The S2 School Security Officer training course is designed to prepare security officers/guards for the specialized assignment of working in schools. This course was developed to assist school districts and independent schools in establishing a standardized level of knowledge and skill among their security officers, maximizing performance, and ensuring effective integration within school communities.
The information presented in this course reflects best practices in school security in alignment with the standards of the Guardian SafeSchool Program®. The strategies and methods presented in this course are based on the instructors’ extensive experience working as school security consultants and assisting organizations around the world in managing risks of targeted violence.
Summary of topics include:
Role and Responsibilities of School Security Officers • Dynamics of Crime and Violence in Schools • Risk Management and School Security • School Climate and Culture • School Security Related Laws & Liabilities • Adolescent Psychology and Youth Social Dynamics • Communications and Network Building • Contemporary Youth Substance Abuse • Physical Security and Access Control in Schools • Emergency Response Procedures
NOTE: This course was developed to specifically address many officer training problems observed in the instructors’ consulting activities and weaknesses in current School Resource Officer (SRO) courses. See the program history and peer review report below for more details.
The S2 Institute School Security Officer course was originally created in 2013 to fulfill the officer training needs of the Guardian SafeSchool Program®, a holistic school risk management program developed by our sister company, Critical Intervention Services. Since then, over 500 school security officers and school resource officers have graduated the S2 Institute course.
As part of the program’s history, S2’s School Security Officer course was adopted in 2014 as the training model for Newtown Public Schools‘ new armed security force in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Our School Security Officer program was also peer reviewed in 2015 by John Jay College of Criminal Justice (under the label, School Protection Officer program) and hailed as a ‘model for national best practices’ in school security.
In addition to our school security officer training programs, S2 conducts leadership-level security and emergency planning workshops for school administrators and private training sessions for faculty and school threat assessment teams.
In addition to our services as instructors, S2 Institute subject experts provide consulting assistance to schools and colleges throughout the United States for improving school security and emergency readiness. Some examples of our consulting clients include the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Calvary Christian High School, Kingswood Oxford School, North Cobb Christian School, Sayre School, Shorecrest Preparatory School, National Aviation Academy, The College of New Rochelle, and more.
The lead instructor for the School Security Officer course, Craig Gundry, is also frequent speaker on topics related to active shooter violence for organizations such as ASIS International, Southern Association of Independent Schools, AAGO, FFCMA, and more. As a consultant in managing risks of mass homicide, his clients also include a diverse range of corporations and government organizations such as the U.S. Capital Police, U.S. Department of Justice, European Central Bank, European Commission, European External Action Service, and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Â
In 2015, Professor Charles Nemeth, Chairman of the Center for Private Security and Safety at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, conducted a peer review of the Guardian SafeSchool School Protection Officer program developed by our sister company, Critical Intervention Services (CIS).
The peer review encompassed a comparative assessment of the CIS School Protection Officer program against School Resource Officer programs implemented around the nation. The peer review report provides an excellent description of differences in operational methods and doctrine, officer training, and assessment of program effectiveness.
The S2 Institute School Security Officer course is the training program described on page 20 of the John Jay report. Click here to download the full document.
During the basic School Security Officer course, three hours is dedicated to reviewing Federal and State statutes with specific bearing on school security and unique district policies. In preparation for the program, S2 will request assistance from the host school district in collecting copies of any relevant state laws and regulations.
Additionally, to ensure the content of the course best reflects the expected duties of officers, a questionnaire will be submitted to the school district to help clarify the role of school security officers and their function during different types of situations.
The S2 basic School Security Officer course is presented in classroom and includes discussion about school response during active shooter events. However, the procedures described for officer response are directly influenced by the officers’ armed/unarmed status. If the security officer trainees are armed, we strongly recommend adding an additional day of training in one-officer rapid deployment tactics for active shooter events. This additional tactical training day is a standard component of most courses we conduct for armed school security departments.
Our school security officer tactical training typically encompasses a classroom training session focusing on rapid deployment tactical concepts followed by live skill demonstrations and practice drills in hallway clearing tactics, room clearance, and crowds.
All drills conducted as part of the tactical training day are conducted using Airsoft weapons on a school campus provided by the school district. Due to the nature of tactical training, we recommend scheduling this training on a day when school is closed or out-of-session.
Schools by nature, are highly social environments and it is critical that officers working in schools possess superior communications and interpersonal relations skills. Although the S2 School Security Officer course provides instruction on a number of matters related to social interaction and community networking, not all security officers possess personalities optimal for working in school environments. At the request of the client school district, S2 instructors can assist in evaluating officer candidates to identify individuals with less-optimal personalities or who may require additional coaching in developing social skills.
Course Details
Instructor
Craig Gundry
Jay Pace
Shannon Bryson
Restriction Level
Level 1 – No restrictions
Presentation Time
Basic Program: 24-Hrs/3 Days (8:30am to 4:30pm)
Audience
Security Officers & Security Guards Employed by School Districts and Independent/Private Schools
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Manager
I am grateful for your wonderful course! Your tutors are the best, and I am completely satisfied with the level of professional teaching. I recommend these courses to everyone, and wish you, guys, luck with the new studies!
Developer