The day after 26 people were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut Frank Storch, an expert in security, decided he had to take action.
Storch began drafting a booklet aimed at keeping schools safe. He estimates that it took hundreds of hours to write the 44 page “Keep Your School Safe,” which includes checklists and security protocols that ask school officials to score their facilities on a wide variety of security concerns. For example, the guide asks if lockdown procedures are in place in every classroom, whether all interior and exterior doors are designed to close automatically and securely and if teachers are required to carry two-way radios when they’ve taken children outdoors.
The book also includes a Bomb Threat Response Checklist with suggested questions to ask the caller, such as “Where is the bomb?” and “What does it look like?” In addition, it provides a list of websites for resources such as the Department of Homeland Security and Community Security Service.
Earlier this year, Storch—through the Baltimore-based nonprofits Project Ezra, which he founded, and the Chesed Fund, which he created with his wife, Danielle Sarah—distributed 9,000 booklets to Jewish day schools, synagogue schools and community centers, nationally. An additional 1,000 booklets were mailed to Jewish camps. The booklet is also available online at www.staimanmedia.com/keepyourschoolsafe/images/ReportFINAL_4.25sm.pdf
Storch says he made the booklet purely for the love of the Jewish people, adding, “we have to protect the community.”
Storch also undertook the project so that school officials could have something simple to follow with numerous measures that are not costly. For example, it provides a sheet to be completed with emergency contact information ranging from the local police department to the alarm and security company. “The goal is to make people aware of areas they can work on and improve on them.”
The Anti-Defamation League, which distributes its own safety guidelines, praised the booklet. “We think it’s a useful resource and a welcome complement to our materials,” said Elise Jarvis.
Storch sought guidance from members of law enforcement agencies and SWAT teams, as well as US and Israeli security and school professionals.
In a statement, the Jewish Federations of North America’s Secure Community Network, which consults with the Department of Homeland Security, called the booklet “yet another excellent tool to equip our community leaders and those of you whom are responsible for securing our children, with the knowledge to better understand the risks, threats and vulnerabilities we all face and be empowered, to effect change, and to implement a true culture of security within our schools and institutions.”
The book is user friendly and a great reference tool for teachers. “We want to make everyone aware there are things you can do and improve on without having to hire a company and spend a lot of money they don’t have,” concluded Storch.
Debra Rubin wrote this article for JNS.
