Custodians of Saftey

School custodian James Adams keeps busy taking out the trash, managing the cleaning supplies and supervising the school’s electrical system. He sees many kids along the way. They see him too.

“They constantly see me. I’m there,” said Adams.

“He’s nice and he’s friendly…[students] feel like they can tell him something,” said Anthony, a 10 year-old student.

He is a valuable set of eyes and ears in the hallway. He is a custodian of safety.

“Something that the teacher might miss by being in the classroom, or something the principal might miss by being in the classroom, we’re out there on the rounds,” said Adams.

The National School Safety Coalition is on the same page as Adams. They promote the incorporation of custodians in crisis response training.

Kay Sledge, a school principal, keeps her custodial staff on patrol. “We train them on such things as being aware of intruders...If they recognize there’s someone that doesn’t belong in the building, what they’re to do, how they’re to call, who they’re to notify.

The more eyes and ears schools have, the safer children will be in school.

 What Parents Should Know

Keeping kids safe in school hallways is becoming a greater and greater challenge, therefore crises response teams are getting more attention. Crisis response training every set of available eyes and ears is gaining popularity in schools, but many schools haven’t taken advantage of all of their resources.

Experts suggested that parents talk to their school and better understand the school’s safety response program. They should also find out who is trained in handling certain situations. If there are measures that can be taken to better ensure student safety, the parents should address them immediately.

Safety training is often done through an outside contracted organization, therefore many schools’ budgets don’t have the means to train more than a few teachers and administrators. If this is the case, it may be time for parents need to get involved, and, if need be even raise money.

With capable security in schools becoming a greater and greater concern, it may be worth pressuring the administration to raise additional funds for your child’s safety.