SECURITY MANAGEMENT
Alexandria, VA, USA
MAY 2003
Circulation: 30,000
 
JANE'S SCHOOL SAFETY HANDBOOK
By Marleen Wong, James Kelly and Dr. Ronald D. Stephens
Published by Jane's Information Group; available from ASIS, Item #1522
703-519-6200 (phone)
703-519-6299 (fax)
275 pages; $34 (ASIS Members); $38 (nonmembers)
 
Now that the Department of Homeland Security seems to be devoting attention to schools, school crisis planning and response is more high profile than ever.  About half of Jane's School Safety Handbook covers this topic, ranging from command posts and safety training to mental health interventions and media interaction.
 
Most of the rest of this irregularly shaped spiral-bound book has the hallmark quality of Jane's.  The information isn't all new, but it is presented in a well-organized and easy-to-understand manner.  For example, the safety plan checklist is an excellent resource against which to compare a school's emergency guidelines.  The book also takes a step-by-step approach to planning, offering examples of what a plan or guidelines should contain and what questions need to be asked in the process.
 
Case studies outline many of the nationally known school shooting cases.  These scenarios will help school administrators understand the need for emergency planning, while at the same time emphasizing that school violence didn't start and end at Columbine.  It's a solid section in an overall solid handbook.
 
Reviewer: Chuck Hibbert is the coordinator of safety and transportation services for the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township in Indianapolis.  He is a member of the ASIS Educational Institutions Council. (END)
 

(This review refers to the first edition of this title.)

 
 
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
August 2002
New York, NY, USA
Monthly Trade Publication
Print and Online
Print Circulation: 38,461
 
WONG, Marleen & James Kelly, & Ronald D. Stephens.
Jane's School Safety Handbook. 275 p. diags. appendix. glossary.
Jane's. 2002. spiral $33. ISBN 0-7106-2513-8 LC number unavailable.
 
This small, spiral-bound guide is essential for personnel responsible for assessing safety and security standards in their schools. It provides outlines and detailed instructions for effective, proactive crisis planning, prevention, response, and recovery. The types of problems that might arise, the characteristics of violent youth, the effects of psychological trauma on different age groups, and intervention are just some of the topics addressed.

Procedural guidelines are offered in the case of suspicious packages, and in a school lockdown situation, and for biological or chemical attacks. There are suggestions for sample letters to send to parents in the event of a violent incident on or near school property. Case studies as recent as the WTC attacks are included. The numerous checklists are particularly valuable. Whether in the library or on an administrator's shelf, this book belongs in every school.
–Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal
 

(This review refers to the first edition of this title.)

 
THE NEW YORK TIMES
New York, NY, USA
Daily Print Circulation: 1.1 million
14 April 2002
 
SECURITY
DEFENSE TOOLS FOR THE NEW FRONT
By Stephanie Gutmann
For more than a century, one self-effacingly named British company has dominated the world of military publishing with manifestoes like “Amphibious Warfare Capabilities,” “Fighting Ships” and “Ballistic Missile Proliferation.” Now comes something very un-Jane’s-like. Or maybe not.

In response to what the company delicately calls ''changes'' to the ''school security environment,'' it is publishing the new ''Jane's School Safety Handbook'' to help school personnel respond to crises ranging ''from shootings to bomb threats, chemical-biological attacks and natural disasters.''

The cheery cover shows children at play. But inside the text is all business.

''There are two types of school administrators: those who have faced a crisis and those who are about to,'' advise the three authors -- a chief of police, a school safety expert and the director of crisis intervention for the Los Angeles school system.

Using the handbook's many checklists, administrators can assemble a school lockdown kit and conduct a safety/security audit -- for instance, ''Do existing bushes, trees, etc., restrict visibility at entrances/exits to buildings?'' And like most recently issued pieces of defense equipment, the little book (4 by 6 inches) is designed to be light, highly portable and usable in the field, with large type and handy subject tabs for harried principals who don't have time to mess around withtables of contents.

(This review refers to the first edition of this title.)