What are some ways to build relationships with community members to improve school safety?

When trying to increase safety, stakeholders and the larger network can be utilized as a support system as long as intention and goals are shared and meaningful. Engaging stakeholders early and often in processes and collaborations ensures that everyone is bought in and aware of their role and effect on the end result.

I believe in the power of meaningful and constructive feedback. One of the best ways to ensure school safety is to listen from all members of the school community. Scheduled and frequent checks through surveys or random conversations with students, teachers, parents and staff work effectively.

Partindo do princípio que a escola tem o dever de zelar pela integridade física e psicológica de seus alunos, ter um planejamento com mapeamento de riscos de segurança escolar é fundamental para que todos se sintam acolhidos e protegidos. Algumas ações podem ser implementadas, como adoção de medidas de segurança, levantamento de riscos que envolvem a saída e chegada na escola, levantamento das principais ocorrências da comunidade local, quais riscos de acidentes dentro da escola, prevenir situações do ambiente escolar que coloquem a comunidade em risco, serviço de portaria adequado para verificar a entrada e saída de pessoas credenciadas, câmeras, poder contar com uma equipe de segurança capacitada e canais de comunição com a comunidade.

Para que exista verdadera comunicación esta debe ser de ida y vuelta (bidireccional), por lo tanto, los miembros de la comunidad deberán ser protagonistas de nuestras acciones de comunicación. Por ejemplo, una manera participativa de concretar este ítem es realizar podcasts, publicaciones y otros con la participación activa de los miembros de la comunidad. No sólo como oyentes o lectores sino que formen parte de la producción de dichos programas. Al concretar esto lograremos que las relaciones con los miembros de la comunidad sean fuertes y duraderas en el tiempo. Este es uno de los pasos de la Comunicación institucional integradora que hemos desarrollado y compartimos en la comunidad de LinkedIn. Espero que sea una idea útil.

As a Principal, I remember when my school became a temporary target for weekends break-ins. This was the most helpless feeling. Seeing all of resources to benefit students who needed them the most be taken was heart breaking. While standing the parking lot of the school on a Sunday after multiple same day break-ins, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I begin knocking on the doors of all of the houses that were in view of the school and invited the community to help ensure that the students needs were met when they came to school. This was done by asking for their commitment to watch the school and to report any suspicious behavior. The response was overwhelming. Ownership of the the school was now shared with its community.

Additionally, specifically for secondary setting you have to empower and celebrate your students. As a school leader you must have a len while when moving through the school to immediately thank your students for meeting the expectation that you and your team have established in the moment verbally and later in a tangible way. Many times you receive positive feedback from others that visit your school around the culture and climate that they experience. Make sure you share that with your students and be intentional about thanking and recognizing them for meeting the expectation set and owned by the school. Most of the time why people will point it out was because that was not the expectations they thought were to experience.