Carmel Becomes First High School in Nation to Attain Safety and Security Designation

The University of Southern Mississippi's National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴) is pleased to announce that Carmel High School in Indiana is the first high school in the nation to earn the prestigious Sport Event Security Aware (SESA) designation.

“The SESA process allowed us to streamline our protocols and practices,” said Amy Skeens-Benton, Assistant Principal at Carmel High School. “Going thru the process allowed us to have conversations about safety that we might not have had otherwise. No plan is perfect. Not only did the assessment find areas we could improve, it provided us with the information and tools to make corrections and improvements.”

NCS⁴'s comprehensive training and assessment process provides institutions with a set of scalable standards for assessing risks, identifying vulnerabilities, developing appropriate plans, policies and procedures, and providing training and exercise to facility staff.

“Carmel High School has reached the industry standard by achieving the Sports Event Security Aware designation," said Lou Marciani, director of the NCS⁴.  “I am excited to see Carmel take the initiative and be a leader in the country for high school safety and security.”

The Sport Event Security Aware (SESA) designation provides high schools with the opportunity to validate and/or improve after-school and interscholastic athletic safety and security practices. The process is designed to examine programs in detail with the help of a diverse corps of subject matter experts.

The goal is to assist schools in preparing for after-school emergencies and recognizing schools who have taken the necessary steps to protect the entire population on school grounds outside of the traditional school hours. The process is setup to allow any school, regardless of how prepared they currently are, to work with peers and experts to ascertain the SESA designation and improve the overall safety and security of after-school activities and interscholastic athletics.

For more information about SESA, visit https://www.ncs4.com/sesa/high-school/about or contact Elizabeth Voorhees at 601.266.6099 or e-mail Elizabeth.VoorheesFREEMississippi.