Field Experience D: Identifying Safety-Related Issues
This was an informative assignment that opened my eyes to leading the fluency of
implementing systems as a principal. Safety is a huge concern of mine living in New Orleans.
Our building has not been modernized or remodeled to present day standards and it creates a
spirit of fear quite often. As we reviewed the school’s safety checklist list, there were three topics
that warranted my attention. The topics were Development /Enforcement of Policies, Standards
for Security Personnel, and Development of Crisis Plan.
The school does not meet some standards of the Development Enforcement Policies
Audit. We do not have security presence during school activities which can send a message to
trespassers that the safety structure is not solid, and consequences will not be enforced if
egregious behavior occurs. The rationale of the exclusion of law enforcers is that teachers and
parents act as responsible supervisors during events which send a message of team, family, and
safety. The principal stated that police or security presence sends an unsafe presence to students
and sends a negative message that our students are not safe. Solution? I proposed that we asked
parents who are law officials to assist us in plain clothes at after school functions or get police
officers in regular clothing to provide services at events. This would not send a negative message
to the community and taking safety precautions with students (Louisiana State Police School
Safety Checklist. n/d).
Our school office is located on the second floor and visitors usually use wrong entrances
to gain access to the building. There should be more signs posted to direct visitors to the right
entrance. Solution? The principal agreed and decided to make plans to post more signs outside to
Field Experience D: Identifying Safety-Related Issues
direct visitors to the office. This was a quick fix. There is also section that pertains to parental
involvement in discipline procedures and actions. I strongly believe that the families would be
more invested and supported with our discipline systems if parents had more of a voice in
decision making. My principal felt that parents may be a little one sided towards the creating
consequences for their children to uphold. Having a neutral minded person to create the
consequences gives more balance, fairness and equity. Solution? Allow the PTO president to
facilitate a survey of what they agree or disagree with regarding the discipline structure and
allow them to propose a few ideas to build investment (Louisiana State Police School Safety
Checklist. n/d).
Next, Standards for Security Personnel is a concern. Our school does not employ
security personnel. Middle school behavior definitely needs security presence to deter egregious,
violent behaviors from our students and visitors. There have been instances where parents or
visitors did not conduct themselves in civil manner and police were called. The response time
was not within reason and allowed the aggressors to continue in the unsafe behavior which puts
teachers and students at risk for harm. The principal agreed that this is a potential safety breach,
but we have trained people on staff to call to handle hostile situations (Louisiana State Police
School Safety Checklist. n/d).
Last, The Development of Crisis Plan. There are multiple plans that are in place for
teachers to follow but we have never reviewed them. Example, New Orleans started having
tornadoes which is unusual, and we have not practiced any drills. We haven’t practiced
lockdowns, actually nothing. The principal stated that those plans are in place and will be visited.
Field Experience D: Identifying Safety-Related Issues
We started practicing fire drills, this week, which is a start (Louisiana State Police School Safety
Checklist. n/d).
This assignment allowed me to see the effectiveness of administration compliance to
safety legalities of leading a school. Being a principal is a huge responsibility. Reviewing the
audit made me realize the small and multiple moving parts that must be attended to when
running a school. Standard 5 of the PSEL clearly states that the principal must take the lead in
creating a safe environment by implementing effective systems. This is an area that cannot be
overlooked and taken lightly. Having a team that can own leading certain systems involving
community care can help with the overall performance with the safety of the school. Tweaking
these areas can build security amongst teachers and students. I did not know schools had an
audit check list. I pray that our school will work on the areas that need growth and perfect them
with execution. I decided to help the principal by typing up a mini crisis sheet for teacher to
follow. It is teacher friendly and easy to read. I am also working on the tornado plan and lock
down procedure. This was a great experience (Professional Standards for Educational Leaders.
2015).
Field Experience D: Identifying Safety-Related Issues
References:
Louisiana State Police School Safety Checklist. (n/d). Retrieved on October 1, 2014 form
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=safety+school+audit+checklist
+louisiana&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL). 2015. Retrieved on September 24,2019
from http://npbea.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Professional-Standards-for-
Educational-Leaders_2015.pdf
