Author: SchoolSAFE

School Safety Teams: The What and The Why

Posted on | by SchoolSAFE

In today’s world, ensuring the safety and security of students, staff, and visitors is a top priority for schools. One critical component of this effort is the establishment of a School Safety Team. But what exactly is a School Safety Team, and what do they do? Let’s dive into the purpose, structure, and responsibilities of this essential group.

What is a School Safety Team?

To start, a School Safety Team is a designated group of individuals within a school who are responsible for planning, implementing, and overseeing safety protocols and emergency preparedness. This team typically includes the principal, school administrators, deans, counselors, security personnel, maintenance & custodial personnel, and sometimes even teachers. The primary goal of the team is to manage a safe and secure environment where learning can thrive, free from the fear of violence, accidents, or other all-hazard emergencies that occur at schools every day.

Core Responsibilities of a School Safety Team

Risk Assessment and Planning:

The School Safety Team should conduct a thorough risk assessment of the school’s physical environment and policies or be very familiar with the assessment. This involves identifying potential hazards, such as unsecured entrances, fire risks, or cyber threats. Based on this assessment, the team develops a comprehensive safety plan that addresses these risks and outlines procedures for responding to emergencies, such as lockdowns, evacuations/reunifications, or shelter-in-place orders.

Emergency Exercises and Training:

Regular emergency drills and exercises are a crucial part of the School Safety Team’s responsibilities. The team coordinates and conducts drills for various scenarios, including fire, natural disaster, and active shooter situations. They also ensure that staff and students are well-trained in these procedures, providing clear instructions and fostering a culture of preparedness. Ongoing training sessions for staff are essential to keep everyone informed of the latest safety protocols.

Crisis Management:

In the event of an emergency, the School Safety Team takes the lead in crisis management. They implement the emergency plan, coordinate with local authorities, and ensure the safety of all individuals on campus. The team also communicates with parents and the community during and after an incident, providing updates and instructions as needed.

Promoting a Safe School Climate:

Beyond responding to emergencies, the School Safety Team plays a proactive role in promoting a positive and safe school climate. This can include initiatives like mental health support and conflict resolution strategies. By fostering a supportive environment, the team helps prevent issues from escalating into more serious safety concerns.

Collaboration with Local Agencies:

The School Safety Team often works closely with local law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services to ensure a coordinated response to incidents. Additionally, they may partner with community organizations to provide additional resources, such as counseling services or educational programs, that contribute to the overall safety and well-being of students. SchoolSAFE is a community partner, helping to grow the relationships between schools and their community partners. Furthermore, we help the safety team be as strong as possible, while enabling partnerships for effective communications between local agencies for safer schools.

The Importance of a School Safety Team

Lastly, having a dedicated School Safety Team is essential for any school. It not only prepares the school for emergencies but also actively works to prevent them. By maintaining a strong emergency operations plan, regularly training staff and students, and promoting a positive school climate, the team ensures that everyone on campus can focus on learning.

A Safety Team is a vital part of a school’s infrastructure. Their work behind the scenes helps to create a secure and nurturing environment, allowing students and staff to thrive. Whether it’s planning for potential risks, managing crises, or fostering a safe school climate, the contributions of this team are invaluable to the entire school community.

Want to learn more about SchoolSAFE? Contact us!

Community Partnering

Posted on | by SchoolSAFE

The SchoolSAFE program enables a two-way radio connection between first responders and school officials during an emergency. The comprehensive training program partners with schools to provide user-specific training in emergency communications management, empowering community partnering with first responders.

The program is also Colorado’s SAFER Grant compliant, providing hardware, software, and training to each school district. The SAFER Grant provides true radio interoperability for first responders and school districts, funding the state-wide initiative. Over 500 installations have been completed throughout the state and we are constantly training best practices at all of our schools and districts. We strongly encourage each school’s leadership to reach out to the local fire station, for each district to get in a room with first responders – this is community partnering.

For example, we had one school place numbers on the top of each exterior door to help the fire department know where to go in an emergency. The Battalion Chief pointed out that the numbers would be better placed at the bottom of the doors in the event of heavy smoke. The Police Chief was also interested in the door numbering system for their knowledge and ability to respond. Because of one meeting, safety protocols and a general understanding was improved for all parties involved in an emergency. We all want our schools to be safer, with each stakeholder working to have the best response. A great place to start is getting these key stakeholders in the room together.

Community partnering at its finest.


Do you need assistance in getting the ball rolling? Contact us and we can help get you started.

Motorola Solutions' manufacturer recommendations for cleaning and disinfecting your two way radios

Cleaning & Disinfecting Your Two-Way Radios

Posted on | by SchoolSAFE

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our customers have been working tirelessly to adhere to the CDC guidelines to provide a safe and healthy environment at schools. Mitigating virus transmissions has been the focal point of many school district’s COVID-19 Hazard Assessment Plans. From what we have learned, masks, social distancing, frequent disinfecting, and hand sanitizing measures have all been implemented throughout many school districts in Colorado. Don’t forget about cleaning your two-way radios!


SchoolSAFE’s solution is training and radio-based. As more and more schools open their doors to in-person learning, we have had requests for radio disinfecting “best practices.” For levity, we have even had a customer ask if they could dunk their entire radio in bleach. Yes, this would certainly be effective in eliminating any viruses on the radio. But this could render the radio completely useless as the electronics could corrode between the metal and the circuit board. This can lead to radio transmission issues. Please do not dunk your radio in any form of liquid. Additionally, some disinfecting chemicals can compromise the materials of the radio. 

So, the radio manufacturers with which we have partnered have provided guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting two-way radios. Below is a resource for your schools and district to improve radio hygiene by safely cleaning and disinfecting the radio. And, you can also find a print out for your schools here. 

Please contact us with any questions, we are always here to help.

Dig Out from the Shifting Sands of Priority

Posted on | by SchoolSAFE

A District Security Personnel’s Perspective

How are we prioritizing safety work during social distancing? Schools are temporarily closed in Colorado due to the spread of COVID-19. I’m thinking back to my career in K-12 public schools and what I can do with extra time on my hands. During the school year, I remember being very busy with day-to-day things that would come up and feeling like the important things were being buried under the urgencies of the day. As a year-round employee, I remember looking forward to Summer Break, or even the brief respite of Winter Break that allowed me to do things I knew were important.

So now, with time on my hands, unable to go to the office each day, what do I do to continue working on our district’s safety? I’m getting paid, I have a job, and I have some short, medium, and long-term goals I’ve been trying to make time for – what a great opportunity! Should I spend a little extra time forming my persuasive arguments for that grant request that would give me the resources to move a project forward? Yes, a resounding yes! After all, chances of getting limited school district funds allocated to this school safety project are slim, there are simply too many other priorities competing for the funds. Now that I have some alone time without the latest mini-crisis erupting at one of my schools, I can do some research, gather my thoughts, and make my best case why my district is deserving of these funds.

How are we prioritizing safety work during social distancing?

Could I also spend some time re-visiting the FEMA online safety courses I last took four years ago? Yes! I’m guessing they have been updated since I last took the course and I have the opportunity to follow the links to learn more. I am finally able to delve more deeply into these topics that might make a difference and will certainly make me more informed, perhaps even leading to better decisions the next time our district crisis team comes together to deal with any crisis: the broken water main, the science room mishap that became a HAZMAT release, the latest bomb threat, or the 100 white mice released at the high school as the Senior Prank of the year.

When was the last time I checked to be sure I had the right names and numbers in the Crisis Plan for the health department, or the disaster recovery company? I’ve got a little time, why not look it up, make a few calls, and be more prepared to call the indoor air quality firm to do air testing the next time a student spills a jar of mercury he found in his grandfather’s garage in the middle of the cafeteria at lunchtime? I can’t remember the last time I chatted with the SRO sergeant; I wonder how she’s doing?

Yes, even though I’m at home for the next few weeks with this social distancing, there’s still plenty of work I could get done. My binge watching of Better Call Saul can wait, I’ve got some work to do.