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Schools In Focus: Active Shooter Response Planning

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 10/13/20

Schools In Focus is a podcast dedicated to the design, planning and management of educational facilities and campuses. Listen in as senior editor Yvonne Marquez chats with industry experts, facility managers, architects, security and safety professionals, and other thought leaders. Catch up on previous episodes here.

Today's episode is about active shooter response planning

Schools In Focus, Episode 7: Active Shooter Response Planning

Schools in Focus podcast logo and Tom Saccenti's headshot. 

If a shooting happened on your campus, do you know what to do? It’s a scary thought but one that takes some serious planning to make sure everyone on campus is safe. In this episode, we spoke to Tom Saccenti, a former campus police chief and security expert, about active shooter response planning in schools. His first piece of advice is to walk through an active shooter scenario with all teachers, janitors, staff members, etc. at the school.

“In our mind, we think we know what we need to do but in a tabletop scenario where we actually play it out, really shows our weaknesses and it also provides a good roadmap for where we need to go and achieve what we need to get done.”

We discuss the first steps in forming a response plan, the importance of knowing the school’s layout, how to lessen anxiety during drills, and ensuring there is a parent-student reunification plan. Listen to the rest of the episode below. 

Where to Listen

Schools In Focus is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. Subscribe today, or listen below!

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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