I used to think that the sight of armed security and an airport-style x-ray scanner in the main entrance of a high school in Virginia that I knew well, along with their regular lockdown drills, was something very particular to the USA.
However, since moving to work abroad, I’ve come to realise that for any international school having processes in place for keeping the school site secure is vital - including putting everyone through their paces on a regular basis.
In a hectic calendar this can seem time-consuming but running a safe campus should never be taken for granted - so it’s something all leaders must attend to.
Schools practising emergency evacuation
This may come under the category of “teaching your grandparent to suck eggs” for school leaders, but you would be surprised how many schools do not practise emergency evacuation procedures or seem to think a fire drill is the same thing.
I have seen a number of schools practise this basic drill in a number of different countries, but here is what all have in common:
- The staff walk it through first, without students, so they know what they are doing. The marshalling area is clearly marked for where different classes stand. Students, even the youngest and most excitable, are made to understand the importance of leaving quickly and quietly.
- For an evacuation outside the building in the event of, say, a fire or bomb threat, the marshalling area is clearly signposted away from the school with very visible homeroom/tutor group signs for students to find and stand there.
- If you have to take cover in a basement - due to extreme weather or a bomb threat, perhaps - the group signs should be clear, and regular drills develop the instincts when the sirens go.
- Ideally, a dedicated evacuation marshall, perhaps a vice-principal or a chief operating officer, who can tell the school principal to be quiet if needed, oversees everything while attendance registers are checked until the signal for the all-clear is given.
- A brief analytical report of the evauation, with action points, is written and shared with staff, students and governors afterwards.
Local versus international expectations
More often than not, the local framework for keeping a school safe will not be as robust or as rigorous as the expectations of the international community or when it comes to benchmarking your school against the tougher safety accreditation criteria of groups like COBIS (the Council of British International Schools).
In Moldova, for example, all schools have to have a registered nurse and designated triage room on the school site, and this has been vital during Covid and just in daily school life.
Most international schools have a very similar legal requirement and it certainly reassures parents to have a trained nurse on site permanently. This is different to the UK, where many schools have long since got rid of “the school nurse” in budget cuts, as one of my schools did as long ago as 2012.
The key is to make sure that you know what is expected of you under local law and within any frameworks you adhere to so that there are no gaps in either policy.
Engaging with local embassies for safety support
Often local embassies and other organisations with large numbers of potential families, such as the EU or UN, will want to have some direct official engagement with an international school to be able to recommend it officially to families as a “safe school” that operates at the level and standards expected in home countries.
In Moldova, we have a formal relationship with the US and UK embassies, for example, that includes regular security checks. Our security teams work together; we take advice and have ongoing liaison around safety and security.
This has proved invaluable - for example, at some of the worst moments with the ongoing war in Ukraine - to reassure everyone.
The Emergency Crisis Plan (ECP)
It is not enough to have a simple school safety protocol and a standing item slot in a governors’ meeting any more.
International schools have a broad range of challenges that they have to be prepared for, from earthquakes to war. Covid and the idea of a “business continuity plan” so that the school can be online for a long period of time have helped to shape and sharpen planning for emergency situations.
Again, having emergency crisis experts in local embassies to scrutinise such a plan is essential, where possible.
One of my most sobering moments as a school leader was back in March of this year when the whole staff practised an emergency evacuation to the basement of the school, as we stimulated a military attack coming to Chisinau, as the war seemed to be getting closer from Ukraine.
For a school like the British International School in Ukraine (BISU) in Kyiv, this has been a reality since the Russian invasion on 24 February, and such schools are still operating and educating under their tried and tested ECP.
Preparing for new challenges
Over the summer, Moldova experienced bomb hoaxes targeting public places, such as shopping malls and the airport, and it is anticipated that schools will be affected this autumn.
Our chief operating officer and security team met with staff from the US embassy and others to get the latest updates and advice on how to proceed in the event of a threat and possible hoax. They looked at how security could be improved.
We are discreet about any high-visibility families that are with us and also work directly with them, especially as some have been high-profile in the media. Our role is to make sure that their children are safe and can be just normal students studying at our school daily.
I still feel naive when I recall hiding under a table in a US classroom, thinking this was something I would never have to do again.
Safety in school is something that is just necessary and the best examples are those schools where the safety procedures and drills are followed regularly, discussed, shared, reviewed and improved upon, like any other school routine.
The whole-school community - staff, families and students - know the reasons why we do what we have to do and are reassured that everyone’s safety and the duty of care are paramount in the minds of the school leadership.
Rob Ford is director of Heritage International School in Chisinau, Moldova
