Ozark Schools, CES hosts School Safety Specialist Academy

Approximately 125 area school resources officers and school administrators were at the Ozark Innovation Center July 28-30 for a School Safety Specialist Academy. Presented by the Missouri School Boards’ Association’s Center for Education Safety, the Academy grants designated school safety coordinators required training outlined in Senate Bill 68 and the Missouri School Improvement Program. Ozark School District’s school resource officers are already compliant in this training.

John McDonald, chief operating officer of the Missouri School Boards' Association's Center for Education Safety, said school safety is foundational to quality education. 

“Kids that feel safe are better learners, have higher attendance rates and higher test scores,” he said. “The School Safety Academy brings in advocates from around the state to help people learn and understand the trends that we’re seeing in the school safety space and provide them a lens in how we provide hope and help to kids in a crisis.”

The 20-hour certification focuses on safety topics that include:

• Crisis Management/De-escalation
• Mental Health Resources
• Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management
• School Climate and Culture
• Emergency Operations Planning
• Physical Security/Technology
• Safety Assessments/ Audits
• Training/ Drills
• Legal Issues
• Cybersecurity and Social Media Threats
• Bullying/Cyberbullying and Human Trafficking
• Educator/Law Enforcement/SRO Partnerships

McDonald said the training helps participants learn how to “change the paradigm” and take better action to keep students safe. 

“If you ‘See Something, Say Something’ is important, but even more important is ‘See Something, Say Something, Do Something,’” he said.