BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (May 19, 2020) – All educators would agree that it’s vital to protect students both physically and digitally, but how do they measure the return on their safety investments? In its latest report, Investing in Student Safety: The Costs, the Benefits, and the ROI, Gaggle helps readers consider the financial, logistical, and legal aspects of a comprehensive student safety plan.
The report examines the logistics involved in addressing external and internal threats to student well-being, from developing a comprehensive safety plan, including implementing district cybersecurity, to cultivating positive school climates and cultures. It also discusses the costs associated with safety plans and the state funding options that are currently available.
“Even fostering positive school climates and cultures can pay off significantly,” said Gaggle founder and CEO Jeff Patterson. “School districts nationwide are seeing a rise in expensive lawsuits resulting from bullying incidents. An estimated 160,000 children miss school on any given day due to fear of bullying by other students. Plus, researchers at Columbia University have determined that schools see an $11 return on investment for every dollar spent on social and emotional learning programs.”
In its final section, Investing in Student Safety explores the subject of mitigating risks to student safety with school safety solutions. The section covers how such measures can provide legal protection for a district, takes a close look at student privacy rights and compliance with federal regulations, and dives into state legislative changes designed to address mental health challenges.
“Prudent districts are addressing school safety by attempting to be in front of any incidents that may cause harm to the students. If school districts don’t proactively support students, there is a greater potential for liability lawsuits,” stated Superintendent Dr. Tammy Campbell of Federal Way School District in Washington. “It puts a structure in place that emphasizes what to do when a notification of a student who is potentially in distress is received by the Gaggle student safety platform. These efforts reduce not only the opportunities for students to follow through on threats, but also the risks to the district when a student is harmed.”
Of course, the greatest return on investment is the student lives saved as a result of school safety solutions. “We can’t quantify that because you can’t put a value on human life,” Patterson continued. “But we can say that having a high level of confidence that students feel safe and secure enough to be able to thrive academically and socially in their schools is well worth the investment.”
“We’ve been very pleased with our investment in Gaggle, which is basically like having your own personal ‘911’ system specifically for your district,” said Dr. Melissa Williams-Scott, executive director of information systems, Dickinson Independent School District, Texas.
Investing in Student Safety: The Costs, the Benefits, and the ROI can be downloaded at https://news.gaggle.net/investing-in-student-safety.
About Gaggle|www.gaggle.net
Since 1999, Gaggle has been the leader in helping K-12 districts manage student safety on school-provided technology. Using a powerful combination of artificial intelligence and trained safety experts, the safety solution proactively assists districts 24/7/365 in the prevention of student suicide, bullying, inappropriate behaviors, school violence, and other harmful situations. Most importantly, Gaggle continues to help hundreds of districts avoid tragedies and save lives, while also protecting their liability. Thus far in the 2019-20 academic year, Gaggle has helped districts save the lives of more than 830 students who were planning or actually attempting suicide. For more information, visit www.gaggle.net and follow Gaggle on Twitter at @Gaggle_K12.