Threats that can affect students while absent:
A school’s security detail shouldn’t stop when students are present on campus. Effective school security continues into every aspect of a student’s career, even when they are absent from school.
Security priorities change upon campus entry and exit. An assessment of threat priority degrees will create the right criteria for a response detail.
Information Theft
Whether you’re a student or adult, information theft is very common in this day and age. Proactive steps for device and data management of students is key while on campus, compared to at home. The effects of a student information breach while on campus, affects the schools reputation, but when a student is absent from school, they also run the risk of getting their information stolen through unsecure networks. Student information theft happens more than you think, even when you might not be aware that your information has been acquired. This can be through a student’s personal cell phone, laptop, iPad, or other IoT device.
Hackers that leech student information from devices pose a non-direct threat that can cause damage for years and can be very easily obtained. If students carry sensitive information on their phone, and it gets released throughout the campus, this is going to drastically affect the student and their whole life within the school campus. Social security records can be breached if HIPAA sensitive information is located through a student’s personal devices. Highly sensitive information needs to be secure, and while students are on campus, they have a higher chance of securing their data.
A secure way to gather attendance data from your school and making sure your students are on campus is by utilizing a modern approach to gathering attendance. This added data collection will provide security for students, staff and parents, allowing them to rest assured that their data is safe and secure.
ScholarChip provides students with a unique Smart ID Card with a dedicated chip to secure data regarding attendance. It’s hard to keep track of student information with traditional pen and paper, but when applying a Smart ID Card, administrators are able to flag missing students and contact the appropriate guardian.
Bullying and Theft
Bullying has always been a threat to students from the beginning, whether on campus or off. Students need to feel safe, whether cyberbullying, physically bullying in-person, outside or inside of the campus, students, staff and parents need to be aware of the effects it can have for the school. When the student is not under the protection of their school or parents, they are vulnerable to more physical and non-physical (digital) threats from bullying and/or property theft. And when a student is under the protection of the school and still receives digital or physical threats, then the school is not doing their job in creating a safe climate for everyone, creating the need for more proactive solutions.
A note on cyberbullying
Due to social media being present in the public eye 24/7, students, on or off campus can become affected by cyberbullying without even realizing it. Depending the circumstance, sensitive information can spread like wildfire and a students life, including the school’s can be turned upside down.
Once a student is affected by bullying digitally, or even physically, they can go under serious depression or mental illness. In either situation, a student that feels unsafe because of interpersonal threats from peers will avoid the school. This creates absenteeism spikes as well. It becomes a domino effect. For more information regarding student crime studies please refer to the Student Victimization report for 2018. This research has compared live data spanning 2015-2018 crime watch years. It provides a case-by-case look at the unique differences between stereotypes and actual reported crimes.
Alternative Behavior Educator
If a student is under depression, or other illnesses due to bullying in any way, a proactive solution to help control the student’s school career path could be applying an Alternative Behavior Educator (ABE). An ABE system can help in aiding automatic referrals for students who are exhibiting bad behavior. You’re ABE to monitor progress and apply data-driven reports to stay on top of students that might exhibit “bad” qualities.
Predatory Threats/Abductions
A student’s safety is one of the most important concerns as a Principal. Predatory threats and abductions is a very important threat to students on and off school campus.When a student walks to school or home alone, no matter the environment, they are at risk. You cannot rely on a student defending himself against a greater threat, for many reasons. Predators are always in the shadows, watching, while everyone’s heads are turned. This is why when a student is on campus, they have a higher risk of being safe, thus leading to a safe climate for students and staff alike.
Potential outside threats will always be out there, so how can campuses make sure they ward away outside threats such as predators? One proactiv solution to securing your campus is by implementing ScholarChip’s Visitor Management System. Campuses are able to screen new visitors by scanning their state ID card or driver’s license, auto filling the form with important information regarding the new visitor and connect to a registered sex offender database. This will prevent any threats from walking on campus, creating the safe environment you want.
Responding to Law Enforcement
Let’s say a new visitor approaches your school and matches with a registered sex offender database. School officials are then able to contact law enforcement in order to remove the threat. The parents of your students will appreciate it and so will everyone else. For more information on responding protocols, please consult the Bureau of Justice report on School Violence procedures.
Grades
When a student is absent from school, there is a direct correlation to their grades dropping. When a campus has a large amount of students that are failing, their absenteeism rates tend to rise. By implementing a customized curriculum and creating that positive school climate for learning, you just solved the first part. The second part is applying ScholarChip’s ABE program so that students that have repeated truancy/absences can be given intervention.
All-in-one Solution
ScholarChip is an all-in-one, platform solution to help reduce school threats and address the important issues surrounding school safety. Data from students, faculty, and stakeholder are leveraged to manage school access, attendance, and behavior management through the platform tools to increase safety and promote the campus climate schools are looking for.
If you would like to learn more about the possible threats students and schools face when a student is absent from school, feel free to reach out today for a 1-on-1 walkthrough on how ScholarChip can help!
