Curtis Clay and Associates

08/28/2024

Happy Anniversary Babe!! 42 years have flown by and I gotta tell you, I would do it all over again. Love you Annie.

09/06/2022

Good, common sense advice no matter the profession.

08/17/2021

Spending the day with the great staff at Yorktown ISD. Our training topics today are Bully Prevention Policies and Procedures, Sexual Harassment/Assault Prevention and School Response to an Active Shooter Beyond Lockdown.

Excited for a day full of learning with Yorktown ISD! Good luck and well wishes to all our teachers, administrators, and staff across the state as they continue to educate and care for our children.

01/15/2020

Day 2 of safety and security Assessments underway! It's great to see the improvements made throughout the district over the last couple of years. Keep up the great work Eustace ISD!!

01/09/2020

Day 2 of safety audits underway!!

10/30/2019

Finishing up 3 days of Training and Safety Assessments at Aransas Pass ISD! They've done an admirable job rebuilding after the hurricane.

10/25/2019

School Climate Surveys- A Waste of Time or an Essential Element to Safe Schools? By Annette Burrhus-Clay

As we recognize Safe Schools Week I ponder what might be the most important tools in working towards universal school safety and security. I guess its human nature to look for simple answers to complex problems. As I mulled over the myriad issues we encounter during school safety audits a lot of common themes came to mind; campus access, complacency, playground hazards, less than effective drills, and much more but ultimately what stood out most is the critical importance of campus culture and climate.

Not having an indepth and informed perspective of your individual school culture is akin to scheduling surgery without having a physical first. Yet many schools invest a lot of time and scarce funding in various endeavors with rushed or small scope attempts to actually understand how their students and staff feel about their school environment and what safety concerns are weighing most heavily on their mind. Adults have generally learned how to prioritize our needs but when it comes to safety we often gravitate to the shiniest object. Our attempts are very well intentioned but not always the wisest use of limited resources.

Students and staff are a valuable asset in determining where we need to start, what is working well that can be built upon, what is happening to populations that can largely be invisible, and finally help us realize that perspective is nearly as important as reality. In some ways it's easier to address safety concerns that can be fixed by brick and mortar and technology than to tackle fear, suicidal thoughts, bullying, drugs, under prepared staff, mistrust, interpersonal violence, and even general anxiety.

Comprehensive, anonymous online surveys are a great place to start. Just the action of listening to their concerns can pay dividends as far as confidence that the administration really does care, not to mention it is invaluable in determining trends, common experiences, critical issues to be tended to immediately, helpful suggestions, identifying allies, and pinpointing areas of concern that may not have previously risen to an appropriate level of importance.

Safety surveys have perhaps proven their worth more than other efforts. Yes we need to continue to prepare for the unlikely but deadly scenarios that can devastate our entire community. In the meantime let's not forget the importance of addressing the less dramatic things that can devastate an individual student. The ripple effect of this personal devastation has a corrosive impact on the entire school. Collectively we can do better.

For more information on Campus Climate Surveys or Focus Groups feel free to contact us.

10/16/2019

Assessing the Climate and Culture of a campus is a must in improving overall school safety.

08/16/2019

I spent the day training the educators and administrators at Flour Bluff ISD! What a great group of folks that are dedicated to the safety and security of their students! Thanks for the invitation and have a great school year!

06/26/2019

I hope that all of my educators, administrators and school-based law enforcement friends and family are having a great summer so far. As you prepare for the upcoming school year keep us in mind. We would love to assist you with any of your staff and student training needs!

03/01/2019

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01/21/2019

Back in Ft. Worth Texas for a week of campus safety assessments.