K-12
The K12 safety and security landscape is rapidly evolving. With decades of experience, our team has supported hundreds of public, private, and independent schools, positioning us to assist with future safety planning, training, and exercises. We understand that every school is unique and requires tailored safety solutions. We understand each school’s unique needs and assist leadership in tackling critical challenges such as cyber threats, Emergency Operations Plans, and incident response.
Safety and Security Program Assessment
We recognize that schools have limited resources to develop strategies to enhance their security planning and preparedness. Our Safety and Security Program Assessment allows our team to evaluate where your school/school district meets contemporary standards or where there may be opportunities to enhance existing programs. We conduct our assessments through extensive document review, school leadership and faculty interviews, and a site evaluation that will include an assessment of the school/school district using proprietary checklists and survey tools. We will evaluate the school’s practices in areas such as:
- Access control
- Visitor management
- Security cameras
- Emergency notification
- Student drop off/pick up
- After-school activities
- Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
- Lighting
- Pedestrian pathways
- Transportation
Emergency Operations Plan Review/Development
Comprehensive planning enables schools to respond effectively to critical incidents. This planning should involve collaboration with local first responders, safety stakeholders, and emergency management professionals. Our experts can review your emergency preparedness plans, policies, and procedures to ensure they meet current crisis response standards. If gaps are identified, our team will work with your internal and external partners to enhance your emergency preparedness strategies.
Immediate Action Response Training (Active Threat)
Many schools have been engaged in what is commonly known as “lockdown” training since high profile incidents of violence, such as the tragic mass shootings beginning with Columbine High School and, most recently, The Covenant School in Nashville, TN. While the development of crisis response plans and the practice of conducting drills have helped schools increase preparedness, the principles and elements of training continue to evolve rapidly.
Based on a number of nationally recognized programs, we developed a lecture-based, interactive program specifically designed for school faculty and staff members to develop critical thinking skills surrounding “what to do” during a number of potentially hazardous events. Our team takes a trauma informed approach to all training deliveries to ensure school staff is educated and informed on how to appropriately respond to a variety of emergencies and critical incidents
Table Top Exercises
In support of our continuing school safety work, we develop and facilitate the delivery of Table Top Exercises (TTX’s) and after action briefings for your school’s leadership team to identify planning strengths and opportunities to enhance existing plans, policies, and procedures. We will develop these scenarios in collaboration with your school/school districts and design them to test and evaluate the school’s ability to respond to a critical incident. Immediately following the TTX, our team will facilitate a “Hot Wash” or after action briefing for all participants involved in the TTX. This part of the exercise is designed to identify decision-making strengths, challenges, and opportunities for improvement based on the exercise objectives.
Annual Emergency Management Retainer Services
Through our work, we often hear from schools/school districts that they lack the internal capacity and subject matter expertise to lead future school safety initiatives. In an effort to support our clients, our team has developed a unique “annual retainer” service that can assist school leadership teams with their emergency planning, training, and exercise needs with minimal time commitment. Through this collaboration, our team will identify planning priorities and develop actionable steps to achieve the objectives. While engaged in this retainer service, our subject matter experts will be available to assist our clients with managing critical incidents, will provide relevant data associated with new and emerging trends in school safety, and will conduct a TTX for the school’s leadership team.
Cybersecurity Services
How to effectively plan for and respond to the evolving cyber threat continues to challenge schools across the country. Through our cybersecurity partners, we now offer a suite of cybersecurity services to meet the growing needs of our clients. These services include:
- Penetration testing
- Cybersecurity training
- Assessment services
- Critical incident response
- Table-top exercise delivery
Need immediate assistance?
Connect directly with an industry specialist today. Our team is available to meet with you over the phone, through a video conference, or in person.
Email Joe Hendry, our K-12 specialist, at jhendry@cosecure.com
