School Safety: A Practical and Tactical Resource Guide for Administrators

School Safety confronts one of the most urgent and unsettling challenges facing American education today: the alarming rise of school rampage shootings. As these once-unthinkable tragedies become tragically common, the need for informed, courageous, and capable leadership has never been greater.
This timely and essential book offers a comprehensive exploration of school safety, not merely as a set of protocols but as a complex, dynamic system requiring thoughtful coordination and decisive action. What sets School Safety apart is its unique approach-unpacking the intricate relationships among the many factors that influence safety in schools, and presenting practical, real-world strategies to manage and mitigate these risks.
Equally distinctive is the expert team behind the book: a diverse group of professionals whose combined skills, education, and deep experience in education, leadership, crisis response, and mental health create a richly informed and actionable resource. School Safety is a vital guide for school leaders, policymakers, educators, and anyone committed to creating safer, more resilient learning environments for all.

David E. Johnson, Ed.D., is a career-long, certificated educator who has served as building and district administrators providing leadership, supervision, and coordination to school safety programs. He is also a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran where he directed the Emergency Management Program and the Defense Support of Civil Authorities program.

Shaun Hurtado has 19 years of experience in education as a teacher, coach, administrator, consultant and presenter. He has worked in urban, rural and suburban communities with TK-12 experience. He has presented at local, regional and state conferences and provided consulting services to school districts within California. He enjoys facilitating leadership and coaching development sessions on positive school culture, cultivating leadership skills and roles while addressing student mental health, and incorporating restorative practices. He is passionate about his role as an instructional and transformational leader. He desires to have a lasting positive impact in communities by educating youth and developing a positive transformational school culture that creates an environment for cultivating strong leaders.

Glenn Norling is a retired FBI Special Agent and former U.S. Air Force officer. In addition to his consulting business, he serves as the Executive Director for the Active Shooter Prevention Project. Norling has trained over 25,000 people in active shooter awareness and preparation since 2014. He has extensive experience in national- level training exercises, as well as local critical incident and special event planning, training, preparation, and response. He is a court-designated expert witness for school emergency drills and has written numerous articles for multiple law enforcement publications.

Pamela VanHorn, PhD, has served in leadership, consulting, and educator roles for the University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, Ohio Department of Education, Ashland University, Xavier University and in urban and suburban school districts. Her experience and expertise include leading systemic-wide school improvement efforts in districts. She has published in peer reviewed journals and contributed a chapter to Inclusive Education: a Systemic Perspective. 2020.

Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough, a 28-year police veteran and school safety expert, led two Texas ISD police departments, one with over 51,000 students. He established a nationally recognized model for innovative school safety. Yarbrough authored Redefining School Safety and Policing: A Transformative Four Pillar Model, published by Routledge, Taylor & Francis.