Virtual Safety Presentation Creates Connection with Parents
NHA Communications TeamNHA Communications Team
Articles by NHA Communications Team
Among the many benefits of enrolling students in National Heritage Academies (NHA) schools, safety stands out as one of the many high points.
NHA Director of Safety and Health Brian Gard recently teamed with NHA’s Parent Relations group to hold a virtual safety meeting with parents. Questions were submitted beforehand, and the presentation was formatted to address some of those points while others were answered directly.
“We did this as a way to introduce our new safety framework and make sure our parents are informed,” Gard said. “They’re a critical part of our safety program and we want to be as transparent as possible.”
Gard detailed NHA’s Safety Promise: We are safety smart, promising a safe and secure environment. We do this by being informed by leading standards, supported by data, and practical in application with the things that we do.
“There are at least five people at every school that are safety trained. Each school has a safety specialist. This is someone who has taken on the extra responsibility to lead the safety initiatives at their school. We have regional trainings with them, and I interact with them weekly.”
In addition to locked exterior and classroom doors, and video entry systems, Gard detailed many safety elements each NHA school has in place.
“I encourage you, when visiting our schools, to look for the ways we use safety tools and techniques in our schools. Much like you will find evidence of our academic program and Moral Focus virtues, you’ll certainly see evidence of our safety program once you have more details about it.”
Gard also noted that NHA schools participate in 15 drills throughout the year to help students and staff prepare for different things that could occur during the school day.
“We actually do two additional drills that aren’t required by any state. In fact, we’ve had influence in a few states to have them create standards around these particular drills. One of them is called a reunification drill, so if the school building becomes unsafe for some reason, like a gas leak, we must make sure the students go from point A to point B offsite and then get reunited safely with (parents). That’s something we practice with our schools to make sure there’s as much consistency and safety around that as possible.”
Specific questions from parents offered more insight to the safety process:
What safety guidelines are in place for volunteers at school?
“We use the Raptor visitor management system,” Gard said. “Also, all volunteers go through a national database check, but there are three different levels of checks for volunteers: school visit, field trip, and overnight chaperones. Each has an increased depth of check.”
What happens in the event of an emergency at school? How are parents notified?
“Here at the Service Center, we have a Crisis Response team. We work hard to provide parents with as much information, as quickly as we can. We work to make sure our parents are kept up to date of that information, so they know what to do during those situations or emergencies. We have a lot of robust things in place and we’re doing everything we can to keep your student as safe as we can.”
Safety is an ever-evolving process, how does NHA respond proactively?
“We partner with many national organizations, such as Safe Havens International, Safe and Sound Schools, Raptor Technologies, Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS), Vector Solutions, and Campus Safety. We want to be very intentional in what we’re doing. We’re proud to show the evidence of what we’re doing day-in and day-out.”
About National Heritage Academies
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is a network of more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
NHA Director of Safety and Health Brian Gard recently teamed with NHA’s Parent Relations group to hold a virtual safety meeting with parents. Questions were submitted beforehand, and the presentation was formatted to address some of those points while others were answered directly.
NHA Director of Safety and Health Brian Gard speaks during the virtual presentation.
“We did this as a way to introduce our new safety framework and make sure our parents are informed,” Gard said. “They’re a critical part of our safety program and we want to be as transparent as possible.”
Gard detailed NHA’s Safety Promise: We are safety smart, promising a safe and secure environment. We do this by being informed by leading standards, supported by data, and practical in application with the things that we do.
“There are at least five people at every school that are safety trained. Each school has a safety specialist. This is someone who has taken on the extra responsibility to lead the safety initiatives at their school. We have regional trainings with them, and I interact with them weekly.”
In addition to locked exterior and classroom doors, and video entry systems, Gard detailed many safety elements each NHA school has in place.
“I encourage you, when visiting our schools, to look for the ways we use safety tools and techniques in our schools. Much like you will find evidence of our academic program and Moral Focus virtues, you’ll certainly see evidence of our safety program once you have more details about it.”
Gard also noted that NHA schools participate in 15 drills throughout the year to help students and staff prepare for different things that could occur during the school day.
“We actually do two additional drills that aren’t required by any state. In fact, we’ve had influence in a few states to have them create standards around these particular drills. One of them is called a reunification drill, so if the school building becomes unsafe for some reason, like a gas leak, we must make sure the students go from point A to point B offsite and then get reunited safely with (parents). That’s something we practice with our schools to make sure there’s as much consistency and safety around that as possible.”
Specific questions from parents offered more insight to the safety process:
What safety guidelines are in place for volunteers at school?
“We use the Raptor visitor management system,” Gard said. “Also, all volunteers go through a national database check, but there are three different levels of checks for volunteers: school visit, field trip, and overnight chaperones. Each has an increased depth of check.”
What happens in the event of an emergency at school? How are parents notified?
“Here at the Service Center, we have a Crisis Response team. We work hard to provide parents with as much information, as quickly as we can. We work to make sure our parents are kept up to date of that information, so they know what to do during those situations or emergencies. We have a lot of robust things in place and we’re doing everything we can to keep your student as safe as we can.”
Safety is an ever-evolving process, how does NHA respond proactively?
“We partner with many national organizations, such as Safe Havens International, Safe and Sound Schools, Raptor Technologies, Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS), Vector Solutions, and Campus Safety. We want to be very intentional in what we’re doing. We’re proud to show the evidence of what we’re doing day-in and day-out.”
About National Heritage Academies
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is a network of more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.