The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at The University of Southern Mississippi has developed a new online training course focused on high school athletic programs and after-school activities.
The Risk Management for Interscholastic Athletics and After-School Activities training course, created in conjunction with the United States Department of Homeland Security, FEMA and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center, allows participants to identify and develop an increased understanding of planning and responding to incidents that may occur after school hours.
“This new course represents the first course delivery to support the School Safety Initiative,” said Justin Kurland, NCS4’s manager for interscholastic sports safety and security. “The goal of the School Safety Initiative is to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach to school safety, interscholastic athletics, and after-school safety and security programs.”
Course participants will include athletic directors, school resource officers, public safety professionals, facility and operations managers, emergency managers and planners, and school and district administrators. Faculty, staff, and school club advisors will also benefit from the training, according to NCS4's announcement released Thursday.
“We are living in a society today that is very different than previous years,” said NCS4 director Lou Marciani. “Administrators, teachers, parents and even students are now concerned with the evolving threats presented outside of the regular school hours such as at their games, events, and meetings.”
The overall goal of this online learning program is to enhance the safety and security awareness of individuals responsible for organizing, supervising and supporting after school activities and interscholastic athletic events. Those individuals will learn and apply best practices for risk management, professional development, communication and planning.
