Episodes
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
As Doc was writing School of Errors - Rethinking School Safety in America, he talked with parents of children killed or maimed by school shooters. Writing a book about school safety and taking on a multi-billion dollar industry needed to be done in a way that didn’t encroach on the dignity of those killed in acts of school violence or upon that of survivors and family. From those discussions and through his research and observations of crisis communication, Doc found universal tenets for authentic, empathic messaging during a crisis or chaos. I HAVE BAD NEWS TO SHARE (The Chris Voss Method) Chris Voss is a retired FBI negotiator and his book Never Split the Difference is essential for anyone who might be at the podium on the worst day of their life. You’re not doing the stressed audience a favor by attempting to ease them into horrific news. To begin with, “We had a fast response and everyone worked hard…” might be accurate, but it’s a long wind-up for a pitch you intentionally have to aim at the batter. Instead, begin with “I have bad news to share.” Then pause. The second sentence is what might appear as the title of the forensic paper on this event. “Students and staff were involved in a bus accident on their way to a field trip.” The third sentence is the information known at the time about the well-being of those involved in the incident. This must be an “I” statement. “I have been in contact with the state patrol and was informed that some occupants of the bus have been transported to hospitals. I have no information about the types of injuries or potential fatalities.” And then tell people what to do or not to do. People shouldn’t drive to the scene, but they should assemble in high school commons. LOST THEIR LIVES vs. HAD THEIR LIVES TAKEN. It’s always better to use “had their lives taken” when acknowledging death. This is one resounding point of unison from parents of children killed by school shooters. To say, “This child lost his life” implies some culpability on the part of the child. We don’t lose lives like we lose keys or socks. We don’t find those lost lives. While the phrase “lost their life” might be said without negative intent, there are other times when “lost their life” is an intentional blurring by the media or officials. CRASH, ATTACK, and TRAGEDY. News media throttles or measures headlines per their agendas and somewhat to the Overton Window of the political temperature of the moment. On September 12, 2001, the headline from The New York Times read (in all caps): U.S. ATTACKED - HIJACKED JETS DESTROY TWIN TOWERS AND HIT PENTAGON IN DAY OF TERROR. That was an accurate headline. If it was written today, some media would opt for: Planes Crash Into Twin Towers and Pentagon - Unknown Number Lose Their Lives. And, the word “tragedy” is the catch basin for all disasters - it would be in most contemporary headlines. Tragedy is a word specifically selected by weak-willed journalists and editors who are afraid to assign a cause to an incident. What’s present and what’s absent from headlines and stories reveals the bias of the publisher/editor and not a lack of credible information. Everyone has a movie studio in their pocket. A from-the-street rendering from Google Maps is three clicks from the home screen. There’s a reason “tragedy” didn’t appear in any of the major newspaper headlines of 9/12/2001 - and a reason why other words did. BE OBJECTIVE, BE BRIEF. There is the main situation and then ancillary situations. When talking about that bus accident, convey everything in 50 words. If there’s a need to talk about re-unification sites, that should be a second and different statement. Inform people that you, or someone else (name that person) will provide an update in one hour (for example). Do not attempt to field questions until after your second statement. THIS ISN’T ABOUT YOU. Always try to have someone else read your statements for accuracy and tone. That person must be a membercheck willing to tell you the truth. Privately, read the statement to yourself. We are remarkably good at detecting when our messages aren’t landing as we intended. Use simple, familiar vocabulary. Do not infuse your own emotions or experiences into the situation. Every person in that audience has a story to share about how this impacts them. Avoid, “In my twenty years as a school administrator, I have experienced loss of students and faculty, and this situation is a reminder that life is precious and that our community is strong in trying times…” That’s a statement for a support event or rally. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. This is episode 160 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-29-2021.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Entropy of Structures and Systems | The New Fire Engine Effect | SDP159
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Entropy is the gradual decline into disorder. An example of entropy is a melting ice cube. Water molecules are fixed and ordered in the cube. As it melts, the molecules become free to move and become independent and therefore become disordered. The second law of thermodynamics is that all things lead to entropy - from ice cubes to the human body. In this episode, Doc examines the entropy of structures and systems and centers these concepts on the example of a small village purchasing a replacement for its 30-year-old fire engine. ENTROPY OF STRUCTURES. Over time, cars will rust, pavement will crack, and the human body will deteriorate. Although entropy of structures is a certainty, preventive measures and maintenance will slow the rate of entropy. For the car, it’s washing, waxing, and applying touch-up paint to new chips. Exercise staves off muscle atrophy. Even if all structures on Earth were immune from entropy, the sun would engulf the planet. ENTROPY OF SYSTEMS. When the Texas power grid failed in the winter of 2017, a forensic analysis revealed a power grid system that had become old, outdated, and inefficient. Remember when you were in elementary school and participated in a monthly fire drill? The purpose of the drill was to ensure fidelity of the evacuation system. If you only practiced a fire drill the first week of the school year, then some students would forget the protocols as the year went on. THE NEW FIRE ENGINE EFFECT. In October, 2021, the village board of a community of 1500 people in Wisconsin approved an expenditure for a new fire engine. At $400,000, the rescue pumper would be the costliest purchase in the village’s 2022 budget. The volunteer department’s fire chief was grilled by the city council members to justify the large expenditure. The prepared chief noted that the village's primary engine, a 1990 pumper bought for $78,000, was well-maintained and also succumbing to entropy of structure and systems. In other words, the engine itself was demonstrating fatigue and it was difficult to find replacement parts for the aging apparatus. But there was something else. The outside world evolved 30 years beyond the world the engine entered. This is important. Let’s say that an exact new replica of the 1990 engine could be delivered to the fire station. Would that make sense? The firefighters would be familiar with the various levers and controls, right? Going back to the 1990 engine - it doesn’t have a crew cab and therefore only 3 firefighters can travel in it. Because of this limitation, the engine always needed a companion as the department always sent at least 4 firefighters to a call. This meant that two fire trucks were sent to accidents in order to have sufficient personnel - an accepted practice in 1990 - in fact, the firehouse was often emptied for most calls as the mindset was to bring as many assets to an incident as possible. Today, the “industry” protocol is to send a single "rescue" engine specifically built to transport 4-5 crew and extrication gear. The stalwart 1990 engine had a 1000 GPM pump. New engines are outfitted with a 1500 GPM pump. The village's fire rating fell over the years due to static pumping capacity as the once-tiny industrial park flourished with new businesses. And then there's GPS, comms, LED lighting and improved designs so ladders can be stored on top of the apparatus and lowered with ease. So that was all on the structure entropy side of things. The next part was systems entropy. In 1990, nobody thought about extinguishing an electric vehicle. Firefighters today train differently than their 1990 counterparts. The system of individual fire departments battling any blaze was a thing in 1990. In that Wisconsin village,a massive fire on Main Street was tackled by the fire department and the neighboring rural town’s department. Today, such a fire would activate mutual aid from multiple communities. With the advent and acceptance of mutual aid, fire departments are streamlining their fleets and pool assets. SCHOOL SAFETY. So what does this mean for school safety? As entropy happens slowly, it's almost impossible for schools to detect it. Plus, there is frequent turnover of school staff - so these folks aren’t around long enough to observe entropy. What can a safety expert do for a school? Identify the state of entropy and make recommendations to restore structures or systems (to original), refurbish them (modernize them as possible), or replace them. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. This is episode 159 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-22-2021.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
On Friday, November 12, 2021, classes were canceled for many public school districts in North Carolina. The intended purpose of the motion was to offer a mental health day for teachers and students experiencing burnout from the pandemic and the cumulative stress of contemporary education. Doc, with 25 years experience as an educator, describes the sudden popularity of mental days for school staff and why mental health days will both increase and also compound teacher burnout. WHAT HAPPENS ON MENTAL HEALTH DAYS? Staff and students are typically given vague guidance on how to focus on their mental health during days off. When Doc asks educators what they do on mental health days, they respond, “catch up on work,” instead of yoga, journaling or anything related to self care. Some note that the days off actually add to their workloads - and that makes sense. Instead of covering a planned lesson in 5 days, now they have 4 days, or 20% less time. Let’s be honest, a “day away from school” isn’t a magical elixir. This is trendy, but ineffective. Teachers are still burning out. MENTAL HEALTH DAYS DISRUPT ROUTINES. The school calendar provides consistency - especially now. Students have been out of school or toggled between hybrid and in-person instruction the past two years. Mental wellness days disrupt the continuity of routine. A human’s predictable routine can be called the torus - a concept Doc wrote extensively about in his book School of Errors. FIVE WAYS TO SOLVE TEACHER BURNOUT. Here are five ways to counter teacher burnout. Note that some call for disrupting long-held practices, such as the summer-off school calendar. (1) OBEY PARKINSON’S LAW. Humans function efficiently with defined start and end routines to daily activities. It wasn’t just the teaching profession that seemingly went 24/7 during remote learning, but schools have maintained one foot in remote learning and the other in the brick classroom. This has mushroomed the prep and planning for teachers. Schools can’t saddle teachers with planning for online, hybrid, and in-person learning. (2) YEAR-ROUND SCHOOL CALENDAR. In The Velocity of Information, Doc wrote about the groundbreaking work of World War II Army psychiatrist Dr. John Appel. Appel studied burnout in combat soldiers. He discovered that frontline warfighters would be killed, wounded, captured, mentally collapse, or found to be missing in action by 200 days. Increasing pay or championing “Why We Fight” didn’t offset the burnout. By that account, increasing teachers’ compensation, even doubling it, would likely have minimal effect on burnout. It might increase retention, but retaining a burned-out teacher is a bad idea. Back to Appel, he found that the British got 400 days out of their soldiers on the Italian front lines. How? The British would pull fighters out of duty within twelve days and then rest them for four days. In overlaying this thinking to K-12 schools, a year-round calendar creates rest periods - true “breaks” versus a periodic mental health day. Furthermore, year-round schedules lessen the impact of summer learning loss. Summers off goes back to when we were an agrarian society and then a recreation society. Most educators that talk with Doc are ready for year-round calendars. Beware, the school calendar is a sacred cow. (3) EMBRACE CROWD-IN MINDSET. There is zero sense that we are in transitory chaos. When people are convinced that chaos will continue for months or years, they surround themselves with comfort items. Remember the Michael Keaton movie Mr. Mom? In it, a fictional company called “Schooner Tuna” was steered away from advertising gimmicks by Keaton’s wife. In a surprise move, Schooner Tuna reduced the price of its tuna by 50 cents a can to convey empathy during the economic crisis of the time. Schools are overloaded with initiatives - and these initiatives are baking teachers. (4) CRACKED BOARDS. Recon Sniper Clay Martin spoke of “cracked boards” when Doc interviewed him about dealing with long periods in high stress settings. In short, it’s OK to tacitly acknowledge that you are frustrated - it’s the last fuse before burnout. (5) QUIT ZOOMING. Former Microsoft executive Linda Stone is an expert on human attention. In The Velocity of Information, Stone mentioned that she advises clients that Zoom calls are exhausting and a phone call places less demand on attention. Not every conversation requires a Zoom call. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 158 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-16-2021.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
The issue of masks and other COVID-19 precaution strategies in schools has become contentious, sparking a firestorm of lawsuits. Special guest Attorney Lisa Linney helps us understand behind-the-scenes strategizing when a parent sues a school district over insufficient virus mitigation protocols. What is the strongest argument for the plaintiff? Beyond the parent and the school district, will other “responsible third parties'' be at fault? What must happen in the hours after a school district has been served a lawsuit? DISCLAIMER. Attorney Lisa Linney will not be giving legal advice during this episode. Please contact your legal counsel for guidance on specific school safety legal matters. ABOUT LISA LINNEY. Lisa Linney is an attorney at Murphy Legal in Texas. Her focus is motion practice and appellate law. Lisa’s appellate practice begins before a case even goes to trial. She participates in trial preparation by researching thorny issues and crafting motions in support of her clients’ positions and to preserve the trial record for any potential appeal. Lisa also handles appellate work, including briefing and oral argument. She is a graduate of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. WHAT IS DECLARATORY RELIEF? Lisa notes that the lawsuits are between the parent and the school district. Declaratory relief would be , for example, the court interpreting the contract to determine rights of parents and the school without ordering action or awarding damages. In other words, the court has the ability to compel the school to implement a mask mandate or specific pandemic mitigation protocols. However, such a ruling would not extend to other school districts in the state. But, when similar parent-filed lawsuits against multiple districts catch the attention of the media and state legislators, there might be pressure for either the state department of health or state department of instruction to take a firm position, or in the rare chance, issue a decree on the matters. WHAT IS INJUNCTIVE RELIEF? The court may issue a sanction (injunction) regarding a school district’s pandemic mitigation practices. For example, if a school had a “masks optional” policy, the court might sanction the school district to remove the “optional” from its protocol. In Wisconsin, parent lawsuits against school districts claiming that "The school board and the superintendent are not providing a safe environment” are seeking declaratory or injunctive relief. In other words, the intent of the lawsuits is to change policy and protocol - most likely to require masks in schools. BURDEN OF PROOF. Lisa notes that the burden of proof in these lawsuits will be with the parent. As the plaintiff gather’s evidence (discovery) it’s as important to examine how a school district engaged in due diligence and debated pandemic mitigation protocols. The board of education is empowered with the responsibility of creating policies and voting on actions. When looking at the school’s decision to mitigate effects of COVID-19 in the school setting, something more could have always been done. The question is, what is reasonable? Anything publicly available from the county health department, local hospitals, CDC, FDA, NIH, WHO should be considered. Demonstrate due diligence in obtaining and weighing information from a variety of reputable sources - and government sources will be perceived as credible. Then boil down to more specific data as to what information applies to children. If the school district engaged in these steps, it’s going to be difficult for a parent to prevail in a lawsuit. WHAT IS NEGLIGENCE? Attorney Linney explained the three elements of negligence. (First) Defendant owned a legal duty; (Second) Defendant breached that duty; and (Third) Breach caused the injury. The plaintiff (parent) has to show that the defendant owed a legal duty to the plaintiff and the defendant breached that duty, and that breach was the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injury. Attorney Linney felt it would be a great technical challenge to prove the student contracted COVID at school and that it was a result of insufficient mitigation efforts by the school. Proximate cause will be the problem in the courts - how do you show the child got COVID. Where else has the child been, and the people that the children live and interact with outside of school? FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 157 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 11-2-2021.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com.
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
Doc clarifies the issues around threats toward school officials, discusses the National School Board Association’s (NSBA) under-informed hyperbolic letter to president Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland’s knee jerk memo directing the FBI to figure out strategies to address school threats within the next 30 days, reactions from state-level school board associations, and how your local school district board of education might implement changes including recording audiences attending board of education (BOE) meetings. Doc matches solutions to these issues and also refreshes our minds to how similar matters have been effectively addressed in the past, including FDR’s 1930s letter writing campaign. NSBA LETTER TO BIDEN REGARD THREATS TO SCHOOLS. On September 29, 2021, the NSBA, an advocacy group, sent a letter to President Biden with the heading: Federal Assistance to Stop Threats and Acts of Violence Against Public Schoolchildren, Public School Board Members, and Other Public School District Officials and Educators. In the letter, NSBA rolled off this 97-word sentence in which it put some parents in the arena with domestic terrorists: “As these acts of malice, violence, and threats against public school officials have increased, the classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes. As such, NSBA requests a joint expedited review by the U.S. Departments of Justice, Education, and Homeland Security, along with the appropriate training, coordination, investigations, and enforcement mechanisms from the FBI, including any technical assistance necessary from, and state and local coordination with, its National Security Branch and Counterterrorism Division, as well as any other federal agency with relevant jurisdictional authority and oversight.” AG GARLAND MEMO TO FBI. On October 4, 2021, US Attorney General Merrick Garland send a memorandum to the Director of Federal Bureau of Investigation directing the FBI to convene meetings with federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial leaders in each federal judicial district within 30 days in order to facilitate strategies for addressing threats against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff, and will open dedicated lines of communication for threat reporting, assessment, and response. STATE SCHOOL BOARD CHAPTERS NOT ON BOARD. The organization Parents Defending Education is curating a running tally of state school boards that have withdrawn from NSBA over the Biden letter (18 state school board associations have bailed from NSBA) as well as state school board associations answers to the following three questions: (1) As the [state association] has not yet commented on the National School Board Association’s September 29 letter to President Biden that requested federal intervention in local school board issues – which likened civic participation to “domestic terrorism and hate crimes” and cited the Patriot Act – Parents Defending Education (PDE) would like to know whether your organization was involved in the creation of this letter and whether you agree with its substance and tone. If not, have you contacted the NSBA to let them know? (2) Can you please tell us how, going forward, your organization defines “intimidation,” harassment,” and “threat”? (3) Finally, do you plan to report individuals in your state to the U.S. Department of Justice – or do you believe that concerns can be adequately managed by local and state law enforcement? STATE RESPONSES BURN NSBA. It’s apparent that state’s are displeased with NSBA and the Garland Memo. Here’s the Delaware School Board Association response to PDE’s questions: “The DSBA has seen school board meeting protests, some of which have become quite impassioned, however we have received NO reports of violence or threats of violence toward school staff or school board members. The DSBA does NOT condone violence or threats of violence toward students, staff or board members. After consultation with the Governor’s office, the Public Health Department and the Delaware Department of Education the DSBA developed and issued guidance to school board presidents regarding how to best handle school board meeting protests, which included the ultimate use of LOCAL law enforcement if absolutely necessary. This guidance was issued prior to the NSBA September 29 2021 letter. The NSBA letter to President Biden was unnecessary and quite frankly not helpful.” ARE THERE OTHER OPTIONS? Doc believes threats of violence toward school officials is happening, but over-stated by NSBA and Garland. Also, the National Threat Assessment Center has been effective in mitigating school threats for 20 years. Reviewing school board meeting video footage is at the bottom of the FBI’s prioritization list. FDR ASKED FOR LETTERS. When FDR was president, the country was hammered by the Great Depression and fears of war. In his fireside chats, he asked listeners to write letters to him describing their plights. More than 8,000 letters a day arrived at the White House - many accusatory and fiery. Doc described why this approach worked, and how it might be one of the strategies considered to make people feel that they are being heard. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 155 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 10-20-2021.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com.
Wednesday Oct 13, 2021
Wednesday Oct 13, 2021
Doc peels apart the big sticky questions about K-12 school mask mandates. What’s kicked off the flurry of mask/mitigation lawsuits filed by parents? Have county health services abandoned their obligations to school districts? Are school boards spending pandemic funds on football fields? Why are doctors invited to present at school board meetings instead of environmental services experts? Learn what is happening and what should be happening is schools around America. MASK GUIDANCE. Schools are frantically seeking guidance from county health departments. While some counties have stepped up, others have stepped away and turned off the lights. Boards of Education (BOEs) then attempt to align decisions to the CDC, state recommendation, advice from legal counsel, or local doctors. MASKS IN THE REAL SCHOOL WORLD. School officials are unable to define what is an effective and acceptable mask. Hundreds of students might wear old masks, homemade masks, or fashion masks. Should schools issue masks to students and staff to ensure some baseline of quality? How are students educated about mask wearing and how are schools responding to medical exemption orders for some students with disabilities? CONTACT TRACING. We’ve all heard this concept. In practice, it’s messy for schools providing in-person instruction. What frequently happens is that a student tests positive for COVID-19 and then the district notifies parents that their child was in “close proximity” to a child that tested positive for COVID-19. The parents are advised to observe their child for symptoms, but typically aren’t required to have the student self-quarantine or receive a rapid test. How does a parent distinguish symptoms of colds, seasonal flu, allergies, COVID-19, and fatigue? ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund (March, 2021) pumped cash into schools in the form of block grants that allowed schools to spend the dollars to increase student achievement or mitigate pandemic concerns. Some districts spent their dollars on staffing and cleaning. Others installed artificial turf athletic fields, tracks, and new weight rooms. There was much, and unchecked, interpretation of what measures promoted student health during a pandemic. Doc also notes that few schools spend the funds on HVAC upgrades due to the technical barriers of upgrading existing systems. For example, filters that remove viruses decrease air flow through the system and strain circulation motors. Furthermore, equipment and installers are in short supply as supply chains fell apart in 2021. SHOULD SCHOOLS TEST FOR COVID-19 ON SURFACES AND IN THE AIR? Yes. Schools have utilized professional environmental services to test for mold or MRSA, remove impacted areas, and help to prevent future problems. Environmental companies that offer those services are able to test surfaces and air samples for the presence of COVID-19. Doc states that professional environmental services should be informing school boards about COVID-19 management in schools. PARENTS SUE SCHOOLS - MY CHILD GOT COVID-10 AT SCHOOL. Doc notes very recent lawsuits that parents have filed against schools in his state alleging that the school “failed to implement reasonable COVID-19 mitigation measures.” How might schools respond to the lawsuits? Will parents prevail. If so, then what happens? Doc describes how foreseeable tort law might be something we begin to hear about and what that term means for BOEs. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 154 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 10-13-2021.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com.
Monday May 18, 2020
Monday May 18, 2020
Memory is changing. Research shows that as we use the Internet to support and extend our memory we become more reliant on it. Whereas before we might have tried to recall something on our own, now we don't bother. As more information becomes available via smartphones and other devices, we become progressively more reliant on it in our daily lives." Full blog post at safetyphd.com WHAT IS COGNITIVE OFFLOADING? Rather than attempt to mentally store and manipulate all the relevant details about a situation within the brains of individuals (also known as actors), we physically store and manipulate those details out in the world, in the very situation itself. All of us do this - some of us are more effective at it. Cognitive offloading is anything you do to reduce the cognitive demands of a task: basically, to make it take up less mental space. WHAT INFORMATION ARE WE EXPECTED TO MEMORIZE? In practice - cognitive offloading replaces memorizing maps, state capitals, names of former presidents -- instead, you know where this information is stored and; (A) how to query it; (b) how to access it; and (c) how to apply it. EXAMPLES OF COGNITIVE OFFLOADING. Here are examples of how humans cognitively offload information into the environment (instead of committing it to memory): (1) checklist for winterizing your lawn mower; (2) flipchart for what to do during a crisis; and (3) AED with voice output directions and various colored light cues to step you through how to use it to save a life. INTERNET HAS MADE OUR BRAINS LAZY. Per researcher Dr. Benjamin Storm, 30% of participants who previously consulted the Internet failed to even attempt to answer a single simple question from memory. We look external for answers instead of attempting to figure out things on our own. By discarding face validity (our own observations), we commit to trusting that search results will bring us the most vetted information. WHY IT’S DIFFICULT TO STUDY COGNITIVE OFFLOADING. Despite much research, the mechanisms that trigger cognitive offloading are not well understood at present -- such as why people offload some things and not others and how people optimise cognitive-offloading strategies without those strategies needing to be explicitly instructed. Researchers find it difficult to study the act of people creating reminders for delayed intentions without explicitly telling them about the existence of a compensatory strategy. People tend to do offload more in a condition they perceived as more difficult, not necessarily the condition that was objectively more difficult. WHAT COGNITIVE OFFLOADING LOOKS LIKE IN SCHOOL SAFETY. Cognitive Offloading manifests as crisis flipcharts hung by classroom doors or converted to electronic files accessible on desktop computers and mobile devices. It also takes the shape of the “step you through a crisis” phone apps that are inherent to most school safety protocols. FLAWS WITH COGNITIVE OFFLOADING IN SCHOOL SAFETY. Crises have befallen schools with elaborate school safety plans. These tools fatigue if not exercised by the actors - or the students, staff and families. You can’t just expect to retrieve critical safety information from the environment during a high-stakes crisis situation. You need some level of practice, of familiarity. If we could just retrieve information and immediately make sense of it per our stressed situation and context, each of us could successfully land an airplane. FOUR WAYS TO BE BETTER AT COGNITIVE OFFLOADING. (1) Probability of having to deal with a situation - if it’s infrequent, opt for cognitive offloading. Aso, use visuals, handwritten notes. Writing notes by hand generally improves your understanding of the material and helps you remember it better, since writing it down involves deeper cognitive-processing of the material than typing it. (2) Don’t offload things you need to memorize such as the rules of the road for driving. (3) Practice how to search for information from reliable sources such as JURN.org or by talking with your face validity member check network. You’ll excel at harvesting valid, trusted information and others will see this admirable characteristic in you. (4) Practice metacognition, or awareness of how you think, to avoid the Dunning-Kruger effect of cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. These are the, “I’m smart enough to know how to do this…” FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 136 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-18-2020.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Monday May 11, 2020
Monday May 11, 2020
Before 1961, the United States did not publicly educate any children with any disabilities. If a child had cognitive or emotional disabilities, deafness, blindness or needed speech therapy, parents had to educate their children at home or pay for private education. In 1975, the US voted to ensure that all children, regardless of their differences, should have access to free public school education. This was the start of “special education” in America’s schools. INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA). Approximately 7 million students with disabilities ages 3-21 are served under IDEA. Students with disabilities comprise 14% of all public school students. IDEA requires schools to provide appropriate education to all students in the least restrictive environment (LRE) possible. This means, for example, it is illegal to separate children in wheelchairs from children who do not require such assistance. WHAT IS SPECIAL EDUCATION? Special education is specially designed instruction that addresses the unique needs of a student eligible to receive special education services. Services are provided in accordance with a school-developed Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Examples of special education services include speech-language, learning disabilities instruction, and audiology. In addition, accommodations like additional time for assignments or audio books; or services - such as an adult aide or picture schedule, might be provided to the student. SOME SCHOOLS ENDED THE YEAR EARLY - DEEMED REMOTE LEARNING TOO TOUGH. Georgia, Texas, and other states waived the minimum instruction time requirements during the pandemic. As states opened the gates to the earliest summer vacation in a century, they concurrently closed the book on IDEA-mandated special education services and braced for unrelenting litigation from parents of students with disabilities. BETSY DEVOS STANCE ON IDEA. In April, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos denied requests to give school districts the option to bypass major parts of IDEA. Devos’ decision leaves questions about compliance and whether school districts will become vulnerable to legal action if they fail to fully serve students with disabilities, now that nearly every state has ordered or recommended that school buildings remain closed for the rest of the academic year. Students with disabilities have lost access to specific types of support they received in school — whether that was a therapy that required an adult to physically touch a student or a one-on-one aide to help a student with math assignments. BARRIERS TO SUSTAINING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES - TOO MUCH TO OVERCOME? (1) Cost: An unresolved matter surrounding special education has always been the cost. It is more costly to educate children with disabilities because they require more time and resources than students without disabilities and school funding is falling off a cliff. Schools will be forced to negotiate extreme austerity measures and consolidate services. (2) Staffing: Special education staff shortages are felt by all school districts. As schools make reductions, special education teachers, who often serve smaller caseloads than regular education teachers, will equally share the pain of attrition of reduction in force. (3) Inclusion. From a philosophical angle, the pandemic advances the narrative of including students with disabilities with non-disabled peers. (4) Social Distancing. Students with disabilities who are unable to wear masks or adhere to social distancing, including students with intellectual disabilities, early childhood students, or students with autism, will present significant challenges to schools. With touchy seclusion and restraint laws on the books, teachers won’t force students to wear masks against their will - even if the student doesn’t possess the cognitive functioning to understand the benefit of the mask. Students without masks will fatigue virus-mitigation protocols and could open up litigation by school staff, parents and even other students claiming that their health is placed at risk. CANADIAN SCHOOL’S DYSTOPIAN BACK TO SCHOOL VIDEO. Doc plays a “Welcome to your new school routine and rules during virus times” video a Canadian school shared with families this week. Kids must stay 6 feet apart, playground closed, gym closed, yikes! He notes that many US schools are prepping similar misguided, impractical protocols. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David P. Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 134 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-10-2020.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Friday May 01, 2020
Schools Won’t Open This Fall - Here’s Why | LIVESTEAM 04-30-2020
Friday May 01, 2020
Friday May 01, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic shuttered schools this spring. Something else will keep them closed this fall. Doc explains the trifecta that will keep schools closed for some or all of 2020-2021. TEACHERS UNIONS CONSIDERING STRIKES AND PROTESTS OVER COVID19. Politico’s Nicole Gaudiano, John Hendel and Leah Nylen wrote. “Teachers union: 'Scream bloody murder' if schools reopen without proper safety measures. The nation's two biggest teachers unions say they would consider strikes or major protests if schools reopen against the advice of medical experts. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is encouraging governors to “seriously consider” reopening schools.” PSYCHOLOGY OF CORONAVIRUS SCHOOL SAFETY. Doc identifies three psychological constructs that will drive safety-themed decision making in the age of pandemics. (1) Customer Perceived Value - means that people will pay for any device or practice that might decrease opportunities for germs/bacteria/viruses. This will create a “Wild West” environment for vendors pitching a range of new anti-viral sprays and gadgets to minimize person-to-person contact. (2) Social Proof is the tendency for one school to follow the practices of another school. If one school buys a $100,000 germ-zapping robot, the neighboring school is pressured to make a similar investment. (3) Overton Window has shifted and public policy will reflect the age of pandemics. It will be much easier to pass laws regarding social distancing in schools and regulations around things like washing hands. ISSUES K12 SCHOOLS WILL NEED TO ADDRESS FOR SCHOOL TO RESUME. David identifies several areas, equipment to transportation to policies that must be addressed before students return to in-person instruction. PPE Teachers, aides, cooks, custodians, office staff and visitors will all wear face masks in fall. Gloves will also be commonplace and school nurses and health aides will be wearing gowns and face shields. How soon can districts purchase these items and how reliable is their supply chain. SOCIAL DISTANCING. Student desks will be placed 6 feet apart, but will there be enough space in classrooms for a class of 20 students? Expect buses to limit capacity to 20 students, or about half of their normal count. Expect spacing or removal of playground equipment. STUDENT SCHEDULES. An in-person/virtual hybrid is the likely practice rolling forward. As schools are built for economy, they won’t be able to deal with the typical density of students and maintain social distancing. Look for schools to adopt schedules that limit building capacity to 50%. This might mean that some students attend school two days a week. VIRTUAL LEARNING. The high probability of a second or third wave of COVID19 means that schools will be ready to shift to a full virtual learning platform with short notice. Schools will focus on virtual learning platforms and also helping families obtain reliable Internet access. POLICY. Will schools enact policies to take the temperature of staff and students each day? Will policies be amended to mandate that anyone with a temperature above 99 degrees be required to go home? DEVICES. School safety is a $3 billion annual industry with money on fencing, bollards and barricades. Expect a flurry of new anti-viral devices including UV lights, anti-viral fogging machines, hand sanitizing stations / hand washing practices, and disposable door handles. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 131 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-30-2020. Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Saturday Apr 04, 2020
CORONAVIRUS CRUSHES CAMPUS | Interview with University Student Nick Schulaner
Saturday Apr 04, 2020
Saturday Apr 04, 2020
Nick Schulaner’s keen situational awareness enabled him to make the right decisions and safely navigate the rapid, unanticipated closing of his university campus due to the coronavirus pandemic. In this exclusive interview, Schulaner deconstructs the frantic shut down of his campus, migration to online learning, and overlooked electronics that are crucial to surviving in a stay-at-home decree. RETURN OF FRIEND OF THE SHOW NICK SCHULANER. Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the Industrial Revolution in Europe in the 18th century; however, its development can be traced back several thousands of years around the world. It is perhaps the most diverse of engineering disciplines. Stage left to university student Nick Schulaner who is pursuing degrees in mechanical engineering and marketing. His aptitude coupled to knack for connecting larger schemas positions him as someone that solves problems. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. As described in the book School of Errors, situational awareness is critical to quickly identifying changes from normal, AKA the TORUS. Nick shared that he was aware of how the coronavirus was impacting regions of the country three days before it became a furious storm that shattered his campus. WHAT ONE THING DOES NICK RECOMMEND RIGHT NOW. As jobs and education have been shuffled to online platforms, the need for a robust Internet router to handle multiple devices and larger bandwidths makes the top of Nick’s list. He recommends buying a new router and to seriously consider models designated for “gaming” as they often have options that work well for kids in virtual classrooms or people watching videos. Expect to pay more, but you won’t regret it! If your router is 5 years old, it’s probably obsolete! VIRTUAL LEARNING HAS ARRIVED. Nick notes the capacity has existed for the better part of a decade and the pandemic forced the hand of K-16 education to evolve to virtual platforms. Nick notes the paradigm shift embraced, or rebuffed, by his professors. GREAT TIME TO BUY USED ELECTRONICS. Nick adds that the economic plummet has a silver lining for anyone wanting to upgrade their phone or computer. Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist have been flooded with modern electronics. It’s a buyer’s market and Nick is confident that most people will be able to find gently-used electronics at a fraction of the price of new. IS NOW A GOOD TIME TO MARKET MY GIG? If you’re the owner of a physical location deemed non-essential, then the answer is no. However, if you are able to sell your product or services online, then now is a great time to invest in Facebook and other ads as prices have fallen in the past month. Nick describes one of his clients realizing a more than double return on investment in recent weeks. HOW WILL ENGINEERING CHANGE OUR WORLD AFTER COVID2019? First, Nick believes some things will simply be abandoned, such as dorms or other population-dense buildings that won’t be possible to retro-fit with anti-virus or social distancing technologies. He adds that someone is probably working right now on a device that will descend from the rafters of a 20,000 seat arena and either distribute a mist or laser beams to sanitize the facility after each use. Things nobody imagined a month ago will be necessary if mass gatherings resume after the coronavirus event. BATTERIES TO GET A BOOST. In addition, Nick anticipates that batteries will be rapidly innovated and that we should expect mobile devices to stay “charged” for days on a single charge. Mobile devices sold next year might come standard with batteries that last twice as long as today’s batteries. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 127 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-4-2020.
- Learn more about guest Nick Schulaner at www.nickschulaner.com
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com