Crisis Response in Schools: What Administrators Must Get Right Before the Moment Arrives
Crisis response in schools starts before the moment arrives. Learn how administrators can prepare, lead, communicate, and support staff and students through crisis and recovery.
The School Year Has Started: Are We Watching for Warning Signs—or Waiting for a Crisis?
All InsightsSchool SafetySep 1, 20269 min read The School Year Has Started: Are We Watching for Warning Signs – or Waiting for a Crisis? School safety doesn’t begin with emergency response. It begins with recognizing what we see before a crisis develops – recognize, connect, assess, decide, act. JM Joseph Paul Manley Founder, Risk Mitigation […]
Why School Safety Fails Before Crisis — And What Leaders Can Do About It
After more than 35 years in law enforcement, I learned that the most serious workplace crises rarely begin with violence. They begin with behavioral warning signs, missed opportunities, and difficult leadership decisions. People sometimes ask why I left a successful career in law enforcement to advise executives on behavioral risk, leadership decision-making, and workplace violence […]
Parent Guidelines for Crisis Response in Our Schools: A Critical, Overlooked Component of School Safety
While school districts invest heavily in emergency operations plans, threat assessment teams, and staff training, one essential stakeholder group remains underdeveloped in crisis readiness: parents. Their behavior during a crisis can either reinforce safety or unintentionally undermine it. This article argues that parent‑side crisis literacy is not a courtesy—it is a core component of school […]
School Safety Starts Upstream: What Boards and Community Leaders Need to Know
When a school tragedy occurs, the public conversation often jumps straight to the last moments before the event. But real prevention starts much earlier—long before a student reaches a breaking point. Here’s the truth: We can’t predict who will commit a violent act. But we can reduce the risk by recognizing early signals and responding […]
The Hidden Barriers to School Violence Prevention
Why Administrators Can’t Act — and How Defensible Systems Change Everything School violence prevention is often framed as a matter of willpower: “If administrators cared enough, they’d fix it.” “If they were tougher, this wouldn’t happen.” But after years in threat, risk, and crisis environments, I’ve seen a deeper truth: Most administrators aren’t unwilling. They’re […]