Why your Homeschool Co-op Needs Security
If you clicked over to this blog post you are probably a homeschool leader or maybe a teacher and you are looking for all the homeschool co-op resources that you need to have a strong program. While you are thinking through your group’s needs, you should consider why your homeschool co-op needs security.
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25 years ago, the church down the road from my house had one of the worst church shootings that this nation has ever seen. 5 years ago, a church down the road from our co-op lost several members when a man showed up and gunned them down. We can barely go a month without hearing about some school shooting that has taken place across our country or world. We live in a dark and scary world y’all and while I would love to pretend that our homeschooled children don’t have to face those kinds of terrors, the reality is, they could, and we want to know that we have done everything thing possible to make sure that they are safe if the need should ever arise.
Why Security Matters in Homeschool Co-ops
Co-ops, like any other gathering place are potential targets. Intruders usually have easy access to the building, children are often more visible coming in and out throughout the day, outside play areas are often not fenced in and the buildings that are usually rented out sometimes have unknown individuals that have access throughout the day and those are just the external threats.
Inside your co-op you may have escalating disagreements, custody battle disputes, or enraged students.
There are many reasons that might come up, where it would be crucial to have a plan as well as trained individuals to help keep things from escalating or to disarm an out-of-control individual.
Practical Security Measures for Homeschool Co-ops
While your group may not be large enough to afford security personnel, or have the use of a building that allows for stricter monitoring, there are some things that you can put into place to help increase the security and help your members feel safe. Look through the list and find what would be practical for your group.
Access control: Members should not be entering or exiting through just any door in the building. There should be specific places that are monitored that they use in the coming and going.
Doors should be locked at all times, if possible, with someone available to open them to known visitors. If your building has a buzz-in system, be sure to use it.
Consider a visitor check in system. On our campus all adults are background checked. If there is a visitor on campus, they check in with our front desk person and get a large brightly colored nametag. Everyone on campus wears a name tag.
And emergency preparedness plan should be available to all the adults on campus. They should know where to find first aid kits and supplies, where the AED is and how to evacuate the building as quickly and safely as possible.
Purchase walkie talkies to communicate with teachers or leaders throughout the building. If a class goes outside, a walkie talkie should go with them.
Hire an off-duty police officer if funds allow, or someone from a private security firm.
Contact your city’s police department and ask for them to come and help you find potential security problems. We did this for our group, and it was very helpful.
Create a safety team for your co-op. That team should have special training in first aid, know all the safety protocols and be stationed in specific areas throughout the day.
Have regular safety meetings to discuss and review procedures.
Balancing Security with a Welcoming Atmosphere
We don’t want our homeschool co-op space to feel threatening or clinical and void of the friendly atmosphere that we desire for our family, so while you are creating a safe place, keep the element of fear at bay by having protocols but not making them the center of what you are doing.
The truth is, that with specific protocols in place and communicated well, your members will feel safer knowing that if an emergency arises, their children will be taken care of. And instead of every parent rushing to find their own child in the middle of a crisis, causing more chaos, they will tend to the ones that they are in charge of.
Take this information back to your co-op leadership and discuss in what ways could your group up your security and implement necessary steps for a safer community. By prioritizing safety, we create a space where learning and community and thrive without fear.
Are you looking for other Homeschool Co-op Resources?
Being a part of or running a homeschool co-op is a lot of work. I’m here to help you with figuring out all the moving parts that go into a successful group.
Insurance for Homeschool Co-ops
How to make Co-op Registration easy
How to Host a Homeschool Co-op Open House
Grab my Homeschool Beginning of the Year pack or my Starting a Co-op ebook.
More Resources that you can use to help keep your co-op safe
Angela is the Homeschool Encourager for the Overwhelmed & Under-Caffeinated and the Chaos-to-Confidence Specialist behind Schooling with Grace. With a no-fluff approach, a dash of humor, and a whole lot of heart, she helps homeschool moms cut through the chaos, ditch unrealistic expectations, and teach with confidence.