I’m Just a Mom

“I’m just a mom.” Those were the words I read in my inbox on a Friday evening after a hard week in the wake of the Minneapolis school shooting. As a volunteer for the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools, I received an online inquiry. It started, “I’m just a mom, a mom with a passion for school security.” 

Similar to me in my journey, Steph was looking for ways she could make an impact after yet another school shooting. My calling had come after the tragedy in Uvalde in 2022. I happen to work in the physical security industry and had heard of PASS but had never been too knowledgeable on exactly what the group did. I reached out to my connections and asked how I could be involved in a more meaningful way … the rest is history.

So, when I connected with Steph, I knew her concerns. They were the same as my own. We talked about our kids, our jobs, our ongoing fears around school safety, and how to spread the word about the PASS Guidelines. Steph isn’t in the industry, but she did lots of internet searching and happened upon the PASS Guidelines. Then, she read every page. She was astounded to learn there is such a great resource for schools. 

She asked the question that I constantly grapple with: How do we get this in front of as many schools as possible? And how do we help those schools make sense of it all? Since the beginning of my involvement, I’ve believed parents are the key to spreading the word about the PASS Guidelines. Not all of us are technical, though — How do we pitch the Guidelines to our kids’ schools and help them understand the value?

Here are my recommendations for parents like Steph and me who want to share the PASS Guidelines with their schools:

Audience: Include your school principal, individual (if there is one) responsible for safety, and parent organization like a PTO or PTA. If you can find contacts, share with your school board as well as the district contact responsible for safety. 

Content: Make the information digestible and easy to understand. I use talking points like this: 

As a parent, I know safety is always a top priority for our school. I recently came across a resource that I think could be very helpful: the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) Guidelines. PASS is a national, nonprofit coalition of school officials, public safety experts, and security professionals that provides free, practical guidelines to help schools improve safety step by step, without guesswork or wasted resources.

Now, for the more detailed information:

The 5 Layers of Protection

PASS organizes safety into layers, so schools can strengthen security inside and out:

1. District – Policies, training, emergency planning
2. Digital Infrastructure – Policies, technologies and operational safeguards
3. Property Perimeter – Fencing, lighting, vehicle control
4. Building Perimeter – Controlled entrances, visitor management
5. Classroom/Interior – Locks, communications, lockdown ability

Functional Categories

Each layer considers:

• Policies and Procedures – Emergency plans, drills
• People – Training for staff, students, responders
• Technology – Cameras, access control, communications
• Facility Design/Hardware – Locks, lighting, barriers

Tiered Approach (1-4)

Schools don’t need to do everything at once. PASS uses tiers so schools  can start small and grow:

• Tier 1 (Essential): Basic, must-have protections
• Tier 2 (Enhanced): Stronger measures within reach
• Tier 3 (Advanced): More comprehensive, resource intensive
• Tier 4 (Aspirational): Cutting-edge options

PASS Checklist

PASS includes a Safety & Security Checklist that schools can use to:

• Assess current safety measures.
• Identify gaps.
• Prioritize improvements.
• Align plans with funding and grants. A great resource for grants is Greenlights Grant Initiative. You can use the PASS Guidelines to know what items you would like to request funding for, and an organization like Greenlights Grant Initiative helps your school write a grant. 

Format: I’ve been using email to open the door and request an in-person meeting on the topic. Likewise, you can find out when your next school board meeting, or PTO/PTA meeting, is and ask for this item to be placed on the agenda. You can also use social media to spread the word to other parents! I filmed a reel on Instagram and received great interaction. Likewise, I have shared the reel with some “mom influencers.”

I also intend on sharing the same information with my elected officials. Cast as wide a net as possible to help people understand there is another facet to the school safety discussion that is usually left out of the media dialogue. If you are “just a mom” like Steph and me, you can help, too.

Candice Aragon
Chief Experience Officer of the PSA Network

About PASS

The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) bringing together expertise from the education, public safety, and industry communities to develop and support a coordinated approach to making effective and appropriate decisions with respect to safety and security investments. You can download the complete PASS Guidelines here, or check out our PASS Safety and Security Checklist for quick tips on how to get started.  These resources—as well as white papers on various topics including barricade devices, lockdown drills, and more—are available at no cost.