Are You Prepared to Handle a Crisis Situation in the Classroom?
New York school officials recently attended an emergency response training and awareness program hosted by A+ Technology & Security Solutions.
Joseph Pangaro gives an overview of critical communication and negotiation skills necessary for school employees.
Did you know that carrying on a conversation with an active shooter can help save lives? Teachers today are not only responsible for educating our children in the classroom; but saving them if a crisis emerges during class time. Knowing what to do and what to say in these types of situations can be crucial to survival. The right words can diffuse a hostile situation from turning deadly.
What can we do as teachers and school administrators to help mitigate risk and prevent a catastrophic event from taking place? The answer is simple… prepare your staff before an event takes place in your classroom.
What do you do as a teacher when you have 20 students in your classroom for a 40- minute class and 5 minutes into the class a student pulls out a gun from a backpack? This question and other important issues were discussed in a training and awareness program for school staff members titled “Crisis in the Classroom” presented by retired Lieutenant Joseph Pangaro.
Hosted by A+ Technology & Security Solutions of Bay Shore, NY in early December, this event drew a wide audience of school professionals (security directors and officials) from Universities and K-12 schools across Long Island.
With the growing number of active shooter incidents, violence and bullying in schools throughout the country, now is the time for school personnel to be proactive and prepared to diffuse any type of emergency situation as it occurs in real-time. Security in schools is now a part of our daily lives whether we like it or not.
What we learn from the history of violence helps us make better decisions in the future when it comes to student safety. This program was designed to provide awareness to school personnel and teach them the dynamics of dealing with a person in crisis. The goals of the seminar included recognizing a person in crisis, assessing the nature of the crisis, containing a crisis situation, proper communication with a person in crisis and diffusing the crisis situation with the right words.
Having empathy for an active shooter’s situation and listening to them when they speak are important tactics taught by Mr. Pangaro. In addition, training teachers on how to respond to a threat was a large focus of this presentation. Attendees learned how in a crisis situation words mean things and how important it is to be compassionate and empathetic.
Today, the teacher has taken on the role of a negotiator and needs to listen to the person in crisis and keep him or her talking as “Talking = Life” in a crisis situation. Preparation is key to surviving a “Crisis in the Classroom”. Are you ready?
About A+ Technology & Security Solutions, Inc.
A+ Technology & Security Solutions, Inc. and its affiliated companies, is a systems integrator specializing in the convergence of physical security, A/V, LED and IT infrastructure solutions, headquartered in Bay Shore, NY. Since 1988, A+ Technology & Security Solutions has been providing integrated solutions to schools, law enforcement, local, state and federal governmental agencies, healthcare and commercial organizations. Working closely with local, regional and national clients, including the New York Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, Department of Homeland Security, City of Bridgeport, CT, City of Fort Myers, FL, numerous fire departments, and over 100 public and private schools in the greater New York area. A+ Technology & Security Solutions is widely recognized as a trusted expert in school and public safety and security, providing efficient and innovative solutions with a proven and vetted track record of success. For further information, please visit www.aplustechnology.com.
About Joseph Pangaro & Pangaro Training
Joseph Pangaro, is a retired Police Lieutenant from Monmouth County, NJ who delivers this powerful seminar that will provide an overview of critical communication and negotiation skills necessary for school employees. Mr. Pangaro’s duties as a Police Lieutenant included total oversight of the patrol bureau as co-commander of his division. He currently teaches at the Monmouth and Ocean County Police Academies. and pens a weekly newspaper column called “Behind the Badge” and has been published in NJCOPS, NJ Blue and the FBI Worldwide Law Enforcement Bulletin. The “Crisis In The Classroom” seminar examines the role of psychology and people in crisis with the purpose to recognize and dissuade a potentially dangerous subject from reacting to stressors with rage and violence. For further information, please visit www.jpangaro.com
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the company’s own and not necessarily reflective of Campus Safety’s viewpoints.
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