Closed Captions
1
00:00:00,740 --> 00:00:03,439
[Music]
2
00:00:03,439 --> 00:00:05,040
I want to welcome our audience to this
3
00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,279
learn podcast. It is in these podcasts
4
00:00:07,279 --> 00:00:08,960
that learn wants you to meet experts
5
00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:10,559
that can help you in your work as school
6
00:00:10,559 --> 00:00:12,160
leaders or perhaps partners in the
7
00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,799
education landscape. The topic for this
8
00:00:14,799 --> 00:00:16,880
podcast is is emergency management
9
00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,119
planning and our guest is CEO for true
10
00:00:19,119 --> 00:00:21,920
north consulting company Russ Johnson.
11
00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:23,600
On the learn website, you will find on
12
00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:25,760
the research page under the COE of
13
00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:27,519
safety and the element of emergency
14
00:00:27,519 --> 00:00:29,679
management planning research in this
15
00:00:29,679 --> 00:00:31,279
area being discussed along with
16
00:00:31,279 --> 00:00:34,320
potential resources to access. Russ, I
17
00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:35,440
want to welcome you to the learn
18
00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:36,880
podcast. It's good to have you here
19
00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:38,480
again to speak with us about this
20
00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:40,559
important topic. I know you have an
21
00:00:40,559 --> 00:00:42,000
extensive research and work background
22
00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:43,520
in the area of emergency management
23
00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,280
planning and would you please share with
24
00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:46,719
the audience some of that background and
25
00:00:46,719 --> 00:00:48,640
experience?
26
00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,840
Sure. Sure. Um uh thanks for having me
27
00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,199
uh Dr. V. As as you know um you know
28
00:00:55,199 --> 00:00:58,960
school safety uh is is important to uh
29
00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,359
you know to us all even even those that
30
00:01:01,359 --> 00:01:03,840
that uh you know don't don't work
31
00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:07,119
directly in the industry of uh of school
32
00:01:07,119 --> 00:01:09,760
safety. You know this is a a societal
33
00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:14,000
and a a community um uh you know
34
00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,119
importance for us all. Um, you know, and
35
00:01:17,119 --> 00:01:18,720
if I can brag on my team a little bit, I
36
00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:20,479
think I think that we've got one of the
37
00:01:20,479 --> 00:01:23,040
the best teams when it comes to school
38
00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:25,119
safety. We've got ex-military, special
39
00:01:25,119 --> 00:01:27,680
forces, law enforcement, you know, we've
40
00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:31,360
done, oh my gosh, um, you know, provided
41
00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:33,040
like security assessments, planning,
42
00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,680
training, design for, you know, not just
43
00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,560
the world of of K12 districts of, you
44
00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:40,799
know, small um, you know, rural
45
00:01:40,799 --> 00:01:42,079
districts to, you know, some of the
46
00:01:42,079 --> 00:01:44,000
largest school districts in in the US,
47
00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,479
but also working with cities and
48
00:01:46,479 --> 00:01:48,560
counties and transportation agencies and
49
00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:50,240
water districts because if you've got
50
00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,880
people and you've got a facility, um,
51
00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:57,680
you know uh uh the the safety of those
52
00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,000
those assets which are our people is is
53
00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,560
so important to all of us. Um, you know,
54
00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:04,479
but as as you and I have kind of
55
00:02:04,479 --> 00:02:07,200
discussed, uh, previously, uh, you know,
56
00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,599
school safety is personal to me as, as a
57
00:02:09,599 --> 00:02:12,080
husband to an educator and and dad to a
58
00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:13,280
bunch of daughters that have gone
59
00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:15,920
through public education, a a
60
00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:17,520
schoolboard trustee from a hometown
61
00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,160
district. And um, you know, and so
62
00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:22,000
again, kind of like I I started when I
63
00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:23,760
opened that, you know, this is this is
64
00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,120
something that impacts all of us. Um,
65
00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:29,760
you know, and before we kind of unpack
66
00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,640
uh emergency management, um, you know,
67
00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:34,879
one one of the things that, uh, you
68
00:02:34,879 --> 00:02:37,680
know, I like I like to, uh, point out is
69
00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:41,040
that, um, you know, we're acutely aware
70
00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:43,360
of of all the all of the challenges that
71
00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,319
face, um, public education from funding
72
00:02:46,319 --> 00:02:48,239
and community and state pressures and
73
00:02:48,239 --> 00:02:50,319
day-to-day operations and, you know, all
74
00:02:50,319 --> 00:02:53,360
the other demands that that K12 um,
75
00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,680
folks are faced with. And so as we kind
76
00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:57,840
of talk through uh you know some of
77
00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,640
these things you know we say them with
78
00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:03,599
the lens of or through the lens of you
79
00:03:03,599 --> 00:03:05,680
know we we understand that sometimes
80
00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:07,599
it's it's easy to talk about these
81
00:03:07,599 --> 00:03:12,000
things um and extremely difficult um you
82
00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,319
know to execute because we we do have so
83
00:03:14,319 --> 00:03:17,120
many demands placed upon us. Um but
84
00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:18,480
we've been doing this a long time and
85
00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:20,480
and are passionate about this topic.
86
00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,239
Yeah. And that's obvious and and thank
87
00:03:22,239 --> 00:03:23,519
you for that. I know it's such an
88
00:03:23,519 --> 00:03:26,159
important topic in today's landscape and
89
00:03:26,159 --> 00:03:28,400
you know as you kind of listed those
90
00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:30,480
assets that you have have as a part of
91
00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:32,400
your organization but also just the
92
00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:34,000
experience
93
00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,319
you know you have to rely a lot on the
94
00:03:36,319 --> 00:03:37,840
research that's out there and and
95
00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:39,120
understanding how that applies to
96
00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,319
schools and we don't have a the amount
97
00:03:42,319 --> 00:03:44,239
of time necessary to dedicate it to all
98
00:03:44,239 --> 00:03:45,440
the research that's out there around
99
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,400
emergency management planning. But what
100
00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,720
is what are those key insights or piece
101
00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:52,720
of information that you think districts
102
00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:54,480
need to be really aware of as it relates
103
00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,040
to this work?
104
00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,120
Yeah, so that's that's a great question.
105
00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,200
Um, you know, it's interesting in in
106
00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,319
preparing for our discussion. Um, you
107
00:04:04,319 --> 00:04:06,959
know, I I pulled up um you know, the
108
00:04:06,959 --> 00:04:10,640
Webster's definition of of emergency. um
109
00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:12,000
you know because sometimes I think that
110
00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:16,320
that we get so caught up in um our our
111
00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:18,560
area of expertise or our area of focus
112
00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:20,639
that that sometimes we forget to kind of
113
00:04:20,639 --> 00:04:23,360
pull back and and and ask ourselves okay
114
00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:24,720
what is it that we're really talking
115
00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:26,639
about? um you know but it's it's
116
00:04:26,639 --> 00:04:28,080
interesting because you know they
117
00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,680
defined it as um you know a crucial time
118
00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,479
or state of affairs in which decisive
119
00:04:34,479 --> 00:04:36,560
change is impending especially one with
120
00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,520
the distinct possibility of a highly uh
121
00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,479
undesirable outcome. And so, you know,
122
00:04:42,479 --> 00:04:44,800
as I kind of reflected on this and and
123
00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,040
you know, uh, broke it down, you know,
124
00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:48,800
when you talk about an unstable or
125
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,880
crucial time, I mean, this is the moment
126
00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:52,800
in which, you know, that training and
127
00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,199
that preparation is called into action,
128
00:04:55,199 --> 00:04:56,800
you know, when you think of what does
129
00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,840
impending decisive change mean, you
130
00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:01,520
know, and and you know, that that to me
131
00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:03,759
elicits thoughts that we've got to use
132
00:05:03,759 --> 00:05:06,639
decisiveness uh to combat what we may be
133
00:05:06,639 --> 00:05:09,199
facing u, you know, when faced with an
134
00:05:09,199 --> 00:05:13,039
emergency. And you know, so it it it all
135
00:05:13,039 --> 00:05:17,120
boils down to making sure that um you
136
00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:20,160
know, during these moments that we've
137
00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,199
invested properly before the emergency
138
00:05:23,199 --> 00:05:26,960
strikes. you know, I was listening to um
139
00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,120
uh you know, some some re researchers
140
00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:33,680
from uh from UBS um talk about uh COVID,
141
00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,240
you know, on the on the tail end of of
142
00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,120
you know, a lot of that um you know,
143
00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:41,919
kind of um you know, mass knee-jerk
144
00:05:41,919 --> 00:05:44,720
reaction responding to what we all were
145
00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:46,720
faced with. Um, and it was interesting
146
00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:48,639
because they they they said something
147
00:05:48,639 --> 00:05:50,560
that really stuck with me and it's it's
148
00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,160
kind of common sense, but when you when
149
00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:54,080
you hear when you hear it stated, it's
150
00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:56,639
like, man, this is this is so so simple,
151
00:05:56,639 --> 00:05:58,880
but so true. And it says, you know, you
152
00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:02,320
can't prepare for a global pandemic in
153
00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,199
the middle of a global pandemic. So, in
154
00:06:05,199 --> 00:06:06,560
other words, you know, we have to kind
155
00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:08,639
of get through whatever's going on. You
156
00:06:08,639 --> 00:06:11,520
know, we're in survival mode. um you
157
00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:15,199
know, but we've got to make sure that um
158
00:06:15,199 --> 00:06:17,600
you know that things like COVID or
159
00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,160
whatever the the disaster may be or the
160
00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:22,080
emergency may be that you know that
161
00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,880
that's an impetus for us to increase our
162
00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:27,440
level of preparedness and planning uh
163
00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:29,600
you know for the next emergency. Uh you
164
00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:31,280
know we know tragedies are going to
165
00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:32,720
happen. It's it's just part of our
166
00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,440
world. Um you know nobody wants it. No
167
00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:37,120
one likes it. You know we wish we could
168
00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:39,520
pray it away. uh you know but the least
169
00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,880
that we can do um you know to learn from
170
00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:46,479
those past events is is take action to
171
00:06:46,479 --> 00:06:49,120
avoid repeating it you know and when it
172
00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,360
comes specifically to emergency
173
00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:52,800
management planning you know the
174
00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:54,240
question that we have to ask ourselves
175
00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,240
is you know what are we seeking to
176
00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:57,520
accomplish you know because there
177
00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,840
there's there's a dichotomy here you
178
00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:04,080
know one is coming at the extreme of uh
179
00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:06,000
oftentimes in many states and here in
180
00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,400
Texas um specifically ally we've got the
181
00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,840
education code 37 um you know that that
182
00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:13,680
instructs us that we've got to do this
183
00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,400
emergency management planning um but I
184
00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:17,919
think that it's also important that we
185
00:07:17,919 --> 00:07:20,960
understand are we trying to just reach
186
00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:25,360
compliance or are we truly trying to um
187
00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,560
put something into place that leverages
188
00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,400
some of the key insights from research
189
00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,400
and some of the best practices you know
190
00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,800
from the field or from the trenches and
191
00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,680
so you know those are two different
192
00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:39,440
approaches. And so that's the first
193
00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:40,720
thing that we have to ask ourselves. We
194
00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:42,080
have to kind of get real with ourselves
195
00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:43,919
and ask the question, you know, where
196
00:07:43,919 --> 00:07:46,960
where are we on this journey? Compliance
197
00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,240
or um you know, really putting something
198
00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:52,560
together that that's comprehensive. And
199
00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:54,639
so leaning in on some of the research
200
00:07:54,639 --> 00:07:56,639
and some of our findings, uh you know,
201
00:07:56,639 --> 00:07:58,479
just at a high level, some things that I
202
00:07:58,479 --> 00:08:00,720
would suggest is, you know, don't try to
203
00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,199
do this yourself. uh you know hire a
204
00:08:03,199 --> 00:08:06,800
professional uh security firm or or
205
00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,080
person or agency to facilitate, champion
206
00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:12,800
and lead you through this process. Uh
207
00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:14,879
know the difference between you know
208
00:08:14,879 --> 00:08:16,639
what a a district-wide or an
209
00:08:16,639 --> 00:08:18,160
organizationalwide
210
00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,400
emergency management plan is and how
211
00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,360
that differs from a campus or a facility
212
00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:25,840
level emergency response plan. They
213
00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,080
serve two different purposes. Um but
214
00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:30,319
both are critical. Um, you know, kind of
215
00:08:30,319 --> 00:08:32,959
a rule of thumb that that we tell folks,
216
00:08:32,959 --> 00:08:34,159
um, you know, when we talk to them,
217
00:08:34,159 --> 00:08:35,839
they're like, "Ah, we've got a plan."
218
00:08:35,839 --> 00:08:37,279
Um, you know, one of the things that
219
00:08:37,279 --> 00:08:39,839
that we throw out there is how long is
220
00:08:39,839 --> 00:08:41,760
your plan? Because that's really a good
221
00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,399
kind of indicator as to, you know, just
222
00:08:44,399 --> 00:08:47,839
how comprehensive what you have is. Um,
223
00:08:47,839 --> 00:08:49,600
you know, we we think that a strong
224
00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:51,360
emergency management plan, you know, is
225
00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:53,680
somewhere between 50 to 80 pages. And so
226
00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:56,640
if your plan is 12 pages or long um you
227
00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:00,560
know that might be um an indicator that
228
00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:02,320
well maybe we need to invest a little
229
00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:05,279
bit more time uh into this plan. Um and
230
00:09:05,279 --> 00:09:09,680
then lastly, um you know, the this isn't
231
00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:11,920
a destination. It's not a checkbox. When
232
00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:13,839
the plans are complete, you know, they
233
00:09:13,839 --> 00:09:16,080
already need updating. Uh you know, and
234
00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:17,680
and I say this, you know, kind of tongue
235
00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:20,320
and cheek just to drive home the point
236
00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:22,240
to articulate the fact these are living
237
00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,120
breathing documents. Um in other words,
238
00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:27,440
that you know, these things should never
239
00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:29,680
be collecting dust. Wow. And Russ,
240
00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:31,200
that's a really good point, especially
241
00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:33,920
on the the kind of the iteration of that
242
00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:35,920
emergency management planning. And I
243
00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:37,839
think you made a point earlier about it
244
00:09:37,839 --> 00:09:40,240
being not a checkbox process. And the
245
00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:41,680
concern you might have is if it's a
246
00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:43,519
checkbox, you don't iterate it,
247
00:09:43,519 --> 00:09:45,200
especially when you probably should be
248
00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:47,440
doing it on a regular basis. Now, in
249
00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:49,279
your experience, if a district wanted to
250
00:09:49,279 --> 00:09:51,360
engage in this work, what are some of
251
00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:52,959
what are some of those predictable
252
00:09:52,959 --> 00:09:54,560
positive outcomes that they want to make
253
00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:56,000
certain their internal and external
254
00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:57,519
communities were made aware of before
255
00:09:57,519 --> 00:09:59,120
they even got out of the gate, if you
256
00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:00,959
will?
257
00:10:00,959 --> 00:10:03,680
Yeah. So, and and again, I know that
258
00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:07,360
that you know, it varies state by state.
259
00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:10,160
Um and I'll and I'll call attention to
260
00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:13,360
um you know TEC 37109 which you know
261
00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,399
talks about creating this um the safety
262
00:10:16,399 --> 00:10:19,600
committee and it it specifies who should
263
00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:21,040
be a part of this committee and part of
264
00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:23,920
that is um you know both internal and
265
00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:25,680
external stakeholders that need to be
266
00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:28,160
involved um and and one of the things
267
00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,200
that I think is real important is you
268
00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,519
know when you're looking at it at a
269
00:10:33,519 --> 00:10:36,240
campus or facility level we can take
270
00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,079
that framework work that the state has
271
00:10:38,079 --> 00:10:40,720
put into place um uh from a
272
00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:42,800
district-wide approach and we can really
273
00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:46,640
push into uh uh push this into the
274
00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:49,200
campus level uh very similar to like a
275
00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:51,600
campus improvement plan where we involve
276
00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:53,760
internal and external stakeholders. We
277
00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:55,920
should be doing this at a campus or
278
00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,399
facility level um where we're bringing
279
00:10:58,399 --> 00:11:00,240
in both internal and external
280
00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:02,560
stakeholders to help us with that
281
00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:04,079
campusbased
282
00:11:04,079 --> 00:11:07,279
emergency response plan. um you know
283
00:11:07,279 --> 00:11:10,000
because it's also important that um at a
284
00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:11,519
campus level you know when emergency
285
00:11:11,519 --> 00:11:13,519
hits it's not going to always hit at a
286
00:11:13,519 --> 00:11:15,680
district level and it won't be just
287
00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:18,399
folks at U administration that will be
288
00:11:18,399 --> 00:11:21,200
responding and so you know one way that
289
00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:24,000
we can help reinforce
290
00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:28,240
um and you know keep a lot of the uh
291
00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:29,360
things that are in the emergency
292
00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:31,440
response plan top of mind is to make
293
00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:33,279
sure that we've got this group at a
294
00:11:33,279 --> 00:11:35,680
local level that's involved in the
295
00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:36,640
process
296
00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:39,120
But what one thing that we suggest is
297
00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:42,160
every time you pull this, you know, plan
298
00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:44,640
off the shelf for these committee
299
00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:47,120
meetings or or whatever this looks like,
300
00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:50,079
if we approach it through the lens of
301
00:11:50,079 --> 00:11:52,640
what will I change or improve during
302
00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:56,399
this review, this helps us set our
303
00:11:56,399 --> 00:11:58,079
mindset that we're not just going to
304
00:11:58,079 --> 00:12:00,720
talk about it, we're going to improve
305
00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:02,800
the document. We're going to improve the
306
00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,839
plan every time we touch it.
307
00:12:05,839 --> 00:12:08,240
um you know and that just helps ensure
308
00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:12,639
that um you know it does continue to be
309
00:12:12,639 --> 00:12:16,320
something that is is constantly improved
310
00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,800
upon if we approach it from that lens of
311
00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:20,480
what needs to be updated. Yeah. And I
312
00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:22,240
love the idea of building transparency
313
00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:23,920
through community engagement in those
314
00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:25,920
committees. That's really a smart thing
315
00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:27,839
for a school district to do. Now,
316
00:12:27,839 --> 00:12:29,519
relying upon your experience in this
317
00:12:29,519 --> 00:12:30,959
work, what are some of the potential
318
00:12:30,959 --> 00:12:33,200
implementation barriers that districts
319
00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:34,959
should be aware of before they ever go
320
00:12:34,959 --> 00:12:38,079
get going on the work itself?
321
00:12:38,079 --> 00:12:41,519
Yeah. So, so there there are some real
322
00:12:41,519 --> 00:12:45,440
barriers. Um, and and again, um, you
323
00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,079
know, this this is not easy work. This
324
00:12:48,079 --> 00:12:50,880
is not an easy task. Um, you know, and
325
00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:53,839
and we get this. Um, and this this is
326
00:12:53,839 --> 00:12:55,600
why, you know, kind of going back to
327
00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:58,800
where uh an earlier recommendation is
328
00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:01,600
have someone that's going to champion
329
00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:05,760
the process. Uh I've been a part of um
330
00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:07,760
you know several plans even even outside
331
00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:10,160
of emergency management planning where
332
00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:13,440
it starts strong and because of you know
333
00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,880
competing demands uh sometimes it gets
334
00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:18,639
pushed to the back burner because
335
00:13:18,639 --> 00:13:21,600
something else now is you know equally
336
00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:23,600
important or maybe more important or
337
00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,959
just requires our attention uh at that
338
00:13:26,959 --> 00:13:29,600
moment. Um and so by having someone
339
00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:32,480
that's championing the process, it it it
340
00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,279
helps ensure that you know uh you know
341
00:13:35,279 --> 00:13:37,680
there's healthy accountability but you
342
00:13:37,680 --> 00:13:39,600
know also this you know I call it stick
343
00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:41,839
to itness uh you know to get all the way
344
00:13:41,839 --> 00:13:44,720
through the the process. Um, you know,
345
00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:47,120
the other thing is educators are
346
00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:49,360
educators, you know, and so I think that
347
00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,480
we really need to kind of rethink, you
348
00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:54,240
know, who should be championing this
349
00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:57,279
process. Um, because educators are
350
00:13:57,279 --> 00:13:59,519
skilled professionals on the science and
351
00:13:59,519 --> 00:14:02,079
the the practice of pedigogy. We
352
00:14:02,079 --> 00:14:04,959
shouldn't be expecting them to be u
353
00:14:04,959 --> 00:14:08,240
emergency management planners. Um and so
354
00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:09,920
again
355
00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:12,399
getting help will help with the barrier
356
00:14:12,399 --> 00:14:15,760
of um our time and being pulled in so
357
00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:17,920
many different directions. Uh another
358
00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,000
barrier is that compliance model that I
359
00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,399
tal uh talked about. you know, if we're
360
00:14:22,399 --> 00:14:25,360
just copying and pasting um a sample or
361
00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:28,320
a template or um you know, something
362
00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,800
that we found from one of our peer
363
00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:32,240
districts or neighboring districts and
364
00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:34,240
we're just changing the the relevant
365
00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:35,680
information and saying, "All right,
366
00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,720
we're done putting it on the shelf." Um
367
00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:41,120
you know, how effective is that really?
368
00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:42,959
But we know that we have to get it done.
369
00:14:42,959 --> 00:14:44,880
And so sometimes that drives the
370
00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,760
behavior of I've got to just do whatever
371
00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:50,639
is necessary to actually get it done so
372
00:14:50,639 --> 00:14:52,800
I can comply with education code or
373
00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,199
whatever regulations are in place. And
374
00:14:55,199 --> 00:14:57,680
so we have to comply. We know this. Um
375
00:14:57,680 --> 00:14:59,600
but we also know that we need to have
376
00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,079
something that's you know truly
377
00:15:02,079 --> 00:15:05,600
practical um you know and realistic. And
378
00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:07,519
then and then the last, you know, the
379
00:15:07,519 --> 00:15:10,079
last recommendation that I would have um
380
00:15:10,079 --> 00:15:12,079
as it relates to overcoming some of
381
00:15:12,079 --> 00:15:15,360
these barriers is, you know, there's
382
00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:18,800
going to be resistance um you know,
383
00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,680
internally uh and and maybe externally
384
00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:23,680
to go through this authentic journey
385
00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,160
because it can be expensive. It can take
386
00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:29,279
a lot of time. And so just like anything
387
00:15:29,279 --> 00:15:31,199
else in in in the world of education,
388
00:15:31,199 --> 00:15:34,000
you know, we talk about um our norms.
389
00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:35,839
And so
390
00:15:35,839 --> 00:15:38,160
going through this journey of creating
391
00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:40,639
um thorough and comprehensive emergency
392
00:15:40,639 --> 00:15:43,519
management plans and response plans, um
393
00:15:43,519 --> 00:15:46,959
that's that may not be a norm for us.
394
00:15:46,959 --> 00:15:48,800
And so we're going to have resistance.
395
00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:50,959
We'll have people pushing back that, you
396
00:15:50,959 --> 00:15:52,480
know, all right, well, what what do I
397
00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:54,399
give up in order to be able to focus on
398
00:15:54,399 --> 00:15:56,560
this? And so what I would encourage
399
00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:58,240
campus leaders and district leaders to
400
00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:00,639
do uh and I know it sounds easy in light
401
00:16:00,639 --> 00:16:03,120
of everything that's going on um you
402
00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,040
know but it's that typical bell curve.
403
00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,680
So just lean into this uphill battle
404
00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:10,720
until it does become you know normalized
405
00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:13,360
in just the way that we conduct
406
00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:15,680
ourselves in the way that we do business
407
00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:17,759
um in the in the world of education. And
408
00:16:17,759 --> 00:16:20,399
so, um, you know, fighting fighting that
409
00:16:20,399 --> 00:16:23,360
resistance can be tough, but, um, you
410
00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:25,600
know, we we can get through it if if,
411
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:27,279
um, especially if you've got someone
412
00:16:27,279 --> 00:16:30,240
that helps guide that process. Now, is
413
00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,639
there a district or or a story you'd
414
00:16:32,639 --> 00:16:34,639
like to share where you've seen
415
00:16:34,639 --> 00:16:36,480
remarkable outcomes or positive impacts
416
00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:39,680
on school related to this work?
417
00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:43,440
Sure. So, you know, uh we we like to
418
00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,040
talk about, you know, facing our truths
419
00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,279
and and facing our realities and and we
420
00:16:47,279 --> 00:16:49,199
know that schools are facing, you know,
421
00:16:49,199 --> 00:16:51,279
new threats. Um you know, it's
422
00:16:51,279 --> 00:16:52,720
interesting when when I kind of go back
423
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,759
to my days in school. Um you know, it
424
00:16:55,759 --> 00:16:57,759
seemed like that fire and tornado drills
425
00:16:57,759 --> 00:16:59,279
were the most important thing to focus
426
00:16:59,279 --> 00:17:01,680
on. Um you know, and that's that's not
427
00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:03,519
the same world that that we live in
428
00:17:03,519 --> 00:17:06,240
today. Um and and it seems like that the
429
00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:11,760
list of um uh possible threats or um
430
00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:13,760
crises that that we have to make sure
431
00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:17,280
that we're um planning uh around or
432
00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:20,240
building plans around. Um you know there
433
00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,319
it's it's a much longer list than it was
434
00:17:22,319 --> 00:17:24,559
when you and I were in school. And so,
435
00:17:24,559 --> 00:17:26,160
you know, what our experience has shown
436
00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:28,480
us is that you if a when a district
437
00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:30,160
takes the time to go through the
438
00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:32,640
process, um, you know, that we've kind
439
00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:36,000
of uh described and and really bringing
440
00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,960
in stakeholders and and thinking through
441
00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:42,080
all of the various emergencies and and
442
00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:45,760
you know, getting really detailed from
443
00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,559
um, you know, including floor plans and
444
00:17:48,559 --> 00:17:51,120
all you know, your go kit and whatever
445
00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:52,960
everything that's in it and identifying
446
00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:55,679
the roles. and the responsibilities and
447
00:17:55,679 --> 00:17:58,559
even doing uh tabletop exercises and
448
00:17:58,559 --> 00:18:01,679
training and things like this. When when
449
00:18:01,679 --> 00:18:03,840
you go through that process and you have
450
00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:05,039
someone guiding you through that
451
00:18:05,039 --> 00:18:07,039
process, the feedback that we get from
452
00:18:07,039 --> 00:18:10,240
those districts is that you know they
453
00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:12,400
felt like that they were an active
454
00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:15,520
participant in creating this. Um, you
455
00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:17,600
know, and and it's not like we just, you
456
00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:19,760
know, they were uh, you know, given the
457
00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:21,919
keys and and told, you know, as a
458
00:18:21,919 --> 00:18:24,720
first-time driver, hey, go jump on I35
459
00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:28,000
and and be successful. Um, you know, we
460
00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,640
we spent that time to help them
461
00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:34,000
understand the theory and and all of the
462
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:35,840
variables because there's so stinking
463
00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:38,400
many of them. um and then training them
464
00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:41,600
along the way so that they can take this
465
00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:45,280
this final, you know, plan and now
466
00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:47,919
because they were a active participant
467
00:18:47,919 --> 00:18:50,480
and went through this process, now they
468
00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:54,880
know how to maintain this. And so again,
469
00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:58,480
it's it's a journey. Um, and you know,
470
00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,440
the more that are a part of this journey
471
00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:05,360
and process, the better able we are to
472
00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:07,039
create something that's that's
473
00:19:07,039 --> 00:19:08,400
authentic. Wonderful. Well, if a
474
00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:09,840
district or partner were interested in
475
00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:11,760
exploring this work, how would they go
476
00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:14,480
about contacting you?
477
00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:18,320
Yeah, so um uh you know, we we love
478
00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:20,160
talking to people about school safety.
479
00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:22,160
It's it's passionate to us on on many
480
00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,320
levels. Um, you know, you can people can
481
00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:27,520
find us online at uh tncg.com. So, True
482
00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:30,320
North Consulting Group, tncg.com. Uh,
483
00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:31,919
you can contact me directly at, you
484
00:19:31,919 --> 00:19:34,799
know, rust.json tncg.com.
485
00:19:34,799 --> 00:19:37,520
Um, you know, and one one of the things
486
00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:39,520
that, uh, as again as I was preparing
487
00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:42,240
for this conversation, uh, you know, Dr.
488
00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:43,760
And and we really think about some of
489
00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,559
the impact that that learn uh you know
490
00:19:46,559 --> 00:19:48,640
has the potential to bring to our
491
00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,760
industry is um you know keeping these
492
00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:54,320
conversations going, keeping them top of
493
00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:57,200
mind, helping point people in the right
494
00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:01,120
direction of resources and research uh
495
00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:02,960
so that districts don't feel like that
496
00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:05,440
they're you know in it by themselves and
497
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:07,840
or that they have to reinvent the wheel.
498
00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:10,160
Um, and so, you know, we're really
499
00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:12,320
excited to be a part of learn and and
500
00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:13,600
uh, you know, I want to thank you, Dr.
501
00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:17,039
V, for for advocating for uh, research
502
00:20:17,039 --> 00:20:19,120
and improved practices. Thank you for
503
00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:20,559
that. And thank you, Russ, for being a
504
00:20:20,559 --> 00:20:21,679
part of this important work of
505
00:20:21,679 --> 00:20:23,679
supporting our students and schools. And
506
00:20:23,679 --> 00:20:25,520
thank you for your participation in a
507
00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:28,000
learn podcast.
508
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,720
Absolutely. Thank you.
