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District details school safety strategy, highlights Navigate360 rollout
Summary
Diane McBride, the district27s coordinator of safety and security, told the board the district is using a trauma‑informed approach and has implemented the Navigate360 visitor management system via a PCCD grant. The presentation outlined drills, NIMS alignment, partnerships with first responders and next steps for emergency management modules.
Diane McBride, coordinator of safety and security for Wallingford‑Swarthmore School District, briefed the board on the district27s safety and security work for the 2025–26 school year, describing a combined focus on preparedness, trauma‑informed practices and interagency coordination.
"A safe school environment is built on a foundation of preparedness, compassion, and collaboration," McBride said during her presentation. She described aligning district protocols with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) for clearer roles and communications and applying guidance from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) to bolster prevention, intervention and recovery supports.
McBride said the district has implemented Navigate360, a visitor‑management and emergency‑management tool purchased with a Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) grant. She said Navigate360 will support visitor and volunteer screening, student tracking and digital access to site‑specific emergency plans, maps and an alert feature for building staff.
The coordinator described a continuing program of drills that includes "out‑of‑ordinary" scenarios to test alternative egress and lockdown responses, and she said first responders have participated in building tours to learn campus layouts and local terminology. McBride also credited the nursing staff and the Children27s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) partnership for the district27s designation as a heart‑safe district.
Next steps McBride listed included expanded professional development for staff, student safety lessons developed with student services, completion of Navigate36027s emergency module and ongoing incorporation of safety audit recommendations into capital planning.
No formal action was taken; the presentation was an informational update and board members asked clarifying questions about implementation, volunteer management and interagency collaboration.
