Simple: What is old is new again.

I was intrigued upon seeing the return of The Muppets in their latest movie.  Then came the plug-and-play Pac Man, Space Invaders, and other first generation video games Christmas presents. Next, a Rock’em Sock’em robot game that dates back decades is back on the market.

As I watched the kids of today get excited with the characters, shows and toys of yesteryear, it reminded me how things trend in cycles.  How quickly what is old becomes new again.  And how intriguing it is that this cyclical dynamic reaches into school safety, as well.

Now well over a decade after the Columbine High School attack, we find ourselves talking to school officials about locking their doors, having crisis teams and other basic school safety fundamentals.  While some vendors and consultants are still trying to create new products and recycle old (and often rejected) training ideas, the most rudimentary best practices have fallen to the wayside in too many school communities.

As we turn the corner from 2011 into a new year, take note of how the characters, stories and games of the past came back into importance as new and eye opening items for many individuals this Christmas.   Remember to approach your 2012 school safety efforts in the same fashion by shining a light on what many safe school advocates consider the basics and fundamentals.  To a growing number of educators, these are new and enlightening ideas.

Ken Trump

Visit School Security Blog at:  www.schoolsecurityblog.com

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Distracted. Disjointed. Stressed.

These are just a few words describing what I see and hear more and more every day.  I find them among school staff, parents, neighbors, family, and about everywhere else life takes me each week.

Uncertain Times Breed Stress and Anxiety 

We live in a time of economic uncertainty, political divisiveness, and rapid changes in our personal and professional lives.  Talk to just about anyone and you’ll find they have some stressor (or multiple stressors) that seem to be adding a new level of intensity to their lives.

The school safety field is no different.  Severe budget cuts, the increasing politicization of school safety, and other burdens in education have pushed school safety to the back burner in many school communities.  These dynamics have also beaten down even the most passionate of front-line advocates for school safety.

In April of this year, my third book on school safety, security and emergency / crisis preparedness was published.  After months of writing, rewriting, and editing, I took a break from School Security Blog and other writing.  I needed a mental break from writing, fast paced travel, and the emotional drain of watching so many school safety efforts across the nation shift from proactive to reactive — and in many cases to “non-existent.”

We all need to know it is normal to need a break and  it is o.k. to be human.

A New Look at School Safety 

Summer break is a natural time for school people to reflect and regroup. Although the amount of time between school closing and school reopening seems to be getting less and less each year, the pace is slower than it is during the regular school year.  We can exhale, spend time with our family members and, physically and mentally separate from our workplace pressures.

Stepping back to unwind does not mean stepping away from our passion and commitment to an issue — in this case, school safety.  Since January I have been researching and analyzing a number of areas including:

• dramatic shifts in federal school safety policy and funding;
• increased politicization of school safety by civil rights activists to further their social and/or political agendas;
• defined patterns of fundamental school security and preparedness gaps; and
• an ongoing inside study of trends and issues in the news media, social media, and related communications issues that increasingly influence school safety and education in general.

The list is a lot longer, so look forward a rejuvenated School Security Blog in the weeks and months ahead.

Time to Rejuvenate School Safety

The school safety field needs to be rejuvenated.  Passionate people need a morale booster.  They need to know someone has their backs.  They need to know that people still care and that it is critical for them to care today more than ever.

I am bouncing back to do my part.  Will you join me?

Ken Trump

Visit School Security Blog at:  http://www.schoolsecurityblog.com

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The Resurrection of “Civility” and the Push for Kumbaya

The problem is that the issue has been pushed to the forefront in a political context.  The buzz started with the Obama Administration and Democratic-controlled Congress.  It rapidly accelerated with the horrific shooting of Congresswoman Giffords and others in Tucson.

More narrowly focused to the topic of this blog, the word “civility” (or “incivility” and its associate, ”anti-bullying”) was permeating the Obama Administration’s federal school safety language, policies, and proposed funding  far before the Tucson shooting.  In fact, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools redefined school safety policy and funding by largely ignoring violence, school security, school-based policing, and related issues to focus on “civility” and “bullying” and of course, “climate.”

Now there is nothing wrong with teaching kids to be civil, promoting anti-bullying, and fostering a supportive school climate as a part of a comprehensive approach to school safety.  But this has become the total focus of the Department’s public speeches and political rhetoric, and the bulk of its policy and funding emphasis. 

It is as if to the U.S. Department of Education, violence, school security, school-based policing, and other issues no longer exist.  Kumbaya is in, both in federal school safety and in federal politics.

What’s Wrong With Civility?

The problem is that federal school safety policy and funding must be balanced and comprehensive.  It cannot be disproportionately skewed any more to “incivility” and “bullying” than it can be disproportionately skewed to “violence” and “security.”

But another problem is the broader political spin where “incivility” is used as a political tool to attempt to silence those who disagree or challenge an idea, policy, or other practice.  We see this play out almost daily in the media. If one political party disagrees with their rivals, they are slapped with the label of being “incivil.”

I have also seen this for years in the K-12 education community.  If you disagree or challenge a policy or practice, and you push the matter with facts supporting you, often the party on the other end who cannot rebutt with facts instead challenges your “tone” or “unprofessional manner.”  

It’s a nice diversion tool, especially when the challenging person lacks the position or courage to refocus the conversation back on the facts and issues at hand.  I have seen many people who are spot-on with their arguments tuck their tails and whimper away — which is actually what the challenged party hopes to accomplish with this ploy.

Is Yelling “Incivility” Just a Way to Dumb-Down Challenges to Policies, Practices, and Ideas?

Personally I have never been, nor do I plan to be, one of those tail-tuckers.  I do professional work, but I will challenge a process or an individual if the facts show they are wrong, lying, or trying to run a game over me or someone else. 

While some call this “unprofessional” or “incivility,” I call it disagreeing and challenging ideas or practices.  The problem is, some people don’t like being called to task for blowing smoke, running a sham business process, or trying to spin their way out of a screwed up mess they are responsible for creating and/or overseeing.

I see this often, for example, in the RFP and purchasing process when school districts are required to take proposals for school safety consulting services.  Many of the RFPs are so blatantly steered to a pre-determined preferred vendor I do not even waste my time going through their sham process. 

Every now and then, I do submit proposals if the RFP process looks fair after I do some basic due-diligence to reduce the risks of wasting me time.  Unfortunately, too often than not, I still run into illogical, flawed, and/or intentionally steered processes regardless of my best efforts to weed them out.

So I question people:  Purchasing agents, superintendents, school board members, whoever.  I ask pointed questions and refer to facts, but pull no punches.  And I am persistent.

What I have learned is that people don’t like having either their ineptness (on the best end) or their facade of a fair process when they have not had a level playing field all along (on the other extreme) being challenged.  They also don’t like the fact that some people just don’t go away when they try to blow them off.

Do We Want “Sheeple” or Critical Thinkers?

So what does this have to do with the rest of our society and the broader issue of “civility”?  The answer is simple:  We not only have some people in powerful positions who think they are above reproach, we also have some people who try to stifle disagreement and the challenging of ideas by slapping the label of “incivility” or “unprofessional” onto those who disagree or challenge practices.

Sadly, I find more and more that we have a society of “sheeple” — sheep, not people.  The current flavor of the day is to try to stifle legitimate challenges and disagreements by spinning such challenges as claims of “incivility” when the heat gets turned up in the kitchen.  And many of the sheeple just go away.

I, for one, do not want to spend my elder years in a society where our future leaders have been dumbed down under the guise of “civility” and a false pretence of kumbaya which we all know will never exist.  I want the next generation, unlike too many already in our current generation, to be able to think critically and challenge thoughts, ideas, policies, and practices which are unsound, illegal, immoral, unethical, or just plain ignorant.

If that is defined as “incivility” — then I’ll take more, not less.

What say you?

Ken Trump

Visit School Security Blog at:  http://www.schoolsecurityblog.com

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My thoughts and prayers go out to my faith, family, and friends who together keep me and my family safe and sound.

A special thanks is offered to our men and women in the military, to our first responders, and to our many other professionals who dedicate their skills, energy, and time to keeping us safe.

Finally, last but not least, my thanks go out to our teachers, school support staff, administrators, and school safety professionals who go above-and-beyond to keep our children and school staff safe, secure, and prepared each day.

May God Bless You All !!

Ken Trump

Visit School Security Blog at:  http://www.schoolsecurityblog.com

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The x-ray machine, which reveals a rather detailed body image to a TSA agent away from the site of the screening, has created quite a stir about privacy violations. The only bigger buzz is about the option to the backscatter machine:  A more thorough, “hands on” pat down which has stirred up equally loud, if not greater, public outrage.

While most of the discussion has been around whether the x-ray photos and pat downs are civil rights and/or privacy violations, I have yet to hear anyone attack the most ironic mixed and confusing message of this entire process:

“Why does the federal government dodge the tried-and-true Israeli airline security method of behavioral analysis out of fear of claims of ‘profiling’ and civil rights violations, yet no one in the federal government apparently views personalized body x-rays, breast and chest groping, and grabbing of male crotch areas to be a civil rights and privacy violation? 

So in short, it is not O.K. under federal political correctness standards for TSA to ask people questions based on behavioral analysis, but it is O.K. to snap their borderline nude body images and grope their most personal body parts?”

Is the federal government sending mixed messages?  Is it good security or the height of political correctness?  What would people think if such measures were proposed for other venues such as courthouses, government office buildings, or even schools?

What say you?

Ken Trump

Visit School Security Blog at:  http://www.schoolsecurityblog.com

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So when I was offered a complimentary ticket to see a Broadway performance version of The Lion King while attending a conference at The Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas on October 16th, I had to think twice.  Should I pursue a quick dinner and get packed up for my early morning flight the next day or go to a show? 

A little “hakuna matata” (no worries) won out.  A busy three day business trip and the three-hour time zone difference had drained me.  It would be nice to kick back in The Mandalay Bay Theatre even if I knew the plot, characters, and music by heart.  And it was certainly a better cost-savings move than wandering the casino floor!

A fourth row, center section mid-aisle seat placed me dead center stage with one of the best seats in the house.  While I was positioned perfectly, I don’t really believe there was a bad seat in the house. 

The audience is pulled into the action immediately with a spectacular opening parade of life-sized animals, actors, and visual arts dancing down the aisles and onto the stage.  It did not take long for me to realize this was not going to be another DVD video of The Lion King or a cartoonish experience at the Disney parks.  I was in for a professionally entertaining treat.

The costumes were consistently eye-catching.  They were bright and stunning, yet appropriate and not overwhelming for each actor. Make-up was done to a “T” with each character coming to life for a father who has heard the story dozens of times. 

The sets were simple, yet detailed in design, and brought each scene to life.  They set an appropriate tone for each scene, some calming and humorous while others brought tension and even death to the storyline.  One can only imagine the hours of hard work and skill which goes into building the sets.

The orchestra and music talent were perfect.  It could not have been better if Elton John was performing it in person.  They literally never missed a beat!

All of the actors were excellent.  But Young Simba, Rafiki, Scar, Timon, and Zazu stood out as performing above-and-beyond duty in an overall cast of master actors.  The energy and passion they brought to their characters shined through in each of their scenes.

In a show running about two and one-half hours, I anticipated finding a few things to be a bit critical of during any performance of such length.  But the show moved quickly, capturing my undivided attention each scene along the way.  Fast-paced but powerful, it was executed with perfection from the view of a father who had expected to be a bit less intrigued than perhaps the first-time observer of this trusted tale.

My biggest criticism was discovered outside of the theater during intermission.  The 15-minute break did not mix well with long lines at the restrooms outside of the theater and equally long lines at the bar where people understandably needed a soft drink (or other refreshment) in the middle of a longer show.  When I saw a line at the men’s room which was as long as that at the women’s room, I knew we were all in trouble.

While a special insert suggested the facility operators knew the restroom situation was a problem, sending us to opposite ends of the casino took a bite out of an already tight turnaround time.  If you want to be back in your seats before Act two, your will only get one or the other:  A restroom break OR a refreshment break, but don’t expect both.

Act Two opens with an entrance of characters down the aisles in the same stunning fashion as the show opening.  The tight intermission and long lines certainly robs too many unknowing attendees of a great experience in Act Two.  Hopefully enough people have their “fur” raised and growl loudly enough to trigger show leaders to fix this flaw in an otherwise flawless event.

My advice:

1. Get in early for both Acts One and Two.  If you miss the parade down the aisles, you lose a great experience.
2. Create a strategic, tactical attack plan for handling the intermission, especially if you want both restroom breaks and refreshments.  You might be able to pull it off it you are with a group.  If you are attending solo, good luck!  
3. Visit the gift shop BEFORE your show, if possible.  It is smaller and quite busy immediately after the show.
4. Take your family to the show, but do so with age-appropriate considerations.  Two and one-half hours is a long time for a family with toddlers.  Teens, and perhaps tweens, will remember this family outing as a treasured opportunity, but even a spectacular show like this may not work well with the little ones who can handle the DVD and Disney Parks experience for only a short time.
5. Pack along some bucks, as you do for any theater or Vegas experience.  Good seats and even a soft drink won’t come cheaply, but it will be an investment you will remember.

My biggest advice:  Don’t let the the name of the show fool you.  It is not your DVD version of The Lion King.  Expect an adult view of a trusted tale, executed with perfection.

And don’t we all (especially my readers who are parents and youth safety professionals) deserve a little more ”Hakuna Matata” in our stressful lives?!

Ken Trump

Visit School Security Blog at:  http://www.schoolsecurityblog.com

Disclaimer:  The complimentary ticket and a VIP visitor’s bag with a playbill and show hat were provided in exchange for an independent review of the show by bloggers attending the BlogWorld 2010 conference at Mandalay Bay.  The ticket was not dependent upon favorable reviews nor did it influence this review.

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Parents:

1. Talk with, not at, your kids.

2. Give them, not your smart phone, your full attention.

3. Work to live, don’t live to work.

Build a relationship with your kids today!

Ken Trump

Visit School Security Blog at:  http://www.schoolsecurityblog.com

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Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, this sign was posted in my offices and/or at my desk when I worked in school safety departments.  It reflected my rather well known “political incorrectness” in speaking my mind and speaking the truth, at many times to my own detriment.

The quote is still one of my favorites.  It has stayed with me throughout my life of running my own business and consulting nationwide on school safety issues.  It is a principle I still try hard to follow, still at many times to my own detriment.

However, the “detriment” has always been to my bank account, not to my personal and professional integrity.  And that’s O.K. as I came to live with that a long time ago.

As a well-respected colleague of mine told me many years ago when I found myself surrounded by a cesspool of political vultures with their own agendas, and not agendas for the best interest of kids and safety:  “You can find another job. You can’t find another reputation if you make the wrong choice.”  That was great advice and a supportive reinforcement.  It is one I’ve always tried to live by and one which I believe is the only way to go through your personal and professional short time on this planet.

Today, more than ever, the dialogue is not about right and wrong, but whose rhetoric and political strength wins in being perceived as “right” whether it is or is not right.  It is a matter of who “wins” rather than what is the right thing to do.

I have had great professional opportunities to brief Congress, governors, and international educators and safety officials.  I have also been blessed to train and consult with school safety officers, school resource officers, secretaries, food service workers, bus drivers, custodians, school nurses, teachers, principals, parents, students, and others on the front-lines of education.  An inside view from all of these perspectives has been a very interesting and intriguing part of my career.

Those on the front-lines so often want what is right, not what is popular or politically-correct.  Many feel powerless.  Many wonder why ridiculous laws, funding cuts, policies and administrative decisions so often are directly in opposition to what is needed to keep kids and teachers safer, and to promote learning.  I frequently wonder the same. 

This is where, “What is popular is not always right.  What is right is not always popular,” hits home.  This is especially true today as we see increasing funding cuts to school safety from the federal to the local levels, and in a number of cases useless political grandstanding and hollow laws proposed under the guise of creating safer schools. 

I don’t know who said it first.  A quick Google check produced some conflicting or empty answers.  And I don’t really care who was the first to say it.  But I sure do care about seeing it followed as a guide for improved policy, administrative, and funding decisions regarding school safety.

While I promise to keep working with that quote as a part of my foundation, I think we have a long way to go to make it the norm for some of our most powerful and influential decision-makers.  I invite you to join me.  Progress starts with each individual.

Ken Trump

Visit School Security Blog at:  http://www.schoolsecurityblog.com

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The politically and emotionally-charged climates around the case of Shirley Sherrod, the USDA worker forced to resign earlier this week, is the latest in a series of high-profile matters generating strong racial tension in the United States.  The unfolding Arizona immigration law battle is intense.  And one year ago in Massachusetts, the arrest of Henry Lewis Gates, a Harvard professor, by James Crowley, a Cambridge police sergeant, raised tension and national discourse on race resulting in the President inviting the men to the White House for what was dubbed in the media as a “beer summit.”

So what does this have to do with school safety?  A lot.

One of the things I have learned in over 25 years in the school safety profession is to stay ahead of the curve, or at least to try to do so, you’d better identify hot button issues and trends in our communities if you want to be prepared for what might land at your schoolhouse doors.  It may be an escalation of gang activity or abuse of a particular drug.  It may be bullying or cyberbullying.

Red flags are increasingly popping up to suggest the next increasing challenge for some schools may be around racial conflicts.  This is already evident in a number of higher-profile cases in several schools in recent years:

• Ongoing tension and fighting stemming from conflicts between African American and Latino students in several school cases.
• A high-profile case in an affluent white suburban community where questions have been raised about the integrity of school and police officials’ investigations into a ”bullying” or “hazing” incident which some have said would have brought felony sex crimes charges in communities of other color and economic status. 
• Federal complaint expected alleging a school district failed to address violence against Asian immigrant students by large groups of students who were mostly African-American.
• Allegations of ongoing conflict between students of Dominican and Arab backgrounds at one New Jersey high school.

But the lack of civil discourse and the politicizing of racial incidents, reinforced by ongoing media coverage, has grown in intensity. The Sherrod, Arizona Immigration, and Beer Summit incidents represent three high-profile, emotionally and politically-charged incidents which have risen to a Presidential level in the last year alone. 

While I have no desire to be alarmist, I do have a desire to put the cards on the table.  In this case, one of the “cards” is the “race card.”  Many people in our society like to play the race card, but fewer tend to have meaningful, ongoing public discourse about the issue of race.

I have no intention, nor the adequate time, to dive into a deep philosophical discussion of race relations in this particular blog post.  But I do want to suggest that educators and school safety officials better start having some brutally candid conversations about the potential for racial conflicts if such conditions exist in their school-community.   And in doing so, the starting point for such conversations might very well need to include taking a look first at the adults before looking at the kids.

What say you?

Ken Trump

Visit School Security Blog at:  http://www.schoolsecurityblog.com

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As a new “blogger” since the start of this calendar year, I’ve learned a lot.  I learned how many good people are doing good things in school safety as I continue to build my file of blog post leads to share with you in upcoming months.  I also learned a bit about the mechanics behind building this blog site and the software I use to maintain it.

But one of my greatest lessons learned has been how challenging it can become to find the time to pull all of the positive information, investigative posts, latest news and opinion, and related forthcoming posts together for posting daily or at least the majority of days each week.  The challenge stems not from a lack of interest, but for an overwhelming list of professional and personal competing interests.

While numerous people may challenge my professional positions and opinions, few have questioned my passion for school safety and the work I do.  For this, I am grateful.  As I always say, you may not like where I stand, but you’ll always know where I stand — and in today’s world, that’s becoming more and more of a rare quality of the “politically correct” people who will sell their soul, integrity, and name for a dollar.

But my family and loved ones top the list of my commitments.  And yours should top your list, too.  I’ve seen too many good people die young, leave behind their families, or stay alive and lose their loved ones because they lost focus of their true life priorities, sometimes under the guise of (over)-dedication to their work.

School safety planning, like life, requires a balance. Those of us who have dedicated our careers to being passionate about school safety planning live, eat, breathe, and think about it from the time we get up until the time we go to bed.  There are many such people on the front lines of education today, although not as many as some of us still would like to see, and for those folks, I am forever grateful and motivated to continue fighting the good fight.

As the blog roll will show, I took a several week, unannounced hiatus to spend time with family.  The opportunity presented itself and I jumped on it. It was well needed and enjoyed.

Our educators also need a break.  School leaders are facing the toughest budget times many have ever seen in their careers.  Classroom teachers are facing academic and behavioral challenges like never before in many schools.  I know many are enjoying brief, but well-deserved, summer breaks as well.

I plugged in two national conference speaking opportunities on the tail-end of my vacation break.  I’ll be sharing those in upcoming blog posts.

Like dedicated school safety planners, committed bloggers need a break, too.  Like committed bloggers who come back energized from a mental break, so must our dedicated school safety planners.

So the greatest lesson I’ve learned this year as a blogger is that it is understandable how school safety, emergency planning, and related important matters can get pushed to the back burner due to urgent issues pressing even the most committed professionals.  The important thing is that we all bounce back, hopefully rejuvenated and enthused even more than we we stepped back for a few moments, to carry on our passions.

Are you ready and rejuvenated to take on what could be a very challenging year with limited resources?  What will be your priorities in school safety and emergency preparedness planning for the upcoming 2010-11 school year? 

I am ready.  Come join me.  We can do it — and do it right.

Ken Trump

Visit School Security Blog at:  http://www.schoolsecurityblog.com

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