Parents send their kids off to school every day thinking they will stay safe surrounded by teachers and support staff. Precautions of course are taken to ensure safety including emergency drills, background checks and locked gates, but are they enough? Saturday marks the one year anniversary of the Sandy Hook School shooting; as the day nears many people begin to reflect on the steps taken towards preventing events like this in the future. Although the man who committed this terrible act was not an employee at the school, hiring and screening policies have been the center of many discussions.
Every time a tragedy like this happens we see a push for gun control in the news. Many officials believe it is not the guns but the right people possessing them, they argue that the victims had no way of defending themselves. States are proposing that designated teachers and staff should be able to obtain concealed carrying permits and have firearms with them on school grounds. Those designated would need to attend extra training and pass thorough background checks. In Pennsylvania it is being debated that one check is not enough and should be repeated every 5 years. Not just for those carrying weapons but all school staff and new hires. Are these solutions? The debate is ongoing and unfortunately the fact is no campus is ever going to be 100 percent secure but there are ways to come close.
One way to increase security is through a proper screening policy, know who is in your school and classrooms. Ways to improve safety:
- Use a Comprehensive search: Criminal records, credit, driving records and substance abuse.
- Re-Verify results: if something comes up check again.
- Inquire about your findings: ask the applicant about the record.
- Perform personal assessment: don’t rely solely on a piece of paper.
- Consult professionals: research to get the best check for you.
At Active Screening we know it is mission critical to maintain a safe environment for students and staff. We are dedicated to increasing safety and quality of the workplace. Our methods are backed by years of experience and we make sure we give you accurate results in a timely manner to help prevent a devastating event in your workplace. Our thoughts are with the Sandy Hook Community this week and our hope is to help create a safe environment so parents, students and staff have one less thing to worry about in the future.