Essay Sample on School Principal's Responsibility for Student Safety in Learning Institution

The responsibility of a leader or a school principal to make sure that the pupil or students are safe in a learning institution. The safety of a learning center must begin with good management. Conferring to ISLLC standard 3, the institute administration is responsible for promoting the success of all pupils by ensuring safety, efficiency as well as an effective learning institution ("Case 24 from Rookie to Reality - Research Paper - Mjdiva35", 2019). A school principal must take all the necessary measures to avert any crisis in his or her building, create a safety plan in case of any crisis and act according to instances of disaster.

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One of the challenging responsibilities that the headmaster or the principal has is making sure that his students are safe, in particular within the school premises. According to the ISLLC standard, strong school management goes hand in hand with safety in a learning environment. The success of the student is strongly linked to them having a feeling that they are safe. Any situation or threat, whether physical, verbal or written, becomes the automate goal and responsibility of the school principal (Ylimaki, 2013). The principals in a learning environment, need to put measures in place to make sure that the students, as well as staff in the institution, are safe. A thoroughly thought out strategy and a potential plan for a crisis such as a bomb threat, and in addition step by step procedure needs to be established in case the threat is credible.

The shoreline elementary school has a population of approximately seven hundred and twenty students, and it runs from kindergarten to 5th grade. Although this school is small as compare to all other schools in the district, the school is well respected in the area. The former principal recently fell ill, and as the assistant principal, I am the acting interim principal. I am very certain that the mentorship that I have received from Rick king who is the former principal that I can handle any problem that might arise ("Case 24 from Rookie to Reality - Research Paper - Mjdiva35", 2019). In the past, King Rick evacuated his students due to a similar threat, and this is the same situation that I find myself faced with.

When the leader of the school finds him or herself self-faced with a life-threatening event. The safety of his or her students and the rest of the employees is of paramount importance, and in light, with this, they must make a decisive and very difficult decision to ensure that everyone is safe. In any situation, it is to be safe than sorry, and, in this case, the most probable decision is to take any threat as seriously as possible and evacuate the students and the rest of the employees from the premises ("Bomb Threat Guidance | OSPI", 2019). It is very important to have a response team and strategy in place that, in case of a disastrous event, must be followed to the letter.

The proper channel of communication and coordination, in my opinion, is very important in case of emergencies. A plan that is evaluated monthly is very crucial. And in case of a credible threat, it is important to call the law enforcement department together with the local fire department through the emergency line 911 to offer their assistance (Kerr & King, 2018). It is also very essential that the safety and security protocol be evaluated on an annual basis to incorporate effective and safer procedures to make sure that in case of anything, the school management can keep the students safe. In my opinion, any threat should be taken seriously.

As administrators of the school, it is important to align the school mission and vision to the threat management strategy. Every employee, teacher as well as a student as a responsibility of reporting any suspicious objects within the school environment, and it is the responsibility of the principal and the central management to ensure that the school is a safe learning environment for the students. A bomb peril should not ignore or take as a job, and also the school headmaster or any other member of staff should not attempt to handle bombs by themselves. The established emergency protocol should be followed as drafted as many local districts or locations have an already existing threat plan. The most important thing to note as the head of school in such a situation is that you have to make a decision, and the key is to make sure that you trust the training you have earned.

References

Bomb Threat Guidance | OSPI. (2019). Retrieved 29 November 2019, from https://www.k12.wa.us/student-success/health-safety/school-safety-center/z-index/bomb-threat-guidanceCase 24 from Rookie to Reality - Research Paper - Mjdiva35. (2019). Retrieved 29 November 2019, from https://www.papercamp.com/essay/147853/Case-24-From-Rookie-To-Reality

Kerr, M. M., & King, G. (2018). School crisis prevention and intervention. Waveland Press. DOI: 10.1002/pits.20017

Ylimaki, R. M. (Ed.). (2013). The new instructional leadership: ISLLC standard two. Routledge. https://arizona.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/the-new-instructional-leadership-isllc-standard-two