National Interscholastic Summit Addresses School Safety and Security Issues
Wed, 03/29/2017 - 09:06am | By: Alison Crumpton, NCS4
More than 70 safety and security officials from high schools across the country are in attendance for the third annual National Interscholastic Athletics and After-School Activities Safety and Security Summit. The event is being held March 28-30 and is hosted by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
Event attendees include superintendents, principals, athletic administrators, local law enforcement agents, and school resource officers.
Ian Moffett, chief of police and district security for the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department and president of the National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officials (NASLEO), served as a keynote speaker at the Summit and discussed how to best prepare for safety and security incidents that occur after the school day ends. His school district is the fourth largest in the country and comes with many safety and security challenges.
Moffett discussed several examples of school safety strategies including photo identification, video surveillance systems, safety drills, crisis management plans, and social media monitoring.
“One of the best safety measures we did recently was the implementation of metal detectors at our sporting events,” said Moffett.
Other topics being discussed at the summit include bomb threat procedures, open and concealed carry on school campuses, and building district/school-level incident response teams.
The summit provides a mechanism for safety and security professionals at the high school level to share ideas and explore solutions to implement best practices. The unveiling of the next edition of the Interscholastic Athletics Best Practices Guide will be released at NCS4's eighth annual National Sports Safety and Security Conference and Exhibition, which will be held July 11-13 in Orlando, Fla.
For more information about the Interscholastic Summit, visit www.ncs4.com/interscholastic.