Whole School Safety — Paradigm Shift in School Safety at Chicago Public Schools
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss a holistic approach to school safety involving physical, emotional and relational safety.
- Create effective school safety incident prevention and crisis response strategies.
- Leverage policy, restorative practices and traditional school safety methods to create a balanced school safety program.
- Determine how to engage whole school communities in safety solutions.
Credits:
Training may qualify for related continuing education for recertification activity through NICET. Students may claim one (1) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) point per hour of instruction towards their NICET recertification requirement for any sessions that expand their knowledge of the subject matter pertaining to the certifications they hold.
Participants completing this course may be eligible to receive Continuing Professional Education credit or CPEs toward ASIS re-certification.
School safety requires true engagement across all stakeholders. In this webinar, Jadine Chou, Chief Safety and Security Officer for Chicago Public Schools, details the school system’s paradigm shift to provide a holistic safety approach. Using this process, schools formed cross-representative committees to develop comprehensive Whole School Safety Plans outlining the school’s vision, priorities and strategies to create an environment of physical, emotional and relational safety. Using a blend of progressive policies and restorative practices combined with conventional safety strategies, schools were able to strike a balance of effective preventative and responsive plans. Out of this process, schools seek to achieve authentic engagement from all school community members — students, parents, teachers, staff, administrators and community members — resulting in sustainable buy-in and, most importantly, safe schools.
Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus
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Jadine Chou is the Chief Safety and Security Officer for Chicago Public Schools (CPS). In her current role, Chou oversees the safety operations for over 320,000 students in all of the public schools across the city. In this role, she and her team are responsible for supporting school administrators in their efforts to provide a safe and welcoming learning environment for all students and staff. She has partnered with colleagues on the Education team to promote a new “holistic safety approach” that incorporates proactive practices to drive calmer school climates and positive student behaviors. Prior to joining CPS, Chou held senior-level management positions at the Chicago Housing Authority and Fortune 500 companies including Kraft Foods, Motorola, and SBC Communications (currently known as AT&T). She is a member of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Leadership Council and the State of Illinois Terrorism Task Force (School Safety Working Group). She also serves on the BPI Board of Directors and Youth Guidance Advisory Board. Chou’s honors include the following recent recognitions: the City of Chicago Kathy Osterman Award for Outstanding Innovator, Mikva Challenge Adult Ally Award, BPI (Business and Professional People for the Public Interest) Champion of the Public Interest Award, Umoja Unity Award, Mutual of America Community Leadership Award and the Women Empowered for Civic Engagement Passion Award. Chou earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. |
