Ep 14: What can we do to protect? A Former secret service agent on school safety

In today's episode of Parenting is Easy, Said No One Ever, we have a conversation with Daniel Dluzneski, a retired Secret Service agent who works on ensuring children's safety in schools. With his wealth of experience from protecting presidents to safeguarding classrooms, Dan offers invaluable insights into the current state of school safety.Key Takeaways:1. The Need for Proactive Engagement: Dan emphasizes the importance of interacting directly with principals, administrators, and parents to understand their concerns about school safety first-hand.   2. Safety vs Curriculum Grades: Amidst external pressures such as the pandemic aftermath and calls for defunding police departments, there is often an imbalance between focusing on improving curriculum grades and maintaining school safety.3. Parental Complacency: Parents need to acknowledge that threats can exist everywhere and should always be prepared for potential dangers at their child’s school – regardless of its type or location.4. Teacher Preparedness: Teachers control classrooms and must thoroughly understand lockdown procedures due to constantly emerging new safety measures across the country.5. Advocacy For Lockdown Policies: Parents need to advocate for strict lockdown policies during crises in schools by voicing concerns backed by expert opinions through platforms like PTA or student advisory councils.CALL TO ACTION1. Engage in proactive safety measures: Following the interviewee's advice, take a proactive approach to child safety both at home and school. This could involve learning about potential risks, setting rules for online behavior, or installing appropriate safety equipment.2. Explore alternative discipline methods: Drawing from the anecdote shared by the person interviewed, consider exploring non-physical forms of discipline when dealing with children's behavioral issues.   3. Learn from experts in the field: Look up Michael Dorn and Ken Trump who are mentioned as mentors by the interviewee - they lead organizations dedicated to school safety research and have websites filled with useful resources.4. Be observant of your child’s activities: Echoing the interviewee’s wish to be a fly on the wall, strive to understand your child better by observing their behaviors, interests, and interactions without invading their privacy too much.5. Collaborate effectively: The importance of collaboration underlined by this professional suggests that working together with other parents or educators can enhance efforts towards ensuring child safety.Contact DanielLinked INBook:  The First Five Minutes: School Shooting Survival Guide for Administrators and Principles     ( Amazon Associate link)This podcast has been associated with affiliate programs. The podcast and host may get a commission from any of the links posted in this description.CONTACT ChananyaContact to Discuss Therapy:  https://cyuahtherapy.com/contact/Book a therapeutic coaching call with Chananya Abraham at:https://cyuahtherapy.book.kiwilaunch.com/ Contact for Podcast: [email protected]:  https://parentingiseasypodcast.buzzsprout.comWebsite: https://cyuahtherapy.com/ FOLLOW USInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingiseasysaidno1ever/LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/chananya-abraham-a1b5b852/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv35dSG3hE5n6_rSAE_J9VQ