The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and the Oklahoma State Department of Education will announce a new statewide partnership aimed at improving school security training, assessments, and emergency preparedness across Oklahoma.
Key Takeaways
- Oklahoma DPS and the State Department of Education are launching a statewide school safety partnership.
- OSSI will lead school security assessments and safety training efforts.
- Schools will receive Risk and Vulnerability Assessments to identify security concerns.
- Expanded training includes LASER, BTAM, Run. Hide. Fight., and School Resource Officer Academy programs.
- Statewide technology and intelligence resources will support emergency preparedness and response.
Under the agreement, the Oklahoma School Security Institute (OSSI), a division of DPS, will become the primary entity responsible for providing school safety training and conducting security assessments on behalf of the state education department. Officials said the effort is designed to provide schools with consistent, prevention-focused safety standards.
Oklahoma officials say this partnership will streamline safety efforts.
What the partnership includes
OSSI will conduct Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (RVA) for schools across Oklahoma to identify security gaps and recommend improvements. The institute will also provide Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) training for school officials and law enforcement, focused on identifying concerning behaviors and preventing violence.
State Superintendent Lindel Fields said school safety remains a top priority.
“The safety of Oklahoma students and educators is our highest priority,” Fields said during a news conference in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. “Every child deserves to attend school where they feel safe, every parent deserves confidence when they send their child to school each morning that they’re safe, and every educator deserves to focus on teaching without wondering whether they have the training and support they need during an emergency.”
Training and response resources
The partnership also expands access to several safety programs, including:
- Law Enforcement Active Shooter Emergency Response (LASER) training
- Run. Hide. Fight. training for school staff and administrators
- School Resource Officer Academy certification training
- Risk and Vulnerability Assessments for schools
Officials said the initiative will also leverage statewide resources, including the RAVE Mobile Safety App, the ProtectOK app, and support from the Oklahoma Counter Terrorism Intelligence Center.
Oklahoma DPS Commissioner Tim Tipton said six thousand teachers and school staff across the state are trained in the “Run. Hide. Fight.” program, and this partnership will help train thousands more.
Tipton also said about half of the 12,000 commissioned police officers in the state are trained in the LASER program, which equips officers with the skills needed to respond to active shooters, and the goal is to make sure all officers have that training through this partnership.
Oklahoma schools can use the money from this program to hire school resource officers, install metal detectors or panic buttons, and to pay for any other security upgrades the school may need.
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