18  |  SCHOOL PLANT MANAGER MAGAZINE  |  FALL 2026
S
chools are now in full swing, 
and we’re all incredibly busy. 
It’s an exciting time, but it 
is also a time that presents 
challenges. We are ensuring new 
construction is properly operational, we 
are educating new staff members, and 
we’re maintaining existing facilities. 
Some districts have faced cuts which 
result in both tighter budgets and 
potentially less staffing. Facing all these 
realities necessitates attention to detail, 
heightened organizational skills, and an 
increased reliance on other members of 
the district team. Even if your district 
has not faced budgetary challenges, the 
above necessities remain.
School safety always requires 
vigilance, a dedicated team, and we 
are often asked to do more with less. 
To accomplish all our shared goals, 
School Safety Thoughts from The Center for Education Safety
By Glen Moore, MSBA’s Center for Education Safety
it’s essential that safety is part of our 
shared culture. The school board 
ultimately drives this attitude, and the 
superintendent leads the effort. From 
there, each building leader promotes 
what is necessary to accomplish the 
goals we all share. Safety should not be 
an add-on – it must be the culture.
We’ve all been preparing throughout 
the summer, but realizations inevitably 
occur once the staff and students return 
and test the operational capabilities of 
our facilities. We anticipate and plan 
for everything foreseeable, but reality 
throws curveballs and we must respond 
accordingly. 
How can we do our best to anticipate 
and respond? One method is to seek 
out updated information and work to 
improve. There have been several recent 
updates to leading practices and one 
such resource is a digitized security 
checklist from The Partner Alliance 
for Safer Schools (passk12.org). This is 
a free resource available through their 
website. We recommend that plant 
managers are always part of facility 
safety assessments. Unfortunately, this is 
not always prioritized. 
Consider using the above-mentioned 
checklist and accompanying guide. 
Use it to educate maintenance staff, 
custodians, and anyone else within 
your span of control. There is updated 
information about many security 
concerns, such as outdoor activities 
and events. If we are all aware of what 
to look for, we can better identify 
needs and facilitate necessary upgrades 
and changes. If we lack a general 
knowledge of true needs, we may rely on 
Facilities & Construction
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Educational Goods and Services
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michael.tucker@tips-usa.com
903.824.6371
www.tips-usa.com
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