School Security: What Schools, Parents Can Do To Keep Students Safe

Classes will be back in session Tuesday morning at Norman North High School after a shooting threat on Monday. Most students went home early Monday after the threat was found written in a restroom.

10/5/2015 Related Story: Shooting Threat At Norman North High School Still Under Investigation

What Schools Can Do

Norman police are investigating that threat right now, but how Norman North administrators reacted will also be closely examined.

The school notified police and allowed students to leave early. Still, in the wake of the tragedy in Oregon, schools across the nation have a heightened awareness of each in every threat.

The President of the National School Safety and Security Service (NSSSS) has found how a school responds to those threats is critical. The more detail in the threat, the greater the risk and credibility is key.

"It's sort of a situation of like the boy who's crying wolf. If you use lock down and evacuation appropriately and when necessary, they will be treated seriously. If you use them very liberally and in a knee-jerk way, people are going to become numb and when you have a real situation, there's a greater risk of them not being treated seriously when you take those steps," said Ken Trump, President of NSSSS.

Increased security at Norman North will continue on Tuesday before fall break starts Wednesday.

10/5/2015 Related Story: Police Investigate Shooting Threat At Norman North High School

What Parents Can Do

When news breaks that a school is taking action in response to a threat, there isn't much a parent could do physically at that moment. But there is something parents can do to help calm nerves. Especially at this time when school security has become a national concern in wake of the tragedy in Oregon.

Many parents may feel helpless -- their children at school, left with teachers and peers. But the Trump said parents can feel empowered in emergency situations. The key is communication between parents and administrators.

"It's good communication, proactive communication and communication plans that will instill confidence in parents of their school administrators that administrators and school threat assessment teams have had proper training," said Ken Trump, President of NSSSS.