Positive relationships enhance school safety, climate
Approximately 29 percent of elementary schools, 63 percent of middle schools, and 64 percent of high school schools have some type of security personnel present at the school at least once a week, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. When it comes to hiring security, experts say that relationships with students are the highest priority. By ensuring school security personnel can build positive relationships with students and staff, you can improve school climate and safety. āYou should understand that everybody with experience in security or law enforcement isnāt always a good fit for your school,ā said Timothy Mallory, vice president of the National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officials. āYou just canāt hire somebody, throw them out there, and expect them to be successful. Relationship-building with students is most important to be successful in school safety and security.ā
Mallory provided the following tips when hiring school security personnel:
ā¢ Advertise openings. Districts will typically solicit new staff through newspaper advertisements, the districtās website, social media, print newsletters, and their HR department, Mallory said. āAlso, you can visit local career fairs to find new security staff.ā
ā¢ Ask questions. Be sure to ask questions to prospective hires to identify relevant skills and experience to ensure the person is suitable for the position. āExperience is always good, but whatās most important is that the person has the ability and experience in working with students,ā Mallory said. āPeople become police officers without having that experience, but they can learn on the job.ā There may be times when a school simply looks at the personās physical stature or their law enforcement experience before making a hiring decision, Mallory said. āThe most important thing is knowing the person can work with students,ā he said. āExperience is important in security, but first and foremost, working with students is the most important aspect.ā
ā¢ Diversify your team. āYou know how your security team interacts and its strengths and weaknesses,ā Mallory said. āDetermine the areas where you need different personalities to ensure balance.ā For instance, you may have some security personnel who are strong communicators, while others have stronger writing skills. āYou want people with a variety of skills to achieve that balance,ā Mallory said.
ā¢ Ensure training. Ask new hires to shadow a veteran at the beginning of their employment. āThey should shadow the veteran in different school buildings because every schoolās culture may be a little different,ā Mallory said. āFor example, we assign new hires with an experienced officer to work side-by-side and learn the job. We move them to a new location every few days to allow the person to experience a variety of settings.ā
ā¢ Build student-security relationships. Itās mission-critical for school security personnel to build positive relationships with students, which often hinges on understanding the school culture and the local community. āSchool security personnel can do simple things such as greeting students in the morning to build rapport,ā Mallory said. āUltimately, you have to love working with kids. You build the relationship by talking to students and asking them how theyāre doing.ā
ā¢ Introduce new hires. In an ideal situation, the new hire will go to different buildings before being assigned to a permanent location. That allows more people in the district to become familiar with the new hire. āIf a new school security officer is hired during the school year, make sure to introduce the individual to the entire security team,ā Mallory said. āIn general, new hires are tested by their environment. If you work with a veteran officer for a few days, the students will recognize the person as part of the security team.ā
ā¢ Get parents on board. Ensure that parents are familiar with the schoolās code of conduct and behavioral expectations. Parents should acknowledge and sign the school rules at the start of the year. āAny safety-related incident at school provides an opportunity to engage with parents,ā Mallory said. āTalk to them about what occurred and how they can offer support.ā Be sure to address parents in a professional manner to help students understand the difference between professional relationships and friendships. āUltimately, we want to build positive relationships with students, but not friendships,ā Mallory said.
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