School Safety and Security with Jason Stoddard

You cannot separate community and school safety from each other. They simply go hand in hand. We've seen adults displaying lack of impulse control on airplanes and as kids go back to school, we cannot underestimate the challenges that may arise. It's important to be prepared to know how to respond.

Today's guest is Jason Stoddard. Jason is the Director of School Safety and Security for the Charles County Public Schools. He is responsible for sustaining a safe learning and work environment for over 27,000 students and nearly 4,000 staff members. He is a retired police commander with over 24 years in law enforcement.

Show Notes:

• [0:51] - Jason describes his job and what he is responsible for.
• [1:40] - Because of everyone's experience in school, everyone has their own opinion of what things should be like even though things have changed.
• [3:00] - In recent years, ransomware and hacking has been a threat to schools.
• [4:41] - School issues have not been seen as what they really are: community issues.
• [5:50] - Jason shares ways he builds relationships within the community for school safety.
• [7:10] - Handle With Care is a program that is implemented in Jason's county.
• [8:52] - Instead of asking what's wrong, ask the kid what has happened.
• [11:14] - We can never over communicate what is going on. Honest conversations are necessary.
• [12:53] - What could be the ramifications of early experiences with the criminal justice system?
• [14:40] - When the police arrest a child that could affect their safety, Jason shares that in his county, they are required to report it to him and his team.
• [16:01] - Jason's county is also committed to working with law enforcement regarding gangs.
• [18:24] - There are some services that provide social media monitoring but there are some problems with using this.
• [20:48] - Kids need to feel comfortable bringing information forward.
• [21:17] - Jason believes that this school year is set up for tragedy.
• [23:22] - Any school system is built on layers. It can never be just one plan.
• [24:58] - How do we get kids to the services they need to help them with impulse control?
• [26:08] - School safety programs cannot force kids into mediation programs.
• [28:10] - When students are suspended, they are missing out on their education and sometimes can't get caught up. This creates a cycle for more misbehavior.
• [31:15] - School systems see all the same problems everyone else sees but with the added kid component.
• [33:19] - Malware and ransomware are huge problems right now with the increase in virtual learning.
• [35:54] - Valuable information can be sold on the dark web.
• [37:27] - Swatting is where someone will call into 911 to get law enforcement to respond.
• [40:11] - Sometimes kids also hack to change their grades but are usually easily fixed.
• [41:00] - Teachers will also sometimes write their passwords on a post-it for students to see.
• [42:01] - Covid-19 continues to be incredibly challenging.
• [44:57] - Stay connected with what is going on locally, nationally, and from the CDC.
• [45:56] - The fact that this situation has been so polarizing has made policy very difficult to enforce.
• [49:53] - Jason explains some of the issues that arose through virtual learning last year.
• [50:55] - There are so many layers to security and a positive school climate is the key.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.

Links and Resources:

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• Jason Stoddard on LinkedIn
• Charles County Public Schools Safety and Security Web Page