SAN ANTONIO—August 30, 2007 - A comprehensive security plan addressing emergency response processes, intervention when significant behavioral indicators are present and the deployment of the right security technology are all aspects that educators should deploy when reviewing ways to safeguard their students and campuses.

Jack Walser, executive director of the LearnSafe™ Initiative said educators, parents and first responders can all learn from the issues and "lessons learned" cited in today's report released by the Virginia Tech Review Panel.

"When we saw the report of the eight-member panel that investigated the April 16 Virginia Tech tragedy, we naturally felt that educators everywhere should take another audit of their processes that range from staff training to their emergency response plans," said Walser.

LearnSafe™ works with school districts to proactively evaluate their security processes including staff training for behavioral intervention. "While security technology is important, it is a school’s staff, and not necessarily its technology, that fosters and maintains a safe school climate,” said Walser. “We believe that a well-trained faculty and support staff can prevent a significant amount of problems," he said.

"One of the major points the report makes is that the system failed to give Cho the support he needed despite several warnings,” he said. “In fact, the shooter was referred to the university’s counseling center in 2005 because of bizarre behavior and concerns he was suicidal. At LearnSafe™, we aim to empower school personnel to identify threats well in advance of a situation, intervene based on proven research and create an environment where students do not have to resort to violence to express their emotions.”

However, the LearnSafe™ executive said training is just one aspect of a comprehensive school security plan. "School administrators and principals need to conduct a comprehensive exercise that has them evaluating the processes for their worst case scenario," said Walser.

"They should aim to integrate their school communities so that their staff, students, parents, and local first responders are all working from the same plan. Any lapse in coordination can cost lives.”

Walser said LearnSafe™ is currently working with public school districts through the United States to help them improve their processes for educational security.

Background
The LearnSafe™ program is the only national initiative targeting every layer of security and safety for school campuses. As a diagnostic tool, the program addresses the processes to proactively address an alarming increasing in campus violence. LearnSafe™ provides a complete turn-key program that allows administrators to customize the unique requirements needed to address the safety and security issues for each district. Unlike other programs that emphasize the addition of new security equipment, LearnSafe™ places a major emphasis on staff training and behavioral intervention. Leveraging the strength of its strategic partnerships with Nortel, Assay Abloy and SBS, LearnSafe™ provides public and private schools with a comprehensive school security program using advanced behavioral intervention training, MDI’s proven unified video surveillance, access control, automated lockdown and alarm management solutions, emergency notification technology, and best of breed systems integration and access control solutions.