{"id":7718,"date":"2025-01-23T11:19:18","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T19:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oosto.com\/?p=7718"},"modified":"2025-02-06T08:33:37","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T16:33:37","slug":"podcast-rethinking-school-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oosto.com\/podcast-rethinking-school-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Safe, Not Scared: Rethinking School Security"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most school security is built to react\u2014lock the doors, sound the alarm, initiate lockdown. But once those measures are activated, the crisis is already unfolding, and the impact on students, teachers, parents, and staff is already in motion.<\/p>\n

A third-grade teacher once asked Adam Coughran, \u201cI appreciate the training, but I can\u2019t tell my students anything you just told me. How do I explain safety without scaring them?<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

That question stuck with him. Now, as President of SafeKids Inc., Adam draws on more than two decades of law enforcement experience\u2014including counterterrorism, active shooter response, and school security\u2014to help education institutions create age-appropriate safety programs that prepare without panic.<\/p>\n

When Adam was the first officer to respond to a violent incident at a middle school, the students and teachers had practiced lockdowns, but only inside classrooms. When the violence started in the cafeteria, they didn\u2019t know what to do. \u2018It occurred to me very quickly,\u2019 Adam says, \u2018that they had never talked about or practiced what to do if they weren\u2019t in a classroom, where they could lock their door and hide in a dark corner.\u2019<\/p>\n

In this episode<\/a>, Matt Plantier and Patrick Welsh from Oosto join Adam Coughran to explore how schools can build safety and security strategies that actually work all the time, everywhere.<\/p>\n

Navigating School Security Challenges and Violence Prevention<\/h2>\n

Schools face a complex challenge: how to create a safe environment without introducing fear or disruption. From the psychological toll of lockdown drills to rising violence, funding constraints, and fragmented communication, security concerns extend far beyond panic alarms and metal detectors.<\/p>\n

The Psychological Toll of Lockdowns<\/h2>\n

Lockdown drills are meant to prepare students, but they often do the opposite, increase stress. In fact, 27% of students report heightened anxiety after these drills (Source<\/a>). In this episode, we explore \u201cthe balancing act\u201d\u2014how schools can implement safety measures without creating unnecessary fear.<\/p>\n

One high school junior put it bluntly: \u201cFirst responders choose their job knowing they might not make it home. We don\u2019t get a choice. We have to go to school.\u201d Her parents share that fear.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just drills\u2014security measures like metal detectors also take a psychological toll. In Broward County, students recognize the need for safety, but many say they feel more like suspects than students. For those already struggling with existing mental health issues, such as anxiety or social stress, these measures can make things worse (Source<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Rising Violence and Behavior Shifts<\/h2>\n

After the pandemic, many schools saw a spike in physical fights and aggressive behavior. Adam notes: \u201cStudents lost the ability to talk things out. Instead of working through conflicts, they go straight to violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of 2022, U.S. public schools recorded 857,500 violent incidents, with 67% of schools reporting at least one violent incident (Source<\/a>).<\/p>\n

This shift in behavior led to a bigger question: \u201cHow can we do things differently to prevent violence before it escalates?\u201d Adam and Patrick discuss both behavioral strategies and how technology can help detect and stop conflicts before they spiral out of control.<\/p>\n

Funding Constraints<\/h2>\n

Funding is always a challenge. Schools have to decide: Where does the money go\u2014mental health programs, more security staff, or better technology?<\/p>\n

But not all safety solutions require massive budgets. Adam points out that visitor management technology\u2014like replacing clipboards with digital check-ins that flag custody concerns, restraining orders, and sexual predators\u2014is a cost-effective way to strengthen security. \u2018Known threats don\u2019t go to the front door,\u2019 Patrick adds, reinforcing the need for better tracking of who is coming on campus.<\/p>\n

From Intelligence to Action: Closing Security Gaps<\/h2>\n

One of the biggest challenges in security isn\u2019t just identifying threats\u2014it\u2019s making sure the right people have the information they need, when they need it. Schools and businesses often rely on fragmented communication\u2014where critical details can get lost between departments, across campuses, or even just from one shift to the next.<\/p>\n

As of 2022, 93% of public schools use security cameras to monitor their campus, up significantly from 61% of public schools in 2010 (Source<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Patrick says, \u201cthe ability to make it actionable is what a lot of places lack, not just schools, a lot of corporations\u201d. Adding why he thinks context matters, \u201c the ability for HR to say this person was let go, they have an ax to grind, their exit interview didn’t go well. That’s information that a security professional, that’s context that could save lives, right? So they show up in a parking garage, they’re bringing a bag out that’s not in the shape of a laptop. They don’t have a laptop to return, that four-minute difference from the parking garage to the door could save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

This gap in communication can happen in any school, no matter the size:<\/p>\n