In this episode of The Changing Face of School Security, Paul Timm talks with Brian Gard from National Heritage Academies about effectively managing safety across more than 100 charter schools.

S1 Ep. 29 From Compliance to Consciousness: Building a Year-Round Safety Culture with Brian Gard

Gard highlights building a year-round culture of safety and accountability through dedicated school safety specialists, digital compliance tracking, and recognition programs. He also stresses the importance of leveraging standardized frameworks and practitioner collaboration, relying on resources from PASS and Safe and Sound Schools to deliver interactive, scenario-based training and foster transparent community engagement.

Finally, Gard discusses harnessing technology and AI for safety operations and student well-being, using tools like BARC to identify mental health concerns and generative AI to quickly develop concise staff training and analyze safety data.

Click here to listen to this episode of the podcast.

Meet the guest:

Brian Gard is the Director of Safety and Health with National Heritage Academies (NHA), leading safety initiatives and support for over 100 K-12 schools in nine states.

Connect with the guest:

• PASS Website: https://passk12.org/
• Safe and Sound Schools Website: https://www.safeandsoundschools.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-gard-878b704a/

Meet the host:

Paul Timm, Director of Education Safety for Allegion, is a board-certified Physical Security Professional (PSP), author of School Security: How to Build and Strengthen a School Safety Program, and a nationally acclaimed expert in physical security. He is also a member of PASS, CSC, ASIS International’s School Safety & Security Council and IASBO (Illinois Association of School Business Officials) Risk Management Committee.  Since 1999, Paul has conducted physical security assessments and provided technical assistance for clients nationwide and in Canada.

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