment, this means having strategies in place in the event an emergency happens & everyone is prepared #BmoreEdchat
A1. Dan from Wisconsin. That everyone expects an environment where there is no worry for injury/insult and there is a plan in place should the need arise. #BmoreEdchat
A1. I don’t think school is ever a safe space. For example, bullying can happen to anyone. Maybe re-thinking the concept as a healthy space (namely, establishing specific resources for particular issues) would be more productive? #BmoreEdChat
A2: Internal factors are school culture, the physical building, and the beings that are present. External would simply be educational policy and how safety is addressed. #BmoreEdchat
A2 internal would be policies & procedures & ensuring everyone knows what those are & this can transfer over to the external side where communication becomes critical, it is also working w/external partners to ensure safety, safe routes, watch dogs, etc. #BmoreEdchat
Where kids can focus on the exciting boom they are reading, the complex math problem they achieved, the experiment that excited then in science class, the relationships made between peers and teachers, and not worried about where to hide... #BmoreEdchat
A2 I work with ELLs and happen to assist with yellow bus transportation. The parents of international students trust the school with providing safe transit for 4-5 year olds. External factors are walkability and neighborhood safety. #BmoreEdchat
A2: a loving and respectful staff and relentless effort to improve learning environments can take care of the internal factors. External factors can be harder to change, having a comprehensive plan helps. #BmoreEdchat
Lots have said building layout: so true. My building is old and really doesn’t have modern abilities to do what is required. Externally: allow the resource officers to have their weapons in schools. Allow more drug and weapon sniffing dogs to do periodic searches
One thing my school does is require all people who come into the school to buzz in and show their ID. We have also had 2 fire drills in the last month and a half. #BmoreEdchat#ED446
A3 We have a set number of drills each year and we have a safety and security team in place that meets and plans regularly. Feedback and revision is part of the process. #BmoreEdchat
A3: We walk a fine line any time we divulge information about safety procedures as the more public our procedures, the more we inform the bad guys of our response to attack. We share enough for community to know we have a plan without publicizing in its entirety #BmoreEdchat
Buzz in for guests, visitor passes must be visible. Safety drills and evac scenarios. Home room lessons. Lots of emails/robocalls home. Staff must wear lanyard and ID. Students must have planner in hand when out of class. #BmoreEdchat
A3. Screenagers, a movie to demonstrate online threats, reminder: see something, say something, and Information seminars presented by Secruity Director. #bmoreedchat
This is actually a must for all schools, verbally reiterating this practices helps also in letting all stakeholders know what must me done to ensure safety #BmoreEdChat
Q3. In our school we perform regular fire and intruder drills as well as have visitors wear badges during the entire time they are in the school. #BmoreEdchat
A3. Every teacher and most staff have walki talkies where they are able to communicate schoolwide if there is an issue. Really helps keep everyone on the same page. #BmoreEdchat#ED446
My school has cameras so the administration can see who is outside the school. All the doors are also locked and you can only get in with an ID badge or office permission. Interns don't even have access to get into the school- we have to be buzzed in #Ed446#BmoreEdchat
I’m happy that Ss take our drills seriously. With everything that has happened, it’s become more realistic for them; this will serve as a protection for everyone. #BmoreEdchat
A1 School safety: In addition to physical safety I think we also need to think about students feeling safe to use their voice or be themselves without fear of judgement or rejection. #BmoreEdchat
A3 As a parent I get newsletters regularly with reminders of morning drop off safety rules. As a teacher, I taught students Shelter in Place procedures last week as a part of the safety plan. #BmoreEdchat
a2: External factors would include the community surrounding the school. Internal factors would include student/ faculty well-being. Internal difficulties can be difficult to catch onto at times. #ed446#BmoreEdcat
Lots have said building layout: so true. My building is old and really doesn’t have modern abilities to do what is required. Externally: allow the resource officers to have their weapons in schools. Allow more drug and weapon sniffing dogs to do periodic searches
Yes, we @LoyolaMaryland post safety procedures in every classroom, which means everyone has that info. It’s probably productive that students have that info, but it also raises your concern. #BmoreEdChat
A3: We walk a fine line any time we divulge information about safety procedures as the more public our procedures, the more we inform the bad guys of our response to attack. We share enough for community to know we have a plan without publicizing in its entirety #BmoreEdchat
A4: It might sound counter intuitive or even too simple but soft skills... emotional intelligence, care, intuition, relationships... these things will keep students safe 9.9/10... obviously gun control & mental health services are needed for the other .1/10 #BmoreEdChat
A1: To me, school safety means that all students feel comfortable and if they do not feel comfortable, they know that they have trusted adults to confide in!! #ed446#BmoreEdChat
A4: I’m on the fence about metal detectors: in the last year we have had three incidents with weapons, two being on campus. Without kids speaking up, I don’t know how we truly protect our schools. #BmoreEdchat
A4: It might sound counter intuitive or even too simple but soft skills... emotional intelligence, care, intuition, relationships... these things will keep students safe 9.9/10... obviously gun control & mental health services are needed for the other .1/10 #BmoreEdChat
We have fire drills and lock-downs, but when there was an actual earthquake here several years ago, and the teachers were at school (PD before the school opened for the kids), few people knew what to do! #BmoreEdChat
A5: i feel like school safety has always been an issue, but the increase in social media and information makes it "feel" closer. Data could completely disagree. #BmoreEdchat
Same sentiments from my school, we experience an earthquake but not too strong so everyone decided to continue with our classes instead of practicing our drill for real #BmoreEdChat
Q3: All of the classroom doors are automatically locked when shut. We also have fire drills and lock down procedures. All visitors and faculty are required to wear a pass and the students need a pass to be in the halls! #BmoreEdChat#ed446
A5: no knee jerk reactions first off. Second I am more concerned with the sensationalism of these events that kids think it’s the only way to solve their issues. #bmoreedchat
There always changes with events. Columbine brought locked doors and backpack rules. VT brought analysis and changed hide to fight back/evacuate. Unfortunately new methods are determined until afterwards. #BmoreEdchat
A5: With every incident, there’s a new situation to consider and plan for. After Parkland we began talking about what to do if a fire alarm is pulled during a lockdown. Never thought about that before. Kids are trained to run out w a fire drill bit now that’s a risk. #BmoreEdchat
A5: we do our best to be proactive rather than reactive. Reactions tend to be filled with bad decisions and mistakes. Conversations need to be more in-depth w guidance from professionals #BmoreEdchat
A5: Recent events have made school safety a topic that is being talked about across the country. These events had definitely pushed schools to think more carefully about the regulations & the emergency plans that they have in place #BmoreEdchat
#BmoreEdchat A5: Educating ALL based on facts, not stereotypes and biased ideologies. Otherwise, we could let down our guard when it needs to be heightened.
A4: I know this year there have been so many different drills that we’ve had to run: lock down, earth quake, etc. too many to keep track of! We are so reactive to everything that happens locally and nationally. And almost without thinning through if it makes sense! #bmoreedchat
I agree. The contemporary news cycle seems to increase the feeling that the issue is more prevalent, and perhaps it might be, but the coverage and “talking-head” pundits have heightened the severity of the issue. #BmoreEdChat
A5: i feel like school safety has always been an issue, but the increase in social media and information makes it "feel" closer. Data could completely disagree. #BmoreEdchat
A6: Challenge the misconceptions the media portrays. Model the emotional intelligence we want all students to possess. Listen to all students to understand their individual stories. #BmoreEdchat
A6: I think you need to force yourself to be part of the conversation around the solutions. It’s easy to complain that things that are put in place don’t make you feel safe. Own in and do your part for the school! #bmoreedchat
A6: model best practices, take initiative-if you don’t have a school safety plan, offer to help develop it. Make sure safety is on the agenda at ILT meetings and staff meetings #BmoreEdchat
A6: I think you need to force yourself to be part of the conversation around the solutions. It’s easy to complain that things that are put in place don’t make you feel safe. Own in and do your part for the school! #bmoreedchat
#BmoreEdchat Q6: It’s like a relationship: you may not agree with some decision, but you do your best to make it work; if it fails, no finger pointing. Work to figure out a solution for the greater cause.
Random Aside... When is the last time students were asked about how they feel in school? I think their opinions just as much as the staff, media, and community stakeholders. #BmoreEdchat
A3: practicing drills seriously and talking about why we do them afterwards so that students understand rather than just following the motions. #BmoreEdChat#ED446
A6: Providing structures for restorative practices and conflict resolution at school. Build classroom culture that is welcoming to all students #BmoreEdchat
A7: Every single person's story has the impact to make another person's story better. What choices will you make to ensure our community is a place of acceptance & intelligence? #BmoreEdchat
A6 even if it feels like an added task, Ts should embrace and model safety behaviours and practices and encourage participation from all stakeholders #BmoreEdchat
A7: much more than we do now or have time for. When I was a young lad in school we had a required class on behavior attitude and ethics. Cyber safety and security we frequently in core classes as well as through emails like @KnowBe4#BmoreEdchat
A7 Teaching the students the “why” behind the safety procedures or choices. If the student has to be in charge and keep the classmates safe, what should s/he do? #BmoreEdchat
Interesting @justincholbrook I was just writing abt this today in ref to some awesome #bmore teachers I spoke w a while back who considered their students’ feelings 1st after #Freddiegray#bmoreedchat
Random Aside... When is the last time students were asked about how they feel in school? I think their opinions just as much as the staff, media, and community stakeholders. #BmoreEdchat
A huge thank you to @BaltoESOL for writing the questions for tonight! Thanks to all for challenging the perspectives we have on safe schools. #Bmore for kids this week! #BmoreEdchat
