Leadership magazine March/April 2017 V46 No. 4 | Page 13

sess pieces that have nothing to do with technology , like the direction that doors swing , or the height of curbs where students gather . Without this complete assessment , important non-IT safety issues fall through the cracks .
Campus Safety is not disconnected technology silos
Perhaps the most important takeaway is that silos detract from technology ’ s effectiveness . When there is no clear path , vision , or objective , leadership has almost no hope of successfully protecting students in the event of an emergency . If district management doesn ’ t establish other objectives , create a strategy , assign roles , and determine how all of the individual pieces fit into the overall picture , it ’ s nearly impossible to create a safe learning environment for students .
Campus safety is a plan
Key stakeholders must agree on the overall business objectives being addressed , the strategy to achieve those objectives , which parties are responsible for what , and how you as a group are going to measure success at each phase of the process . This roadmap is vital to your campus safety plan because it allows key players to ensure at every step that the previous phase was successful and that the next activity will also contribute to the objectives .
onboarding procedure , as well as substitute teachers at the beginning of each day . Appropriate portions of the emergency plan should also be communicated with local law enforcement , parents , and the entire community .
2 . Make sure the technology is effective
The last thing you need during an emergency is additional stress . If teachers and staff are busy trying to understand multiple , disparate technologies during an incident , there ’ s no way they can utilize the tools effectively . With today ’ s technology , teachers shouldn ’ t have to walk to a classroom door to lock it when a button on their telephone can accomplish the same objective in a safer , more efficient way . Therefore , key players and planners must ensure that all of the applicable pieces of technology work together effectively .
3 . Plan for sustainability Once you have your plan in place , your systems are working together , and you ’ ve established a secure environment , it ’ s important to focus on the sustainability of your solution and plan . That ’ s why it ’ s imperative to maintain updates , test systems , and run constant reality checks on the various components of your strategy on a regular basis .
We hope this information helps as you begin to develop your campus safety strategy . A safe learning environment establishes the foundation for students to feel comfortable in class and parents to feel comfortable sending their children to school every day .
DGI is a next-generation solutions integrator with a focus on delivering business outcomes . We leverage a proven process that produces consistent results and establishes IT as a relevant contributor to organizational goals and objectives . Established in 2009 , DGI is dedicated to helping IT become a strategic partner in every organization .
Getting started
Now that you know what campus safety is and is not , it ’ s time to get to work in putting together your strategy . The DGI team views campus safety as more of a philosophy than an end-game . Here are three steps toward developing a campus safety philosophy that works .
1 . Establish a strategy and build awareness
This strategy must be adopted by faculty and staff campus and districtwide . Department heads should ensure that the plan is followed by all . Each staff member should be versed on his / her roles and responsibilities in case of an emergency . It ’ s also imperative that the strategy includes a plan to train new employees as part of their
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