During our recent webinar, Rethinking School Safety: Building a Culture of Prevention, Protection, and Preparedness, two of the nation’s top safety experts challenged school leaders to move past compliance and build true coordination and culture into their safety efforts.
Featuring retired FBI Special Agent and former active shooter program lead Katherine Schweit and former Deputy Superintendent Dr. Joe McKenna, the session offered hard-earned lessons, field-tested strategies, and timely reminders that a school safety plan is only as strong as the people and processes behind it.
Throughout the webinar, both experts dug into the questions that matter most to school districts right now, from leadership and culture to early warning signs and shared responsibility. Here’s a snapshot of what they had to say.
Q: What does a real culture of safety look like, and what’s the biggest misconception districts have?
“When I started, school safety was totally siloed. Physical security in one bucket, mental health in another,” said Dr. Joe McKenna. “We weren’t having the hard conversations about how they intersect.”
Real-life example: McKenna shared a story about a student who kept running out of the building. It wasn’t just a broken door lock. It was a signal. “We needed to ask why Johnny didn’t want to be in school,” he said.
“You need a layered, holistic school safety plan,” added Schweit. “And it starts with how people feel. Not how many cameras or officers you have.”
It’s easy for schools to believe compliance is the same as preparedness, but that’s rarely the case. Districts need a partner to help them bridge the gap between reactive procedures and proactive culture by providing integrated tools for behavioral intervention, emotional well-being, and real-time communication, turning isolated actions into a cohesive system of care.
Q: Where are schools falling short today?
- Relying on just one or two people for safety responsibilities
- Writing plans, but not actually implementing them
- Prioritizing expensive tech over simple visibility and collaboration
“We’re great at writing safety plans,” McKenna said. “But awful at putting them into action across every department.”
Without a system that connects safety practices across departments, even the most thoughtful plan can fall apart in a moment of crisis. Navigate360’s integrated platform brings alignment to everything from emergency management to behavior documentation, helping schools move from fragmented processes to unified execution.
Q: What practical steps can leaders take today?
- Use a whole-community approach. Include custodians, nurses, bus drivers, students, and parents in planning and drills to ensure no critical perspective is missed.
- Assign responsibility across departments. “Transportation knows [bus] pick-up logistics better than I ever could,” McKenna noted, underscoring the importance of tapping into on-the-ground expertise.
- Avoid one-and-done training. Revisit key safety tasks in short, frequent bursts — “five minutes at the start of every meeting,” Schweit suggested.
Districts don’t have to wait for new funding or a crisis to act. Having a trusted partner with a robust platform that supports every aspect of safety and student well-being empowers schools to clarify roles, strengthen coordination, and build a rhythm of continuous improvement, all starting with the resources and people they already have.
Q: How can schools spot early warning signs before tragedy strikes?
This is where your school safety plan must evolve. The experts cited examples from across the U.S. — students with hit lists, social media threats, hazing incidents — that could’ve been intercepted with better communication and early detection.
“We know from FBI research that academic performance and attendance drop weeks before violence occurs,” said Schweit. “If your school doesn’t have a way to track and intervene early, you’re missing your shot at prevention.”
Early detection requires more than just awareness. It demands infrastructure. Navigate360 equips schools with digital threat detection, anonymous reporting systems, and centralized case management to capture, flag, and escalate concerns before they turn into crises.
Mental Health Support Is a Safety Strategy
“If our school counselor is constantly being pulled for discipline issues, who’s running group support?” — Webinar participant
McKenna pointed to the importance of using a structured system like MTSS to align resources with need:
“Catch most kids at the bottom tier with proactive, schoolwide supports. That way, counselors and psychologists can focus their limited time where it’s needed most — in small groups or one-on-one interventions.”
The takeaway: Reprioritize. Realign. Formalize the supports your students need before they slip through the cracks. Navigate360’s integrated tools and training — including PBIS Rewards, Compass Curriculum, and Behavioral Case Manager — help districts do exactly that.
Q: What role does leadership play in bringing a safety plan to life?
Everything. Joe and Katherine emphasized visible leadership, community alignment, and breaking down silos.
“Show up. Shake hands. Be the leader people see and trust,” said Schweit. “Safety is everyone’s job, not just the person with ‘Director’ or ‘safety’ in their title.”
McKenna built on that point with a real-world example from a district where a student ID badge program only gained traction once principals got involved. “The principal sets the tone,” he said. “At one district, the ID badge program only worked when the building leader bought in. That’s what made it real for students.” When badges were used for lunch, library checkouts, or counselor visits, student participation and trust followed. Even simple safety measures, he noted, rely on leadership buy-in to become part of the culture, not just another rule.
Leadership isn’t just about authority — it’s about visibility, consistency, and follow-through. Navigate360 supports principals and district leaders by giving them the tools to train teams, monitor readiness, and ensure that safety expectations are lived out daily, not just documented.
Where Safety Plans Succeed: Culture, Practice, & People
The takeaway? Your school safety plan isn’t just a document, it’s a daily practice. It should be lived out through the people who walk your halls, ride in your buses, and show up for students every day. You should:
- Empower every person in the building
- Monitor for warning signs beyond behavior
- Rehearse your plan like it’s second nature
- Talk to parents, not just students
“There’s a difference between being safe and feeling safe,” said Schweit. “A culture of safety is something people sense, not just something you buy.”
This isn’t about tearing down what you’ve built, it’s about bringing it to life. When every adult understands their role, every student feels supported, and every layer of safety connects, you shift from checking boxes to changing outcomes.
Want to go deeper? Download the full-length Navigate360 eBook based on this webinar. It includes real examples, leadership tips, and a blueprint for building a safety culture that works.
Ready to get started now? Watch the full webinar on demand and begin transforming your safety plan today.
